
A smothered or muffled yowl may indicate a hairball coming up. Yowling can also indicate discomfort or emotional upset. The sound is “wow-wow-wow,” but modulated: “woOOOoUse the yowl to move a strange cat off your property. Yowl: This is a step up from the hiss and is definitely a threat. You can use the hiss to tell your cat to stop doing something-this will get its attention and usually stop the behavior. The cat is saying, “Back off.” Depending on how confident the cat feels or whether it is in its own territory, it may fight or run. When you hear your cat meowing, it is generally talking to you-so pay attention! Kittens mew loudly when they’re hungry or frightened, but once they’ve stopped being dependent on their mother, they also stop this kind of calling behavior. To communicate with each other, they use a range of vocal signals, and some cats will use meows in this case, too. Meow: Cats tend to use meows more with humans than with other cats, though there are exceptions.

If the tail is trailing behind body but not held low: The cat is relaxed but alert.If the tail is high, relaxed, and waving: The cat is relaxed, happy, confident.


If the ears are flat back on the head: The cat is angry, threatened, frightened may scratch if cornered.The cat may also hear something behind it. If the ears are back but not flat: The cat is agitated, threatened, may jump or run away.Eyes will be closed or slit the cat is usually purring. If the ears are slightly down and to the side: Usually seen when the cat is very relaxed and happy.If the ears are forward but relaxed: The cat is also relaxed, aware of her surroundings but not alarmed.If you’re holding your cat and the cat suddenly looks at something and pricks her ears forward, she may be getting ready to jump, either to pounce or to run. If the ears are hard forward: The cat is alert, interested, and ready to move.Thus, a cat with slit eyes and ears hard down will probably also be arched or tense, whereas a cat with narrowed eyes and ears slightly down and to the side may also be purring and will be relaxed. Most actions included here exist in combinations rather than singly. Vocal speech, in the sense of sounds with a particular meaning, also exists, but it is secondary.

Have you ever wondered what it means when your cat purrs? We know that you feel the love when they let you rub their belly, so find out what all these little gestures mean according to catspeak!īecause most of an animal’s speech involves body language, posture, and gesture, the key to understanding your cat is learning to read its body language.
