Why do cats wag their tails? Whether they are lying down, sitting, on all fours, sleeping or alert, the tail of our moustached best friend can tell us a lot about his emotional state, but not only.
Let’s discover together the way to communicate completely feline through the movements of the long and graceful cat’s tail.
The cat wags its tail for very specific reasons
The tail is a very important part of the cat’s anatomy, about 30 centimeters long, soft and with elegant movements.
It is a sort of “extra limb” essential for thefeline balanceas it balances it especially when running or jumping.
In addition, this mini-whip is also an essential means of understanding cat language. Puss can simulate an expression, but the movements of his tail always betray his true intentions.
Why do cats wag their tails?
Cats wag their tails for keep in balance, but above all to communicate their emotions to us. This indicates the intentions (and moods) of the Cat towards humans, other cats or any other animal.
Straight, in the shape of a question mark, swollen, immobile… the tail of our feline takes on the most diverse shapes and movements, let’s see in detail why, without forgetting that the movements of the cat’s tail must not be interpreted with the same criterion as the dog!
The two animals are very different and this difference is clearly shown in the ways of demonstrating emotions.
When the cat wags its tail, what does it mean?
The cat wags its tail voluntarily when he wants to communicate with us. Among the most direct and explicit forms of communication in the language of cats, in fact, there are the movements of the tail.
Be careful, however, not all cats have the same character and the same expressive capacity, in this article we give general indications on why cats wag their tails. To better understand your pet, we recommend careful observation of its behavior over several days, in order to understand what its specific ways of communicating are.
Lying cat wags its tail: why?
If the lying cat wags its tail it may be nervous. Nervousness manifests itself with very large movements of the tail. In this case it is advisable to leave the animal alone so that it can calm down.
Why do cats wag their tails when they sleep?
If the cat wags its tail while sleeping it may mean that it is actually dozing. His sleep has not reached a level of depth such as to be able to say “unconscious” and his mind, therefore, is still attentive to what is happening around him.
If the tail wags smoothly, it means the cat may be dreaming.
Why do cats always wag their tails?
I cats always wag their tails so they can keep their balance.
When they run, jump and play, in fact, thanks to the (more or less voluntary) movements of the tail, cats manage to maintain their impeccable balance.
Cat moving the tip of its tail and purring
If the cat purrs and wags its tail, it may mean that it is very calm and peaceful. Purring, in fact, is a clear signal that the animal is relaxed and appreciate the situation you are in.
In this state of total abandonment, the animal will tend to move the single tip of the tail slowly.
Cat jerking its tail: when and why?
If the tail is moved in jerks, as if it were a real whip, it may mean that the cat is a lot nervousto the point that it could be dangerous.
As a rule, this posture is accompanied by indicative meows and an aggressive expression.
More movements of the cat’s tail
- When the cat hides the tailmay be intimidated and feel unable to defend themselves.
- If, however, the low tail wagging it is also contracted, probably the mustachioed has noticed a prey and is preparing to attack it.
- If, again, the cat holds its tail straight and forms a right angle with the backhe is waving.
- Finally, if the animal is curled up with the tail completely enveloping its bodyup to the front legs, it means that the cat is asleep and completely relaxed.