Facts About Cat Communication Cues

• A cat with a question-mark-shaped tail is asking, “Want to play?”
• According to Wilde, a slow blink is a “kitty kiss.” This movement shows contentment and trust.
• Cats have a unique “vocabulary” with their owner — each cat has a different set of vocalizations, purrs and behaviors.
• Cats have up to 100 different vocalizations  — dogs only have 10.
• Cats find it threatening when you make direct eye contact with them.
• Cats mark you as their territory

  when they rub their faces and bodies against you, as they have scent glands in those areas.

• Cats may yawn as a way to end a confrontation with another animal. Think of it as their “talk to the hand” gesture.
• Hissing is defensive, not aggressive, says Wilde. “It’s an expression of fear, stress or discomfort of a threatened cat communicating ‘stay away,'” she says.
• If cats are fighting, the cat that’s hissing is the more vulnerable one, says Wilde.
• If your cat approaches you with a straight, almost vibrating tail , this means that she is extremely happy to see you.
• Kneading — which some people refer to as “making biscuits” — is a sign of contentment and happiness. Cats knead their mothers when they are nursing to stimulate the let-down of milk.
• Meowing is a behavior that cats developed exclusively to communicate with people.
• When a cat flops over and exposes his belly, it’s not always an invitation for a belly rub. A cat does this when he’s relaxed and showing trust.
• When cats hit you with retracted claws , they’re playing, not attacking.
• When dogs wag their tails, they may be expressing happiness. But this isn’t the case for cats! When your cat wags her tail , it’s her way of warning you that you are getting on her last nerve.
• When your cat sticks his butt in your face , he is doing so as a gesture of friendship.
• Whiskers are also good indicators of a cat’s mood . When a cat is scared, he put his whiskers back. But when a cat is in hunting mode, he puts his whiskers forward.
• Your cat drapes its tail over another cat, your dog, or you as a symbol of friendship.