Cats use a variety of signals to convey their message and avoid unwelcome confrontations. By learning how to decipher these feline postures, you can deepen the bonds of affection with your cats as well as prevent misunderstandings and potential aggression.

For example, they may come up and sit down on your newspaper, keyboard, or book. This is to tell you that you are not paying them enough attention. Then, there is the often seen but missed unwavering stare which is a way to get your attention. Perhaps he may  get up on sink and stare at you to show that he needs water.

Even facial expressions can tell you what they are thinking. I remember when JoyJoy, my beautiful feline baby was sleeping on a bookshelf in my living room.

She stretched out her body on a pile of books which shifted causing her to fall in a very undignified way to the floor. With an embarrassed look on her face she immediately she turned around to see if anyone saw her fall.

When she realized that I was watching her, her expression changed so as to say “why did you push me off the books?” And with her head held high and her tail up in the air, she stalked out of the room.

How did I know what she was thinking? This comes from studying cats as they interact with us humans.

As cat owners we find ourselves talking to our cats and wondering if they could understand what we are saying. Well, wonder no more, while cats don’t understand our spoken language, they are quite sensitive to our tone of voice and our body language.

In time a gentle “no” will stop most unwanted behaviors and they will respond lovingly to stroking, brushing, and even being allowed to sit quietly next to you, or on your lap.

Listen to your cat:

Most cats are as eager to speak to you as you are to speak to them. While there are a few cat breeds that are aloof and prefer to be left alone, most domesticated cats will attempt to communicate with their owners. And, they will use different parts of their body to show affection and acceptance, and even displeasure.

In additional to their obvious meowing, purring, hissing and growling, cats will use their ears, eyes, tail, and sometimes their entire head or body to let you know what they are saying. You can tell a cat’s mood by looking at his overall body stance.

When your cat is content and relaxed, she may stretch out and roll over. However, if she feels cornered and cannot escape, she may have extended claws and bared teeth in an effort to be highly defensive. This means that she is prepared to fight.

You can tell much more about your cat by looking at individual body parts. So here is a crash course on cat talk.

When a cat is curious about a situation, their ears will be facing forward and sometimes pointed in the direction of a strange sound. Interestingly, even when cats are asleep, their ears will move in response to a sound. 

If the ears are facing backwards or sidways, this is a sign that your cat is angry, scared or defensive. When a cat feels threatened, he will turn their ears sideways and a highly agitated cat will twitch his ears rapidly. This is a sign that the cat is preparing to attack if the menace continues. The next stage of agitation is to flatten their ears tightly against its head as the cat prepares for a fight.

When the tail moves slowly it suggests happiness, whereas when it moves fast, it displays irritation. However, if they are anxious their tail will be down and twitching. When they are excited to see you their tails will vibrate rapidly.

A cat’s tail also tells us when the cat is frightened. A tail tucked low between the legs is a sign that he is frightened. When the fur on the tail sticks straight up in a bottle-brush fashion, he is not only frightened but can retaliate with aggression.

Head butting, head rubbing, and rubbing their flank and tail against a person is a sign of greeting, affection and ownership.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS:

Cats have facial expressions. Most people don’t pay attention to their cats’ facial expressions because we don’t think of cats as having facial expressions.

If you do begin to pay attention to their faces you’ll see when they’re stressed or when they’re pained the facial muscles are tensed, and when they’re happy or relaxed, their facial muscles are relaxed. Many cats will actually look embarrassed if they fall or do something stupid and they see you watching them.

EYES:

Your cat’s eyes are like a window into his soul. Squinting while they are being petted, means he is relaxed. If his eyes are opened widely, it may mean that he is feeling afraid, curious or alert. You will also need to look at the size of his pupils to tell how he is feeling.

More specifically, watch for a long, slow blink, said Gary Weitzman, a veterinarian and author of How to Speak Cat: A Guide to Decoding Cat Language. “The slow blink really is an acceptance gesture,” Weitzman said. “They do that when they’re absolutely comfortable with you, and they do it with other cats as well.”

It’s not clear why cats do this when they’re feeling calm and comfortable, it is believed to be an autonomic response having to do with the cat having its cortisol [stress hormone] levels down.

By blinking slowly back at your cat, you are saying that you are aware of its presence and pose no threat. So the next time your cat blinks at you, try returning the gesture.

For example, a short meow means: “Hey, how ya doin’?” Multiple meows mean: “I’m so happy to see you! Where’ve you been? I missed you!” Mid-pitch meows is a request of some kind. Drawn-out mrrraaaaaoooow: means that the situation is dire. “I’m really hungry”, or “please please pretty please can I have a treat?” A low pitched mraaooww: is a complaint, but a high-pitch MRRRROWW!: indicate pain.

Other sounds can alert you to more pressing situations:

The one thing you probably think you understand about how cats communicate — purring means they’re happy! — isn’t exactly right. Cats do indeed purr when they’re happy, but that’s not the most accurate translation of the sound’s meaning, Cromwell-Davis explained. “You can have cats that are happy and content purring, but also a cat that’s injured or sick will purr,” she said.

Instead, purring means something more like, don’t go anywhere, please. It’s more likely a solicitation for care, in other words, than purely an expression of contentedness. “They haven’t got a good way of asking for help — it’s not in their language — so they do the next best thing, they do the purring thing,” said John Bradshaw, a University of Bristol anthrozoologist and the author of Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet. “The meaning is not exactly right, but it’s the closest they can get to it.”

A cat may rub its forehead on you. That is where scent glands reside. When he does this he is putting his scent on you to let other animals know that he loves you or in essence you belong to him. A wet nose kiss means ‘I love you’, but licking means ‘I adore you,’ or ‘you are the best’.

Consequently, you as a cat owner can tell with some accuracy what message your cat is trying to get across via its meows, whether it’s feed me or I’m bored or whatever else. So, keep in mind that each meow is an arbitrary, learned, attention-seeking sound rather than some universal cat-human ‘language’.

For example, while most cats hide when they are in pain, my cat wants to cuddle when she is not feeling well. When she was pregnant, I placed a small box with soft bedding in my closet for her to have some privacy when she gave birth. During the delivery however, she would only stay in the box if I sat with her.

Naturally, I sat with her through the birth of her five gorgeous babies. And, she was so appreciative that I would be there for her. It really pays to understand what your cat is saying to you. It can lead to many wonderful hours of loving on each other.