No matter how strongly some adoring cat lovers insist that their cats talk to them, felines are not able to actually speak English, or any other human language for that matter. Cats do, however, communicate their feelings, needs and desires in cat language. As with any language, it must be learned to be understood - and that is the purpose of this article - to help you learn how to speak Cat.
Since you are reading this publication, it's likely that you are living, in your estimation at least, with a Bad Kitty. But here's something I need to share with you right up front. I don't really believe there are any bad cats-only kitties who are trying to tell us something that we're not able to decipher.
The behavior we may find so appalling, such as peeing outside the litter box, scratching our furniture, spraying our suitcases while we're packing for a trip, is simply our cats' way of letting us know what's going on right under our noses. (Speaking of noses, many of us have misunderstood what our cats are telling us by peeing outside their litter boxes).
Most cat lovers realize that cats communicate in all kinds of ways. For example, cats tell us a lot through their meows. Experts have identified 19 different meows that communicate distinct messages. That's pretty incredible!
There are a host of other ways cats communicate such as who and what they scratch, on what and on whom they pee, where they point their ears and various other behaviors and body language. But these signs aren't what this article is about.
My focus is on the messages cats give through their tails by which they express their emotions, tell us how they feel physically or, most troublesome, the delineation of their territory. What is your cat's tail trying to tell you?
Dog lovers brag about how their dogs run to the door to meet them, wagging their tails with delight. What do cat lovers have waiting for them when they get home? Well...for us the scene is a little different.
When we walk in the door and our kitties may not even look up. A warm greeting may come in the form of a long stretch, a few licks to the paws to make sure they look their best, and a slow saunter to see if you have snackies.
If our cats are in an especially demonstrative mood, they may wrap their bodies around our legs and leave their tails lingering a moment longer to let us know they care. Not only have they expressed their affection, they have marked us as their own.
Cats "mark" who they consider theirs, leaving their scent as a sign of ownership. Smalls glands on cats' heads and cheeks explain why they head-butt or rub the sides of their faces on us. But there are not glands on their tails, so why wrap their tails around us?
We've all seen out kitties dutifully clean their privates. Not my favorite scene, but one that all of us with cats have witnessed.
In addition to cleaning themselves (cats are fastidiously clean), they lick their anal glands and spread their scent along their tails and over their bodies. When the rub up against us, they're not just being affectionate, they are claim us for their own. I am flattered...I think.
If you are fortunate enough to have a cat that actually gets off the couch to acknowledge you, you'll be greeted by a tail flying high like a flag-pole-a grand expression of feline friendliness. A tail, held up, tells us that our cats are confident in our love for them. If they are especially happy to see you, their tails may actually quiver!
Another, although often unwelcomed, expression of affection is "tail-in-the-air, bottom-in-your-face" position. Not only are our cats excited to see us, we are invited to sniff their posterior regions. Cats gain a great deal of information from each other through the sense of smell, and our cats assume we have these faculties as well.
Perhaps the most affirming way cats express their love is to sit on our laps, curled up with their tails gently wrapped around them. Snuggled close, often with a purr, they are at peace, contented with being close, with the knowledge that they are safe and loved.
Carmen is an avid cat lover and expert on cats...especially the naughty ones which is why she started Bad Kitty Solutions. To get download a copy of her fun and free article called A Tale of a Tail: Is Your Cat's Tail Trying to Tell You Something, go to http://www.carmenreneeberry.com/BK-Sign-Up.html
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