How to Read Your Cat's Tail Language

A cat’s tail is one of the most expressive aspects of feline body language. Learning to interpret your cat’s tail signs will give you greater insight to your kitty-cat’s moods and feelings, and is sure to improve your bond with your pet.

In this video, we will break down different feline tail positions and explain what your cat is trying to tell you.

An upright tail
When cats hold their tail straight up, it means that they are happy and confident.
You'll often see this tail position when you come home after a long day at work, or when a kitten greets her mother.
Interestingly, a research study conducted by Cameron-Beaumont in 1997 found that cats were willing to readily approach a cat-shaped silhouette if it had a raised tail, but they were very reluctant to approach the silhouette if it had a lowered tail.
Tail-up therefore seems to signal the intention that the cat is friendly and wants to interact with you or other cats.
Wrapping their tails around you
When your cat wraps their tail around you or others, they are trying to show love, relaxation and affection.
This tail stance essentially symbolizes friendship and love, similar to how humans wrap their arms around loved ones for a warm hug.
A cat may also wrap their tail around the tail of another cat. This is a sign that the two felines are friendly and have a strong bond.
A quivering tail
A “Quiver” is a rapid, tiny cat tail wagging action. More often than not, cats quiver their tail when they are very excited, like when you open a new can of cat food. It is a friendly greeting and indicates your cat is happy.
But remember, if a cat quivers their tail while holding their tail straight up and backing up against a vertical surface, then that cat is urine marking. Although both female and male cats spray a concentrated mix of urine, unneutered males are more likely to leave their mark to let the opposite sex know they're available.
A puffed-up tail
While some people think a puffed-up tail indicates aggression, it doesn’t.
A cat that fluffs up their tail is usually frightened or threatened. By puffing up, your cat is trying to appear bigger and more threatening to their opponent.
Tail held low
A lower tail often indicates your cat is frightened, anxious, afraid or defensive. Something in the cat's environment is making them uneasy.
And when the cat tucks their tail all the way under the body and between their legs, it is an unmistakable indicator that the cat is feeling nervous, submissive or frightened.
Twitching the end of the tail
Tail twitching is similar to tail wagging but often involves lots of flicks of the tail at its tip. Cats twitch the end of their tails when they are hunting or actively playing with a toy, as well as when they are mildly or frustrated or irritated.
Tail swaying slowly from side to side
This is when a cat moves its entire tail slowly from side to side.
More often than not, a slow swaying tail indicates that the cat is deeply concentrating on something, or is engaged in predatory behavior.
A Thumping Tail
You may think cats are as happy as dogs when they wag their tail, but they aren’t.
A tail that whips quickly back and forth with more ferocity than a graceful swishing, or one that thumps loudly against the floor indicates that a cat is unhappy, agitated or fearful. The angrier the cat is, the faster they thrash their tail back and forth.
A Question Mark Tail
You have probably noticed that your cat’s tail sometimes looks like a question mark—it stands upright and curls at the tip. This tail position often indicates that your cat is happy and friendly.
Symbolic of the question mark shape that it represents, this position can also mean that your cat is feeling curious about something.
Tail up at a 45-degree angle
A tail held out behind but angled up may mean your cat is unsure how to feel right now. They’re neither welcoming nor threatening.
Curling their tails around their bodies
If your cat is sitting or lying down with their tail curled tightly around their body, it means they are fearful, defensive, nervous, or feeling uncomfortable.
Tail hanging down with a curve
If your cat’s tail is hanging down with a dip near the base, it’s a sign that your feline friend is mildly afraid, or a little defensive. Remember, the lower a cat’s tail is, the more anxious or afraid they are. And all in all, a tail below the level of their back indicates some negative feelings.
Although the tail is the most expressive part of a cat’s body language, you should look at more than just their tail movements to fully understand their emotional state. Better understanding your cat’s body language will surely improve your bond with your feline.
Be sure to check our other videos to learn more about cat vocalizations, quirks and body language.

[ASMRMagic]

Interesting, my cat appears to be broken then lol. My cat puffs up her tail and meows loudly every time she wants to play. Her tail puffs, she looks you dead in the eye, then quickly runs off to be chased. If you don’t chase her, she’ll keep coming back until you do. I’ve noticed her tail also puffs when we give her treats or when she gets excited. She’s so cute 🥰

[calmyourcat]

Cats tails are SO expressive! It's actually one of the main ways cats communicate with each-other. Thanks for this vlog, it was really interesting!

[miki_mouse_slay]

Upright tail = happy and confident
Wrapping their tails around you = affection, relaxation, love
A quivering tail = excited so much
A puffed up tail = frightened or threatened
Tail held low = anxious, frightened, defensive
Between legs = nervous, submissive, frightened
Twitching the end of the tail = hunting or playing a toy
Tail swaying slowly form side to side = deeply concentrating something or engaged in predatory behavior
A thumping tail = unhappy, agitated, fearful
A question mark tail = happy, friendly
The sleepy flick = cat is sleeping mf
Tail up at 45- degree angle = unsure how to feel rn
Curling their tails around their bodies = fearful, defensive, nervous or uncomfortable
Tail hanging down with a curve = feline is midly or lil defensive

[Pythonaria]

There's always an exception to the rule. One of my cats wags his tail like a dog and he IS happy. While doing this he head butts me, rubs up against me and purrs very loudly. He also has a smiley expression on his face. He is a very loving cat, definitely a cuddlebug.

[crackerboxpalace]

My cat has a "flip" switch and he actually insists that I pull his tail so he can flip over for a belly rub, he's hilarious

[joshuagarbett]

Having had two lovely pet cats 🐈
I’ve realised that when a cat loves you
There is absolutely nothing better in the world
Yes nothing
Not even a dogs love
When a cat loves you it’s amazing

[lisalu]

My favorite is the "quivery" tail. It's like she's so excited, she can't stand it.

[azuregiant]

My cat wraps her tail around me. I always call her my best friend and it’s lovely to know she feels the same 😻

[joyfulmornings]

My cat Mouse is extremely friendly and loving to everyone. He loves people and other animals. His tail is always raised and the tip of his tail is shaped like a question mark. When he’s laying down I talk to him with baby talk and his tail starts wagging like crazy. It’s just so adorable!! 🥰

[roselucht]

The more we responded to our cats the more we communicated …I love kitty cats!

[TakiGamesOfficial]

Strays at my neighborhood always approach me with their tails straight up. Good to know they appreciate seeing me after feeding them!

[monaedwards]

I love it when I walk through the door and my little Ruthie runs up to me with her tail straight up!

[allinone-qzgi]

3:29 "In such cases, it's best to leave your pet alone and moonwalk into the next room"

[robertd]

I walk my cat on a leash. When he is walking at a good pace, his tail moves slightly back and forth. When he stops, it always starts wagging almost like a dog. He doesn't seem stressed; I think it may just be a way he helps sense the environment around him when he is constantly changing locations on a walk.

[cazareetocaza]

I’m happy to see this, I have never seen any sad/scared/frightened tail on my older kitten (10months) only happy, excited and loving. I’m very glad she is secure, we got her just under 8weeks her mum cat wouldn’t feed her so she was very skinny, had to feed her by hand at first so we have a close bond now

[user]

There are two cats outside and I always see them create a heart with their 2 tails

[MarcusBurkenhare]

My eldest, Mister Harry has a permanent stumpy question mark for a tail. We were told when we took him on that his tail got broken as a kitten. It causes him no distress but I think of it as a minor speech impediment. He shows plenty of affection in other ways and is a happy healthy old boy (we've had him more than ten years and he was fully grown when we first had him)

[justafriendlycryptid]

I met a lil friend called Titan today. This is the first time we met and- oh I'm so 💖 to know they where so happy to meet me.

[annawitter]

There is another tail move: tail held out back, baleful stare, then cat turns away with a definite upward flick of the tail in your direction. That is a cats way of giving you the finger! Usually when you tell him off for something, or refuse to produce food on demand.

[daniellledeclue]

My cat lays with me all the time... His tail is always straight and always purrs! I wonder if he's always happy, I always will love cats