Cats do not write warning labels but they do provide great previews. To most families the distinction between a lap moment and a swat or two lies within the observation of the slightest physical indicators-then the rapid alteration of human conduct. One cat behaviorist, Jane Ehrlich, once told USA TODAY, The first and the best thing a person can be towards a cat, especially when you’re trying to introduce your body language to them, is to be non-threatening. This is the thought that runs through just about all feline interactions: cat body language expresses limits on the spot.
Eyes provide the best indication of the “green light.” The slow blinks are also indicative of relaxation, trust and love, and reciprocating that slow blink may also serve to maintain calmness within the interaction. Pupils add more nuance. The dilated pupils may reflect surprise with excitement or fear according to the surrounding environment and the very small pinpoint pupils may be in possession of a threat reaction when a cat is cornered. They should in practice never guess one feeling, but watch it form: wide eyes and a tense body mean one thing when a person is playing and a different thing when a person is not playing.
Ears are like emotional rotating antennas. The reason behind cats having 32 muscles in each ear to stimulate not only acute hearing but quick communication is that they are able to swivel their ear across the entire length of the head. Forward or perked ears normally occur when a cat is attentive and relaxed. Ears cocked sideways or riveted back can be signs of fear or annoyance, usually in combination with cowering, a rigid pose or a tail which begins to twitch. When ears are aching and kept on twitching and a cat is scratching or pawing its ears as well, this action can alert about the pain that should be treated by a veterinarian instead of being pettered further.
It is the body part that people have the highest level of awareness regarding and the one that is most commonly misread when isolated out of context. An erect tail may indicate a friendly and confident attitude and some cats greet with a “question mark” curve at the end. But tail position can only be understood as a social sign together with the rest of the body: an upright tail with loose fur and with demeanor suggests a social sign, a defensive sign (or even a sign of fear, since the ears are flattened). Tail motion matters, too. When mild irritation or extreme concentration occurs, slight twitches are observed, but when it is overstimulated, the twitches are rapid. Physical but not emotional changes in tail carriage may also be a sign of something amiss, with a tucked, limp, dragging, or rigid tail being the characteristic of an ill dog, particularly when combined with changes in appetite, hiding, aggression, or grooming.
Whiskers make up the picture. Whiskers that are close together and slightly curve downwards, have been associated with calm behaviour whereas the splayed-out whiskers that are pushed forward are accompanied by alertness or agitation. This flattening of the whiskers on the face is a very common sign of having a scared cat.
When signals shift from welcoming to “done,” it is important to manage the choices. In cats that have been overstimulated in a touch situation, animal-care advice is to only pet the cat lightly and concentrate on the chin and head and avoid going down the body to the tail and by no means pet the belly. When warning signals are detected, such as tail snapping, pinning of the ears, rippling of the skin, sudden stagnation, the best answer is space and time, and not coercion. These clues do not concern the process of decoding a cat. They are concerned with seeing less, perceiving more slowly, and letting the cat take conditions of its own.
