You may have noticed that your cat’s tail moves in all sorts of ways, such as moving in an upright position, swaying from side to side, or hovering close to the ground. But besides using their tails to maintain balance and control their movements, do cats’ tails reveal anything about their state of mind? And what do tail movements mean?
Cat behavior experts agree that cats use their tails to express a wide range of emotions as part of a comprehensive system of body language. According to research published in the Irish Veterinary Journal, cats rely on their eyes, ears, body, and tail to express fear, anger, happiness, contentment, and curiosity.
A cat’s tail is remarkably flexible, thanks to its unique anatomy. It consists of 18 to 23 tiny bones, known as caudal vertebrae, that are interconnected like a chain, allowing the tail to move in many directions. When a cat experiences an emotion, its brain sends signals to the tail muscles via the pudendal nerve, or the nerve that connects the tail muscles to the central nervous system.
“This communication occurs almost instantaneously, allowing cats to wag their tails with lightning speed and precision,” Reda Mohamed, a lecturer in animal anatomy at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, told Live Science in an email. Mikel Delgado, an animal behaviorist at Purdue University in Indiana, said an upward-pointing tail indicates a friendly, social approach. However, the upward-pointing tail is not universal.
A doctoral study on communication in domestic and wild cats found that wild cats display many of the same social behaviors as domestic cats, but they do not use the “tail up” signal commonly seen in domestic cats during friendly interactions.
This suggests that the “tail up” signal likely evolved during the domestication process. Meanwhile, Delgado explained, “tail puffing is often a response to a threat — such as seeing a cat outside — and is considered a defensive attempt to make itself look bigger.” This response is similar to what humans experience when they get goosebumps in response to fear.
Humans have tiny muscles called arrector pili at the base of their hair follicles, and when we’re afraid, these muscles contract, causing our hair to stand up. Similarly, cats have these same muscles at the base of their tails, and when they feel threatened, these muscles puff up their tails, making them look bigger and more intimidating.
“A lowered tail [‘tail down’] is generally associated with fear, as the cat tries to make itself smaller or protect itself,” Delgado said. According to the Feline Emotions Guide published in 2021, a fearful cat may keep its tail wrapped around or under its body. And if a cat thumps its tail on the ground or moves it rapidly from side to side or up and down, that could be a sign that it’s feeling angry.
It might seem easy to gauge a cat’s emotional state from its tail, but context is also important.
“It’s important to remember that you can’t tell how a cat is feeling just by looking at one part of its body,” Delgado told Live Science in an email. “You always have to consider the cat’s whole body as well as what’s going on in the cat’s environment.”
In addition, cats can communicate with their tails in different ways depending on whether they’re interacting with humans or other cats.
For example, a 2021 study in the journal Animals found that when cats interact with each other, they typically keep their tails down and rely more on their ears to express their emotions. (Erect ears indicate friendliness, while flattened ears indicate hostility.) Meanwhile, the researchers found that cats often raise their tails when approaching humans, especially before rubbing against their legs.
The next time you’re with your cat, take a moment to pay attention to what they’re trying to tell you using their tail.