As a pet parent, you’ve probably looked at your feline friend countless times and wondered what was going through their head. Your cat can’t talk to you, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t communicating. You just have to learn to read their language—and no, we don’t mean translating their meows into English.
Cats have some genuinely mysterious behaviors, and they aren’t the easiest creatures to read. If you want to feel more connected to your cat, it comes down to tuning into the subtler things their body language says. Once you start paying closer attention, you’ll probably notice they’ve been telling you things all along.
As veterinarians, we think learning to read your cat is more than a nice extra. Beyond strengthening your bond, it helps you spot when they might be in pain or unwell—and cats are experts at hiding both. In this post we’ll look at a few of the ways your cat communicates through their behavior.
1. Meowing
Here’s something that surprises many owners: cats don’t really meow at each other. Kittens meow to their mothers when they’re hungry or cold, but adult cats rarely use meows with other cats. Meowing is something they’ve developed largely for us, and many cats work out over time which sounds get results.
Cats meow at their owners for several reasons, including:
- To ask for food
- To greet you
- To ask for attention
- To ask to be let in or out, or through a closed door
Pay attention to the body language alongside the sound. Loud, insistent meows usually mean dinner, especially if your cat is trying to walk you toward the kitchen. Softer meows with rubbing against your legs are generally a request for affection.
A change in vocalizing is worth taking seriously, though. A cat who suddenly becomes much more vocal, or who starts yowling at night, may have a medical reason. Hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure, pain, and failing hearing or eyesight can all cause increased vocalization, and older cats with cognitive dysfunction—something like Alzheimer’s in people—often become disoriented and call out, particularly after dark. Please book an appointment if your cat’s vocalizing changes noticeably rather than putting it down to age.
2. Purring
Everyone knows a purring cat is a happy cat, right? Only partly. Cats do purr when content, but they also purr to self-soothe when they’re frightened, stressed, unwell, or in pain—and a cat purring in a carrier on the way to see us is usually doing the latter. Some researchers have suggested the low-frequency vibration of purring may have a self-healing function, though that remains a hypothesis rather than an established fact.
The practical point is not to read purring as a clean bill of health. If your cat is purring but also hiding more than usual, off their food or water, or not grooming properly, something is likely wrong. Please have us take a look.
3. Changing Their Litter Box Habits
Not the most pleasant topic, but an important one: cats don’t stop using the litter box for no reason. If your cat starts going elsewhere, they’re telling you something, and it’s worth investigating rather than assuming they’re being difficult.
A cat eliminating outside the box could be telling you:
- It hurts to urinate or defecate
- They’re having difficulty getting into the box, often because of arthritis
- They don’t like the new litter you’ve switched to
- There aren’t enough boxes, or they’re in the wrong places
- The box isn’t clean enough for them
- Another pet is blocking access or has frightened them there
- They’re stressed, and stress-related bladder inflammation is causing discomfort
Because a good number of these are medical, our advice is always to have us check your cat before treating it as a behavioral problem.
One situation is a genuine emergency. If a cat—particularly a male cat—is going in and out of the box repeatedly, straining, crying out, or producing little or no urine, they may have a urinary blockage. This is one of the most time-critical emergencies we see, and it can be fatal within a day or two. Call us or your nearest emergency hospital immediately rather than waiting to see whether it settles.
4. Striking the Classic “Halloween Cat” Pose
We all know this one: arched back, fur on end, tail up and bristling. What it means is straightforward—your cat feels frightened or threatened and is trying to look as large as possible.
The right response is to give them space. Don’t try to pick them up or comfort them, however well meant, because a frightened cat may redirect that fear onto whoever is nearest, and a scared cat can inflict a nasty bite or scratch without any intention of hurting you. Move away, remove whatever caused it if you can, and let them come down in their own time. That can take longer than you’d expect—sometimes hours.
It’s worth working out what set them off, since a cat doing this frequently is a cat under real stress. A common culprit is another cat visible outside a window: your cat can’t reach the intruder, so the tension often comes out on a housemate or on you instead.
5. Tail Posture
Like dogs, cats use their tails to communicate. A tail held straight up with smooth fur usually means a confident, friendly, curious cat—and a tail up with a slight hook at the tip is about as close as a cat gets to a greeting. Fur standing on end with the tail erect means fear or anger. A tail held low, or tucked, suggests anxiety or uncertainty. A tail thrashing or thumping rapidly means agitation, and it’s a request to stop whatever is happening.
That last one is worth taking seriously. A cat on your lap whose tail starts twitching is telling you they’ve had enough, and carrying on stroking them is how people get bitten. Cats generally give plenty of warning before they escalate—it’s just quieter warning than a dog gives.
These are general patterns rather than rules, and every cat is a little different. Watch your own cat’s tail alongside their ears, whiskers, and body posture, and you’ll pick up their particular vocabulary quickly.
6. Rubbing
When your cat rubs against your legs or bunts you with their head, part of what they’re doing is affectionate—but they’re also marking. Cats have scent glands on the cheeks, forehead, chin, flanks, tail base, and paws, and rubbing deposits their scent to claim you, other cats, and the furniture as part of their territory.
It’s a good sign. A cat who bunts your hand or winds around your legs is treating you as part of their group, which is a considerable compliment coming from a cat.
The Cat's Outta the Bag
Cats are remarkable animals, and while they can’t talk to us, they’re communicating their needs and feelings constantly. It’s up to us to learn to listen. Pay close attention to your cat and you may find they’re easier to understand than you thought.
What matters most is noticing change. A cat who starts vocalizing differently, hiding, avoiding the litter box, or reacting badly to being touched isn’t being mysterious—they’re telling you something has changed, and often that something is physical. We’d far rather hear about it early. Give us a call to schedule an appointment.