The Secret Language of Cats

August 27, 2024 – 

Written by Kiyoka Tamesue, PSM, KPA-CTP and Julia Pinckney, MSc.

When your cat leans into pets and is purring loudly with a relaxed body, you just know they’re happy to see you, right? You also probably know something is wrong if your cat is swatting at your with claws extended and hair on end. But, are you able to pick up on the subtler shifts in body language that lead up to those moments of powerful, overt emotion?

As the NOCO Humane Behavior Team, part of our job is to recognize and interpret subtle changes in body language that indicate potential shifts in an animal’s emotional state. Most animals don’t go from 0-10 in an instant; they usually begin with lower level signals to communicate their emotions long before escalating to snapping, snarling, fleeing, and/or hiding.

The trick is learning how to recognize and respond appropriately to the whispers in your animal’s behavior, and avoid contributing to their overstimulation to the point they need to scream.

(Interested in the secret language of dogs? Click here)

Why is Understanding This Language Important?

The ability to decipher the body language of our beloved furry friends helps us to better understand their feelings, wants, and needs, which enhances our ability to care and provide for them. Additionally, recognizing animal behavior helps keep ourselves and the animals in our lives safe.

Picking up on an animal’s body language is especially important in a shelter setting, where animals frequently come in as strays and have no known behavioral history. Luckily for us, cats each have their own communication style, and when we learn how to read and respond to their body language appropriately, we can better meet their needs, strengthen our relationships, and live in greater harmony together.

While each animal is an individual with their own unique behavioral quirks, there is a great deal of behavioral consistency within each species. By learning to read these commonalities in behavior and body language, we can better understand their inner emotional worlds and respond appropriately to what they are telling us.

A Holistic View

When observing and interpreting animal behavior, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Look at the animal’s ENTIRE body
   Looking at the position of an animal’s ears or tail can give you some important information, but it’s important to consider their entire body to get a full understanding of what they are communicating in the moment.
2. CONTEXT is key
   Behavior does not occur in a vacuum, and the same behaviors can have VERY different meanings in different situations. Carefully observing the CONTEXT in which behaviors occur can help you gain a better understanding of what an animal is trying to tell you and why.
   
3. Every animal is an INDIVIDUAL
   An animal’s behavior is affected by many different factors that can vary widely from individual to individual. Learning their history, level of socialization, health status, breed, age, and genetics are just a few examples of variables that can affect how an animal behaves in a given situation. 
   

Green, Yellow, and Red Light Behaviors

As animal behavior professionals, we all too commonly hear the phrase “The dog or cat just attacked OUT OF NOWHERE!” While it can certainly seem like these behaviors come from “out of the blue,” animals rarely bypass milder warning signs and go straight to snapping, scratching, or biting. In the rare instances where animals truly show little to no warning before escalating, it is often because their lower lower level signals have been punished or outright ignored in the past.

Human communication is very similar; we may start by dropping subtle hints like looking away or making a face to express discomfort or displeasure or use our ‘inside voices’, to resolve a conflict. However, if we feel ignored or invalidated by the other person, we might escalate to more heated forms of communication like yelling and slamming doors to get our point across.

In the shelter, we frequently break behaviors into “green, yellow, and red light” categories. As with traffic lights, green means “good to go”, yellow means “use caution, slow down,” and red means “stop!”  These “red light” behaviors almost always occur when an animal’s “yellow light” behaviors are ignored or go unrecognized.

Green and red light behaviors tend to be the easiest to recognize because they represent the “extremes” at either end of the behavior spectrum. For example: A cat with almond-shaped eyes, a relaxed body, and a curvy upright tail is showing ‘green light’ behaviors and indicating that they would like to continue the interaction. A cat with their ears flattened back against their head who  is hissing, spitting, growling, or yowling showing red light behaviors, which indicate that all interactions should be stopped.

A cat that is turning their head away, has a lowered body, a low tail, licking their lips, and has wide and round eyes is showing yellow light behaviors. They are trying to tell you that they are  nervous and need you to take a break or change your behavior so they can be more comfortable. The same thing goes for a cat who has moved away from you, has semi dilated pupils, and is starting to get tense.

Below are some common green, yellow, and red light behaviors. Examples of each are explained in more detail later in this article.

Green

• Soft eyes
• Neutral pupils, not dilated
• Loose and wiggly body
• Indirect approach
• Attentiveness, approach, and seeking soft eye contact
• Frequently changing position
• Relaxed facial muscles, smooth forehead
• Slow blinks
• Rolling onto side
• Extending limbs/stretch
• Upright, curved tail (sometimes called a question mark tail)
• Cheek and body marking
• Head bunting
• Making “biscuits” (kneeding with paws)

Yellow

• Trembling
• Pacing
• Shaking off (stress relief)
• Exit seeking
• Displacement behaviors – normal behaviors displayed out of context: intently sniffing ground, sneezing, yawning, lip licking, paw raise, shaking off as if wet
• Avoidance behaviors: backing away, turning head, hiding
• Hair standing on end (piloerection can also be a sign of arousal/excitement)
• Weight shifted back
• Body/facial tension
• Tucked or low tail
• Tucked limbs
• Low body
• Tension around eyes, resulting in wide eyes or very tight, squinted eyes
• Fast, repetitive blinking
• Body tension
• Wide, round eyes
• Excessive drool (in abnormal context)
• Rapid panting (in abnormal context)
• Lip licking/tongue flicking
• Whale eye (sideways glance in which animal is avoiding direct eye contact and much of the whites in their eyes are visible)
• Dilated pupils
• Ears pinned back or flat against head
• Wrinkled forehead/facial tension
• Ears to the side (“airplane ears”)

Red

• Fixed, direct, hard stare (Eyes have cold, flat appearance)
• Rigid, frozen body
• Weight shifted forward
• Very dilated pupils
• Biting
• Wrinkled nose
• Mouth closes suddenly/tension around muzzle
• Piloerection (hair on shoulders, back, and/or base of tail standing on end – this can also be a sign of excitement)
• Ears flattened back against head
• Hissing, spitting, growling, or yowling
• Puffed up tail

Cat Body Language

Vocalizations

Meows – Domesticated house cats have been known to meow much more than their feral counterparts, and meowing in your companion cat will be almost always directed at you rather than at other cats. Did you know that meows are generally not reliable indicators of emotional states between different cats? This means that your own cats’ meows are going to be different from the meows of your friend’s cat, even if they’re saying the same thing! Keep this in mind when you’re meeting a new cat, remembering that you can’t easily predict what that new cat wants based on meows alone: meows don’t necessarily give you enough information to be red, yellow, or green light signals.

One type of cat vocalization, which is predictable among cats, is yowling. You can identify these as long, drawn out sounds that a cat makes when in pain, distress, or when very upset. This will be accompanied by a tense body and other clear signs of stress. This is a clear red light signal and a cat yowling should be left well alone to decompress.

Purring is often thought of as a sign that a cat is content and happy, but there are actually three distinct types of purrs: a relaxed purr, a solicitation purr (like when your cat is rubbing against you as you prepare their food!), and a purr that’s associated with pain or distress. Most of the time, a cat purring is a good thing, but just because a cat is purring doesn’t mean they’re happy – take into account the rest of their body language, too. (Read more about the mysteries of cat purrs in this BBC article.)

Hissing, growling, or spitting are all vocalizations that are meant to increase distance between the cat and you (or something else). This means, “move away!” Please be respectful of what they are saying and do not continue interacting with a cat displaying these behaviors, even if they aren’t focusing their attention on you. These cats are afraid and their red light behavior is telling you to give them space.

Body Tension and Position

Is the body tense? A cat that is tense or stiff won’t be moving and may even appear frozen. They won’t respond much or at all to gentle interaction, like a toy, treat, or a hand reaching toward them for petting. The cat may be stressed, anxious, or afraid and are choosing not to interact with you much by showing yellow light behavior. Move slowly when working with these cats. They may tense further (respect this and stop interaction), or soften, which means you can continue your gentle and brief contact with them.

Keep an eye especially on facial tension – a cat will have muscle tightening around the eyes, muzzle, and may pull the whiskers back when stressed as a yellow light sign. They will also have similar signs if they are in pain, and veterinary professionals can actually use a scale based on a cat’s facial tension and body position to determine acute (not chronic) pain. This is called the Feline Grimace Scale.

Lowered body position is usually a yellow light behavior. This is hunching down to make themselves smaller and indicates fear. Cats showing these signs may soften with gentle interaction, but if they tuck or tense further, please stop to prevent further distress.

A relaxed body in a cat looks like a cat who is really and truly lounging! They may be laying on their side, partly exposing their belly, with legs and tail slightly sprawled out. Or, they may be sitting up and looking around softly, observing the world. You may notice slight movement in the tail, ears, face, or body overall as they turn here and there toward whatever is going on around them. Or, they might stretch as they get up and feel comfortable to do so. These are all wonderful green light signals that a cat is relaxed!

 

Bunting is when a cat head bumps against something or someone. It’s usually accompanied by purring, a soft body, and then rubbing against the object with their head and body. If your cat is doing this, good news! They’re giving you the green light and want to continue hanging out with you.

A cat who is lip licking when they haven’t just eaten is showing a subtle signal. It’s a kind of fidget behavior. This is a yellow light signal.

Is the cat trembling, shaking, or shivering? This can be a sign of stress and fear, especially when the cat isn’t in a cold area. It can also be a sign of pain. Please do not continue interacting with a cat that begins to tremble. They are too scared to learn from you and this is a red light signal.

Another interesting behavior cats (and some dogs) will do is called feigning sleep. While it may appear that your cat is resting, take a closer look and you’ll see that the cat’s limbs and tail will likely be tightly tucked under them, the rest of their body will show some tension, and most tellingly, their head will be raised upright. They’re using their neck muscles to keep their head up, even if their eyes are closed or squinting almost shut. Just like you, when cats sleep, they’re fully relaxed and a truly sleeping cat will have their head flopped onto their bed. They’ll also have their legs and tail partly or fully extended, and may be slightly rolled onto their side to be extra comfy! A cat that is feigning sleep is trying to opt out of any interaction with you, so respect this yellow light behavior.

If the cat is trying to jump away or flee, they do not want to interact with you – another red signal. Please stop working with them.

Pay attention to if the cat is leaning toward or away from you with their body weight as you interact with them. A truly relaxed cat who’s enjoying petting will lean into chin or cheek pets, for instance!

Eyes

Shape of eye – Just like with dogs, a cat that is relaxed will have slightly almond-shaped eyes. A fearful cat may have very wide open eyes, or may be squeezing their eyes slightly with the amount of muscle tension in the face. Squinting during blinking or in general is a more rapid, squeeze shut of the eyelid with tension around the orbit. This can be confused with slow blinking, but it means that the cat is stressed, fearful, and tense rather than relaxed. Look at the muscle tension in the face and body, too.

Pupil size – Very dilated pupils when the cat is not in a dark space indicates fear, anxiety, or stress. A cat who has pupils that change shape rapidly (going from pinpoints to very dilated or vice versa) or suddenly become very small means that they may be about to pounce or even strike. This is great if you’re using a wand toy to play with them, but keep an eye out on the entire rest of the body, too.

Whale eye is the term when you can see the whites of a cat’s eyes – the same as with dogs. This happens either because they have opened up their eyes very wide or because they’re trying to look somewhere with their eyes without turning their head. This can indicate fear and is a yellow light behavior – go slow.

Slow blinking is just what it sounds like – a cat will take two or three seconds to slowly blink at you. It indicates calm and relaxation and is a beautiful green light behavior. They’ll also have a very relaxed body posture. Try slow blinking at them and see if they slow blink back – this is a calming signal!

Ears

Upright ears, or a cat’s ears that are gently moving back and forth as they listen to different sounds in the room, means a cat is paying attention or relaxed.

Ears that are going back or to the side means a cat is fearful. In the wild, a cat that starts to pin their ears back is a signal to other cats. It may also protect the delicate ears from another cat’s sharp claws! This is usually accompanied by body tension and dilated pupils.

Pinned Back Ears

The ears are fully pulled back and flattened against the head, meaning a very unhappy cat. This cat is very fearful and is telling you to stop and move away.

Tail and Hair

Tucked Tail and Limbs

This is when the feet, legs, and tail are tucked under, or tightly next to, the cat’s body, especially if accompanied by a tense body, meaning the cat isn’t interested in moving or interacting, and is afraid, stressed, or anxious.

A loose, upright tail is a great sight to see! Cats with an upright tail with a soft curl at the tip use this as a visual greeting signal to others and to people – it’s like a friendly “hello!”

A cat with piloerection, or raised hair/hackles along the tail or back is showing arousal – which can mean anything from a startle, fear, or being cold. Usually, it means your cat is on high alert. They may arch their back in the classic “Halloween cat” pose if they’re really alarmed or afraid. Cats showing this behavior may be defensive because of fear, so look to see what is getting their attention and don’t continue interactions if they don’t relax quickly.

Putting It All Together

When meeting, playing with, or in everyday living, pay attention to these subtle signs that show what your pet is feeling, and share what you see with family members, kids, and friends. This helps all of you recognize when your pets are comfortable and safe, or when they need more space. The most important thing to understand is that an animal who is gently moving, wiggly, soft, and loose is most likely happy, relaxed, and safe to be around. An animal that is either frozen, very still, tense, or moving quickly but with any sort of tense, rapid, jolting movement is probably very unhappy, fearful, stressed, and should be left alone.

More Resources on Cat Behavior

Resource One
Resource Two