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Body
language
Cat
greets you with her tail up in the air… she’s in a good mood and
happy you’re back
Ears
up but tail down, then she’s relaxed but alert.
She
also gives you hugs… she’s letting you know she likes you (and also
marks her territory, mine!).. But it can also be greediness (for example:
give me food!!!!)
A
heftily sideways swaying bent tail means she’s excited or agitated.
If
she has an upright tail and bent ears she’s in a good mood aswell.
Ears
flat on her back, whiskers pointed forwards, arched back… She’s
making herself bigger and is fearful and insecure. She’s doubting
whether to fight or flee.
A
sweeping tail preludes an impending attack. When she lowers herself and
puts her tail upright, she’s about to strike.
The
sense of danger can come at an instance. Sometimes it’s caused by a
sudden sound, or by someone striking the table enthousiastically, but
also by the opening of a soda can. The sudden sharp noise can alarm a
cat and while you’re petting him, he could scratch you by reflex. This
is not intentional.
A
cat has a natural need to be petted. The human hand then functions as
the mother’s tongue. Kittens do grow tired of it after a while, and
clearly show so. This is when the mother usually stops too.
It
can occur that the first need to be petted, turns into fear. The cat
remembers how as a kitten, she was first petted kindly, to then be
forced down and get an injection needle or anti-flea pipette stuffed in
her neck. In other words, a memory of an unpleasant or frightening event
following the petting.
Soft
belly
A
great spot to pet a cat is its tummy. There are cats who lie on their
back and invite yo to pet their comfy soft belly. You will have to be
extra alert though, for his ability to ‘snatch’ you from that
position. With his front legs he can grab your hand, put his teeth in
your wrist, and swing his hind legs against your arm. If this happens
there’s only one way to get loose: Do Nothing!
If
you watch him well you can see when he’s getting irritated. He starts
slamming the tip of his tail. His ears go down on his back a bit and his
eyes become bigger and sometimes darker. He’s overall not very relaxed
anymore. If you notice this, stop petting. This way he’ll keep
enjoying it because he knows you understand him. You should never take
such a thing personally!
There
are cats who enjoy many and long lasting petting sessions, but there are
also cats who don’t enjoy this or any other manner of petting. Some
cats think it’s more than enough to just sit next to you on the couch.
If you respect this, and find this enough as well, he’ll come to
accept you more and more.
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