Cat body language: our guide to the basics of cat communication

This quick and simple guide – put together by our pet experts – is designed to help you understand the basics of cat body language. While we hope you find it useful, it’s also important to remember that every cat is different and cat behaviours are often influenced by individual breed, personality, and history.

We may be used to seeing our cats contort themselves into all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes. But, if we’re trying work out how they’re feeling, there’s really only a few main cat behaviours we need to look out for.

While this type of cat body language does usually mean they feel secure and comfortable with you, cats also sometimes lie on their back when they’re ready to fight. So, while it might not mean they’re feeling aggressive, an unwelcome tummy scratch could still leave you with some unwanted bites and scratches.

Unless you know your cat loves their tummy touched, it might be a good idea to use caution, and go for a head scratch. Or even leave them be if they seem nice and relaxed.

What pet parent hasn’t marvelled at the amazing flexibility of our cat’s ears? But did you know cat ear signals can also be extremely useful in helping us read their mood?

Facing forward – this is also sometimes called ‘neutral position’. This usually indicates your cat is feeling calm and confident.

High and erect – this type of cat ear signal usually shows they’re on the alert. They may be looking to play, or just be showing a heightened awareness of their surroundings.

Low and sideways – sometimes known as ‘airplane mode’, this position generally suggests your cat may be frightened or nervous.

Low and flat – one to watch out for! This type of cat body language usually precedes aggressive behaviour, such as biting or scratching.

While they may not have quite the same range of expression we do, it’s still possible to tell a lot about our cat’s mood from their face. We just need to pay attention to what their eyes and whiskers are telling us.

Eye closed and whiskers relaxed
A relaxed and contented cat. They may even slow blink, which usually suggests they are very comfortable with you.

Eyes open with whiskers forward
This type of cat body language usually means your cat is on the alert. Pay close attention to the size of their pupils. If they’re not enlarged, they’ve probably just noticed something that interests them. If their pupils are larger than normal, it may mean they’re anxious, worried, or stressed. An understanding of cat ear signals could prove useful in helping you decide which it is.

Eyes down with whiskers drooping
This could indicate that your cat is listless, or even depressed. This is often the result of a prolonged period of stress. So, it’s probably a good idea to get them checked by your vet if you see this expression too often. Particularly if you’ve noticed other changes that don’t feel like normal cat behaviours. There are many reasons cats like to sleep so much. But, if you notice yours sleeping too much or too little, for example, it could also be a sign that something is up.

As you can see, there’s all sorts of subtle cat body language we can look out for to help us understand how our pets may be feeling. But remember, you’ll need to consider how posture, tail movement, ear signals and facial expression are all working together to get a real idea of your cat’s mood. And don’t forget cat body language is only one element of cat communication. There are lots of other cat behaviours - such as meowing, marking, hissing, biting and scratching - that can also tell you a lot about how they’re feeling.

Finally, don’t forget that no-one knows an individual cat like their pet parent. So, while we hope you’ve found these tips useful, it’s important to always take into account the breed, history and natural temperament of your pet.