Kitty confidential
June 3, 2023 2:31 PM Subscribe
"New cat owner discovers cats!"
Mine has this adorable habit of stroking my arm with his tail if we are sitting close on the couch.
posted by Thella at 3:40 PM on June 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
Mine has this adorable habit of stroking my arm with his tail if we are sitting close on the couch.
posted by Thella at 3:40 PM on June 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
Right now both of mine are saying WHERE'S DINNER, HOUSEMONKEY.
posted by humbug at 4:14 PM on June 3, 2023 [21 favorites]
posted by humbug at 4:14 PM on June 3, 2023 [21 favorites]
Cute illustrations at least!
One of my cats skips the body language and goes straight to talking. When she meows piteously and repeatedly it usually means either “Throw this hair elastic so I can attack it and bring it back to you to throw again,” or “Pick me up so I can look out the window at the birds!”
posted by ejs at 4:14 PM on June 3, 2023 [11 favorites]
One of my cats skips the body language and goes straight to talking. When she meows piteously and repeatedly it usually means either “Throw this hair elastic so I can attack it and bring it back to you to throw again,” or “Pick me up so I can look out the window at the birds!”
posted by ejs at 4:14 PM on June 3, 2023 [11 favorites]
Am I correct in recalling, from somewhere, that cats don't meow at each other. Just at humans? Kind of like dogs evolved muscles around their eyes specifically to communicate with humans?
posted by Splunge at 4:37 PM on June 3, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 4:37 PM on June 3, 2023 [5 favorites]
Splunge, I heard that too. Cats vocalize to each other plenty with growls or yowls or chirps but the classic meow is reserved for their human vassals.
posted by ejs at 4:41 PM on June 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by ejs at 4:41 PM on June 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
Splunge, that seems to be correct. We have five cats, sadly down from seven a few years ago. The only vocalization they do at each other is hissing they don’t meow at each other or anything like that.
What is interesting is that they seem to have picked up some vocalizations from one another. Our young orange floofy guy started mimicking our senior cat’s song of victory when he catches a poofball. Orange guy never made that noise until moving in with our senior guy. It’s adorable.
posted by jzb at 4:55 PM on June 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
What is interesting is that they seem to have picked up some vocalizations from one another. Our young orange floofy guy started mimicking our senior cat’s song of victory when he catches a poofball. Orange guy never made that noise until moving in with our senior guy. It’s adorable.
posted by jzb at 4:55 PM on June 3, 2023 [4 favorites]
Adult cats don't meow at each other. Kittens meow at their mothers, but stop when they grow up.
I adopted a cat just before the pandemic started in earnest, and I feel very lucky that she's the easiest cat ever. She's very, very communicative when she wants something. I think she must think I'm a little slow, because she's gotten good at making things very easy for me.
Sitting in front of the water dish: Water, please.
Sitting in front of the food dish: Food, please.
Biting me very gently on the hand: I have tried to inform you politely that I require food, but if you don't listen, let me be clear: I want to bite some meat.
However, there's one behavior that I don't think I've seen anyone explain before: when I walk through the door, even if I've been gone as little as ten minutes, she scratches up her scratcher. She doesn't scratch that aggressively at other times, unless she wants me to pay attention to her and I'm not paying attention to her.
I can only conclude that she means, "Aaaaaah you were away for so long and I thought no one was going to pay attention to me ever again!"
She's an anxious little thing.
posted by Jeanne at 4:59 PM on June 3, 2023 [16 favorites]
I adopted a cat just before the pandemic started in earnest, and I feel very lucky that she's the easiest cat ever. She's very, very communicative when she wants something. I think she must think I'm a little slow, because she's gotten good at making things very easy for me.
Sitting in front of the water dish: Water, please.
Sitting in front of the food dish: Food, please.
Biting me very gently on the hand: I have tried to inform you politely that I require food, but if you don't listen, let me be clear: I want to bite some meat.
However, there's one behavior that I don't think I've seen anyone explain before: when I walk through the door, even if I've been gone as little as ten minutes, she scratches up her scratcher. She doesn't scratch that aggressively at other times, unless she wants me to pay attention to her and I'm not paying attention to her.
I can only conclude that she means, "Aaaaaah you were away for so long and I thought no one was going to pay attention to me ever again!"
She's an anxious little thing.
posted by Jeanne at 4:59 PM on June 3, 2023 [16 favorites]
Cats vocalize to each other plenty with growls or yowls or chirps but the classic meow is reserved for their human vassals.
Those darned humans don't understand the subtleties of body language, so meowing at them it is. Incidentally, when my mother was feeding the feral cats at CSU Long Beach, she found that virtually none of them meowed at the humans, except for the scant few who had self-tamed and wanted to be petted. (A rare exception was the time she ran out of canned food and had to short one pair at their feeding station; they followed her back to the car and chewed her out very loudly. "What they were saying was not repeatable in polite company," she told me afterwards.)
posted by thomas j wise at 5:27 PM on June 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
Those darned humans don't understand the subtleties of body language, so meowing at them it is. Incidentally, when my mother was feeding the feral cats at CSU Long Beach, she found that virtually none of them meowed at the humans, except for the scant few who had self-tamed and wanted to be petted. (A rare exception was the time she ran out of canned food and had to short one pair at their feeding station; they followed her back to the car and chewed her out very loudly. "What they were saying was not repeatable in polite company," she told me afterwards.)
posted by thomas j wise at 5:27 PM on June 3, 2023 [9 favorites]
My old girl has a progressively twitchy tail movement that means "I'm thinking about murder, and if there is not an insect present, one of your extremities might be involved." It's so obvious they probably used it in that Tim Roth body language cop show.
posted by credulous at 6:19 PM on June 3, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by credulous at 6:19 PM on June 3, 2023 [7 favorites]
This was cute! It very much is an "all cats" sort of thing but I recognized a lot of the body language. Definitely useful for those who are new to cat ownership (guardianship? servitude?)
posted by kingdead at 6:43 PM on June 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by kingdead at 6:43 PM on June 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
Kittens meow at their mothers though (don’t they?).
I have this notion that domesticated cats are, and their wild ancestors were, imitating snakes — the hissing, the slitted pupils, the fangs, the way folding their ears back when angry or frightened makes them look.
And I think their exaggerated fear and reaction to cucumbers bespeaks an evolved response to snakes, especially since copperhead snakes smell like cucumbers.
So I’d like to fit some of the ways they move their kind of snaky looking tails into that if possible. Do they move them the way they do when stalking in order to evoke a startle response on he part of potential prey? Enquiring minds would like to know.
posted by jamjam at 7:23 PM on June 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have this notion that domesticated cats are, and their wild ancestors were, imitating snakes — the hissing, the slitted pupils, the fangs, the way folding their ears back when angry or frightened makes them look.
And I think their exaggerated fear and reaction to cucumbers bespeaks an evolved response to snakes, especially since copperhead snakes smell like cucumbers.
So I’d like to fit some of the ways they move their kind of snaky looking tails into that if possible. Do they move them the way they do when stalking in order to evoke a startle response on he part of potential prey? Enquiring minds would like to know.
posted by jamjam at 7:23 PM on June 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
when i am not giving scritches in the appropriate location, our cat gently bats at my hand to signal 'higher' or 'lower', and indicates when i've found the correct location by sinking her teeth into my carpi
posted by logicpunk at 7:29 PM on June 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by logicpunk at 7:29 PM on June 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
Come to think of it, they mainly mew at their mothers and yow at potential enemies.
So they're simultaneously begging for something and telling us not to get the wrong idea?
posted by jamjam at 7:31 PM on June 3, 2023
So they're simultaneously begging for something and telling us not to get the wrong idea?
posted by jamjam at 7:31 PM on June 3, 2023
No, I think it's a learned vocal thing based on the fact that humans talk to them all the time. My boy cat has several different meows, and I know what some of them mean and others leave me puzzled but he will keep training me.
posted by hippybear at 7:40 PM on June 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by hippybear at 7:40 PM on June 3, 2023 [2 favorites]
The shuddery tail thing was something I didn't know about. My old boy Zach would do that often, and now that I know what it meant I'm all happy now.
...I've been catsitting for a neighbor for the past week, which was more about keeping the dude company now and then. And for some reason Ollie has fallen for me - his mom said that usually he hides from strangers, but he has always been ALL. OVER ME. Whenever I've head over, all I really do is let myself in, sit down on the couch and let him climb all over me for 20 minutes. I get head butts all over - Friday night he was so into rubbing his cheeks on my lap that he lost his balance and fell off the couch. And instead of stalking off when I cracked up he just jumped right back up all "oh haha i meant to do that but heck, you just make me so giddy, iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou...."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:24 PM on June 3, 2023 [20 favorites]
...I've been catsitting for a neighbor for the past week, which was more about keeping the dude company now and then. And for some reason Ollie has fallen for me - his mom said that usually he hides from strangers, but he has always been ALL. OVER ME. Whenever I've head over, all I really do is let myself in, sit down on the couch and let him climb all over me for 20 minutes. I get head butts all over - Friday night he was so into rubbing his cheeks on my lap that he lost his balance and fell off the couch. And instead of stalking off when I cracked up he just jumped right back up all "oh haha i meant to do that but heck, you just make me so giddy, iloveyouiloveyouiloveyou...."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:24 PM on June 3, 2023 [20 favorites]
The tail-quiver is the best.
I don't know where the "cats are aloof and unexpressive" saw came from -- like, anyone that's lived with a cat knows that they wear their emotions very openly.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:21 PM on June 3, 2023 [15 favorites]
I don't know where the "cats are aloof and unexpressive" saw came from -- like, anyone that's lived with a cat knows that they wear their emotions very openly.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 11:21 PM on June 3, 2023 [15 favorites]
Cats' faces don't move very much though, probably less than dogs' faces do, except when their emotions are extreme indeed... perhaps that's the basis for the claim they are unexpressive. Cats can definitely be aloof though, exactly as one would expect a small vulnerable predator to be when confronted with a giant ape 20 times its size. Just saying "here kitty" and beckoning isn't enough.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:46 PM on June 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:46 PM on June 3, 2023 [1 favorite]
expressively aloof
posted by away for regrooving at 12:57 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by away for regrooving at 12:57 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Every use of the word "boost" is the result of passing your draft text by Legal.
posted by groda at 3:32 AM on June 4, 2023
posted by groda at 3:32 AM on June 4, 2023
However, there's one behavior that I don't think I've seen anyone explain before: when I walk through the door, even if I've been gone as little as ten minutes, she scratches up her scratcher. She doesn't scratch that aggressively at other times, unless she wants me to pay attention to her and I'm not paying attention to her.
Ours will do this if we've been so much as in another room for awhile, even with the door open. Like, after showering or whatever. My interpretations have always been (in descending order of probability IMO) that it's a greeting, expression of pleasure at seeing us, invitation for petting or other interaction, and/or a demonstration of some sort of prowess. It does seem to please them when I offer praise in response to it, so if nothing else, I'm positive it's meant to get our attention.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 3:59 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
Ours will do this if we've been so much as in another room for awhile, even with the door open. Like, after showering or whatever. My interpretations have always been (in descending order of probability IMO) that it's a greeting, expression of pleasure at seeing us, invitation for petting or other interaction, and/or a demonstration of some sort of prowess. It does seem to please them when I offer praise in response to it, so if nothing else, I'm positive it's meant to get our attention.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 3:59 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
The “lashing tail” section needs an amendment, though. Tail down & lashing does indeed mean annoyance/aggression, but there’s a very similar movement with the tail upwards that expresses happiness. One of my cats does the tail-quiver for joy, but the other does a happy tail-wave.
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:16 AM on June 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Pallas Athena at 4:16 AM on June 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Relevant: Here’s a survey on cat facial expressions drawn from a recent study.
posted by bunderful at 5:19 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by bunderful at 5:19 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
I took the cat facial expressions survey and aside from one 'I don't know' (which I guessed correctly but wasn't sure) I got them all right. I'm pleased I was able to understand cat emotions.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 5:37 AM on June 4, 2023
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 5:37 AM on June 4, 2023
This article would have been very useful for me when I was just being around cats for the first time, in my 20s.
posted by doctornemo at 9:29 AM on June 4, 2023
posted by doctornemo at 9:29 AM on June 4, 2023
Every morning I try to host a catio time.
That's a part of our back yard enclosed by a mix of cattle panels and sturdy plastic panels.
I sit in a chair with the laptop and keep an eye on Ash, Hunter, and Spider as they take turns:
-monitoring the perimeter for foolish, foolish birds and squirrels
-sprawling out to contemplate the universe
-stalking bugs
-sitting under me (for shade, I think)
If I don't set up the catio in a timely fashion Hunter or Spider will track me down.
At first, they'll look at me patiently.
If I don't react soon enough, they will emit a single "meow" at my face. Cmon, human, you know the routine.
One I get the clue and start walking to the back door, they'll lead me on by about a meter, frequently looking over their shoulders to make sure I'm still following.
posted by doctornemo at 9:32 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
That's a part of our back yard enclosed by a mix of cattle panels and sturdy plastic panels.
I sit in a chair with the laptop and keep an eye on Ash, Hunter, and Spider as they take turns:
-monitoring the perimeter for foolish, foolish birds and squirrels
-sprawling out to contemplate the universe
-stalking bugs
-sitting under me (for shade, I think)
If I don't set up the catio in a timely fashion Hunter or Spider will track me down.
At first, they'll look at me patiently.
If I don't react soon enough, they will emit a single "meow" at my face. Cmon, human, you know the routine.
One I get the clue and start walking to the back door, they'll lead me on by about a meter, frequently looking over their shoulders to make sure I'm still following.
posted by doctornemo at 9:32 AM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
One of our three cats has a specific facial expression and meow that mean it's time for me to take nap with her. We're only allowed to pet her if we're laying down on the bed under a cover.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:58 AM on June 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 9:58 AM on June 4, 2023 [3 favorites]
Pleased to report I did the survey of cat expressions and got 8/8. CAT WHISPERER.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:59 PM on June 4, 2023
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:59 PM on June 4, 2023
TBH from my experience some of the cats have trouble conveying meaning to humans, too.
Just a few minutes earlier tonight one cat tried to make me open a door for him, and was just exasperated at how I couldn't just push a door bell button out of his reach for him. (I don't know how I know that, but it was very clear).
Well I know where this little purrer is supposed to live (7 doors further down the road), and I'll ring the proper door bell there for him.
But I also know that whoever you want to visit in tonight's house moved out a few years earlier. But as soon as I figure out whatever else door bell to ring for you so we can let you know THEY ARE NOT THERE ANY MORE I will.
Wait, I think he conveyed meaning to me just fine, maybe.
Damn, cats.
posted by flamewise at 2:30 PM on June 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just a few minutes earlier tonight one cat tried to make me open a door for him, and was just exasperated at how I couldn't just push a door bell button out of his reach for him. (I don't know how I know that, but it was very clear).
Well I know where this little purrer is supposed to live (7 doors further down the road), and I'll ring the proper door bell there for him.
But I also know that whoever you want to visit in tonight's house moved out a few years earlier. But as soon as I figure out whatever else door bell to ring for you so we can let you know THEY ARE NOT THERE ANY MORE I will.
Wait, I think he conveyed meaning to me just fine, maybe.
Damn, cats.
posted by flamewise at 2:30 PM on June 4, 2023 [1 favorite]
Cats vocalize to each other plenty with growls or yowls or chirps but the classic meow is reserved for their human vassals
Cats can see in one sixth the amount of light we need, they have steerable ears which can hear an octave higher than a dog, they have two systems of smell making them about 12 times more sensitive than we are - as well as being able to focus on a particular scent. They have a part of their brain, analogous to our visual cortex, which is dedicated just to interpreting data from their whiskers - which they can steer to fine tune their attacks.
So, I view the “having to resort to meowing for humans” thing as being like those profound language barrier limited conversations that oblige us to resort to communicating with mimed actions: “airport”, “hungry” and so on.
posted by rongorongo at 3:27 PM on June 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
Cats can see in one sixth the amount of light we need, they have steerable ears which can hear an octave higher than a dog, they have two systems of smell making them about 12 times more sensitive than we are - as well as being able to focus on a particular scent. They have a part of their brain, analogous to our visual cortex, which is dedicated just to interpreting data from their whiskers - which they can steer to fine tune their attacks.
So, I view the “having to resort to meowing for humans” thing as being like those profound language barrier limited conversations that oblige us to resort to communicating with mimed actions: “airport”, “hungry” and so on.
posted by rongorongo at 3:27 PM on June 4, 2023 [5 favorites]
I recognize the artist because she used to have an Etsy shop. Here's Lili Chin's site with lots of kitty and doggy drawings (and online shop).
posted by oneirodynia at 3:44 PM on June 4, 2023
posted by oneirodynia at 3:44 PM on June 4, 2023
I want to be a Feline Behavior expert or Ph.D.
You could spend fifteen years on a study, come back with little or no results and not a single person would challenge it.
posted by Sphinx at 4:22 PM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
You could spend fifteen years on a study, come back with little or no results and not a single person would challenge it.
posted by Sphinx at 4:22 PM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
We are friends with the neighbour cat, who used to come over here when this house had its previous owners and had roof holes and the loft was a squirrel nursery. She comes by and demands pats and skritches (although I really don’t want to scratch her literal teeth, she seems quite into it) and will bop you with her little peet if you stop skritching before she has had enough. She yowls for attention and will get me to summon my husband who she thinks is the best ape ever to give her more attention. She very much wants to get into the loft to murder squirrels, even though there are no longer any squirrels in the loft, she does not believe us.
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 4:32 PM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 4:32 PM on June 4, 2023 [2 favorites]
My boy cat has several different meows
But are any of them similar to this? (slyt)
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:04 PM on June 4, 2023
But are any of them similar to this? (slyt)
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:04 PM on June 4, 2023
My cat is a very expressive, very affectionate lady. It really is true that the people who think cats are aloof are just not paying attention to them - or for some reason expect them to behave like dogs.
I find dogs confusing, but having never lived with a dog it makes sense that I don't understand them so well.
posted by mathw at 2:37 AM on June 5, 2023
I find dogs confusing, but having never lived with a dog it makes sense that I don't understand them so well.
posted by mathw at 2:37 AM on June 5, 2023
Cats' faces don't move very much though, probably less than dogs' faces do, except when their emotions are extreme indeed...
Oh, I definitely got a dirty look from my cat once. An old boyfriend and I were watching him sleep, the two of us discussing how cute he looked and speculating what he might be dreaming about. And after we humans yammered on for a couple minutes, Zach just opened one eye and glared at us, with an expression that definitely was like, "SHUT. UP."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:03 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh, I definitely got a dirty look from my cat once. An old boyfriend and I were watching him sleep, the two of us discussing how cute he looked and speculating what he might be dreaming about. And after we humans yammered on for a couple minutes, Zach just opened one eye and glared at us, with an expression that definitely was like, "SHUT. UP."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:03 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Mine has this adorable habit of stroking my arm with his tail if we are sitting close on the couch.
Mine has the irritating habit of tickling the back of my leg, or my ear, with his tail if I'm trying to sleep.
posted by Foosnark at 5:19 AM on June 5, 2023
Mine has the irritating habit of tickling the back of my leg, or my ear, with his tail if I'm trying to sleep.
posted by Foosnark at 5:19 AM on June 5, 2023
I find cat faces to be very expressive, but the secret for me is figuring out that they have eyebrows - even if it's not visually different in their fur configuration they do seem to have the skull + musculature for it (just like dogs), even if their muzzle is stiffer. Maybe that's why they look more severe. But that does depend on how socialized they are around people. They do pick up human expressions well enough to appropriately use it for their moods.
posted by cendawanita at 5:50 AM on June 5, 2023
posted by cendawanita at 5:50 AM on June 5, 2023
If I am asleep and one of my cats wants me to be awake and basking in the glory of his existence, he will gently pap my cheek with a soft paw. Then, when I resolutely ignore this, he escalates to touching my nose repeatedly - a technique undoubtedly developed because I will snuggle into my duvet more but keep my nose free for airflow. And then, when the nose boops are ignored, he lulls me into a false sense of security by stopping for about forty five seconds. Then another pat on the nose… and then he sneaks his paw up underneath and neatly, gently, pokes up inside my nostril with a single unsheathed claw. How’s that for clear communication?
posted by Mizu at 7:39 AM on June 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 7:39 AM on June 5, 2023 [5 favorites]
neatly, gently, pokes up inside my nostril with a single unsheathed claw
Our now departed girl cat Nancy would do paw tapping and then finally just have the ONE claw out for a tap to let you know she was serious.
Do cats have these things as part of their vocabulary, or so they develop their own tactics to interact with their servant apes that might be parallel to other cats' tactics?
posted by hippybear at 7:48 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
Our now departed girl cat Nancy would do paw tapping and then finally just have the ONE claw out for a tap to let you know she was serious.
Do cats have these things as part of their vocabulary, or so they develop their own tactics to interact with their servant apes that might be parallel to other cats' tactics?
posted by hippybear at 7:48 AM on June 5, 2023 [1 favorite]
My Big Floof of a tuxedo cat does NOT want me to sleep past 0700, and if I'm still asleep by then, she will perch on the table right next to my head and just purr very loudly. It totally works, much to my intense displeasure on the rare mornings when I can sleep in.
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 8:45 AM on June 5, 2023
posted by outgrown_hobnail at 8:45 AM on June 5, 2023
those profound language barrier limited conversations that oblige us to resort to communicating with mimed actions: “airport”, “hungry” and so on.
I'm now smiling picturing you explaining to a cat you need to leave for the airport.
posted by yerfatma at 10:44 AM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm now smiling picturing you explaining to a cat you need to leave for the airport.
posted by yerfatma at 10:44 AM on June 5, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm now smiling picturing you explaining to a cat you need to leave for the airport
I thought this was more referring to the airplane ears that cats often express. For example this FB group Aeroplane Ears. But maybe it was literally airport. :-)
posted by ssri at 2:24 PM on June 5, 2023
I thought this was more referring to the airplane ears that cats often express. For example this FB group Aeroplane Ears. But maybe it was literally airport. :-)
posted by ssri at 2:24 PM on June 5, 2023
Maybe they're caretakers for Choupette? They fly on a private plane regularly.
posted by hippybear at 3:38 PM on June 5, 2023
posted by hippybear at 3:38 PM on June 5, 2023
*However, there's one behavior that I don't think I've seen anyone explain before: when I walk through the door, even if I've been gone as little as ten minutes, she scratches up her scratcher. *
One of my cats does this.
posted by kjs3 at 8:48 AM on June 7, 2023
One of my cats does this.
posted by kjs3 at 8:48 AM on June 7, 2023
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My boy cat has a thing where he is sitting somewhere and I ask him "you doing okay?" and he has this little twitchy tail movement that is very specific and says "yes, I'm fine". If he doesn't make that movement, I know he's anxious or something has him malcontent.
I mean, this article is really giving the broadest brush strokes for "what is cat body language". If you really get to know a cat, you'll notice they are actually very expressive in many subtle ways that this article doesn't express. I think largely because a lot of these smaller expressions are developed between cats and owners, or maybe between cats and cats I can't say, and as such are more individual communications rather than more lower brain emotional state indicators.
posted by hippybear at 3:01 PM on June 3, 2023 [32 favorites]