What Is My Cat's Body Language Telling Me?

If your cat has ever flicked her tail at your leg or tilted her head to the side and stared at you for no apparent reason, you probably found yourself wondering, "What Is My Cat's Body Language Telling Me?"

Verbal language in the form of hissing, growling and meowing (in all its varied forms) are common ways in which your kitty communicates with you. After being roommates for a while, you can start to understand what she's communicating. Non-verbal cat body language, however, can be trickier to decipher because as pet parents know well, cats are notoriously sly and expect you to read their kitty-cat minds.

Because they are such expressive creatures, cats can convey a lot of emotion without saying anything at all. It's easy to lose hours of your life looking at fun, crazy photos of cute cats posted on any of the innumerable websites out there. Many of said images are captioned with what their pet parents think the cat is trying to tell them. Make sure to pay close attention to her non-verbal cues, there are a few ways to figure out what it is your kitty is trying to tell you.

Eyes

As the old phrase goes, "the eyes are the window to the soul," and this is definitely applicable to kitties. As Vetstreet points out: "Your cat's eyes help tell the story of her inner state." It's quite common for cats to sit and stare, deep in thought, for long periods of time. Perhaps she's contemplating the great mysteries of the world, or daydreaming about her favorite toy mouse.

If her pupils are normal (that is, not dilated), rest assured that your feline friend is relaxed and ready to chill. "When your cat is at ease, she may make eye contact," Vetstreet continues, "and will hold the gaze for a while before looking away in a nonchalant manner or blinking softly." You'll often see this gentle, sometimes heavy-lidded look after your cat's had a satisfying meal, or just before she drifts off to sleep.

The shape of a cat's eye also can reveal much about her inner thoughts. Much like her human friends, the eyes of a cat will open wide with surprise, a behavior that indicates she's on high-alert. If she narrows her eyes and they are dilated, watch out because trouble is on the way. Pupils dilate when adrenaline kicks in, and when it comes to cats, it means she's ready to pounce, attack, dominate or all of the above.

Ears

Whether rounded or pointed, a cat's ears essentially are antennae directly wired to her emotions and tuned into the world around her, all due to their ability to move independently, coupled with her impeccable hearing skills. "A cat up to 3 feet away from the origin of a sound can pinpoint its location to within a few inches in a mere six one-hundredths of a second," explains Animal Planet." Cats also can hear sounds at great distances — four or five times farther away than humans." Your furry friend's amazing, unparalleled ability to hear what you cannot may conjure worries about odd happenings around the house, but most likely, she's listening to the floor creak a few rooms away.

If your cat's ears are in "airplane mode" — that is, flattened out to the side, or even behind her — she's nervous, frightened or irritated. This is a fight-or-flight mode, so be prepared for either action. You may see this behavior, for example, when your kitty is introduced to a new human or animal. Flattened against her head, her ears reflect a more dangerous or aggressive emotion, but this position also may reveal that your cat is frightened. In either case, do what you can to remove her safely from the situation.

And what do the ears of a happy cat look like? Why, a smile, of course, says PetMD, with "ears turned up and to the side." Now that is one cute look!