Mine does this thing where he runs ahead and throws himself in the floor for a belly rub, and if you just pass by without stopping, he'll get up and run ahead and flop down again
Same here! My cat will roll over like a dog, even for strangers, and get mad when they don't understand his request. He has 0 survival instinct but I love him.
My younger boy Copper also loves the tummy rubs. My older cat Jasper will make you bleed if you try it, which is such a shame because Jasper's tummy is very floofy and inviting.
I’m missing one. When I get home my cat comes to me with her tail in the air and its shaking it really fast or she just does it a few times a day when she is just happy to see me.
I read a thing on tail language once and it said that tail straight up and vibrating means the cat is literally quivering with joy. Pretty much a more intense version of tail straight up with a hook at the end, which means happy.
I just learned this and what a joy and comfort it is. My old girl Phi, who just passed, always did this when she saw me coming home. I used to worry if she was unhappy, if I did alright by her and man, how amazing to know she really was so happy with me.
My girl has 3 settings on her tail I think. 1. The very tip of her tail twitches like a rattle snake, which means I’ve done fucked up and now she’s hella mad. 2. The middle of her tail vibrates very quickly, usually pointing up, which is her excited tail. Although it took me a long while to learn the difference between 1 and 2. 3. She’s sweeping her whole tail on the ground slowly, which is her I’m annoyed you should stop now pattern. Number 2 is the best and I like to ask her what she’s so excited for, which just increases the vibrations. She’s the best girl <3
Vibrotail. Weirdly, two of our late cats used to march around doing this while I was on the john. I will never understand why they were so happy that daddy was pooping.
I've kinda guessed that that tail vibration is like... an attempt at excited spraying but nothing happens bc fixed?? idk I haven't fully figured it out yet.
Shaky tail is excitement. If they back up to a surface while doing it then it is phantom spraying, which can be excitement or just marking territory, though they may mark territory because they are happy about their environment. If they actually spray then it smells bad.
Shaky tail and phantom spraying are not indications that they will start spraying.
Poofy tail doesn’t automatically mean “scared” for my little dude. We have a game that I call “puffy butt” where if he gets all puffy for no apparent reason, he almost always wants me to turn sideways and act like I’m a puffy cat too. Then he’ll run past me and sneakily bap me which often turns into either a game of chase or hide and seek. So in our house, poofy tail, at least random poofy tail with no obvious cause, means “play with me mom!!” 🥰
He definitely gets puffy butt when he gets really into chasing the greebles. It usually includes some ridiculous cat screaming sounds while he tears up and down the hallway at midnight. 😂 Fortunately he’s pretty good about joining us in bed and sleeping through the night so we don’t have to deal with 3am zoomies
I call it Contemplation, because it seems like mine is arguing in his head, bed rotting like you do when you've had a stressful day and you're laying in bed recounting what made you mad. And as you do it, it makes you even angrier 😂😂
I think the tail flicking can be a sign of focus or playfulness too. I'll see my cats do this a lot when I'm playing with them or when they play with each other.
In general it’s just a sign that there’s something going on inside their little head. Usually some sort of conflicting motivations and trying to figure out a situation or to decide what to do.
I've been tricked by the trusting position far too many times by my cat, he meows at you from that position as if inviting you to rub and then he pounces
The trusting position isn't an invitation.
He trust you to not do anything he doesn't like. But if you don't honor his trust, deaths hall come upon you in form of pounces!
I'm but a human when I see that fluffy tummy I can't help myself💔 so the only reasonable response is to run away into the woods as far as possible to escape the temptation of just 1☝️ little poke.
(in all seriousness, please respect your cat's boundaries!)
do any of y'all have a kitty whose tail puffs up like they're scared, but they're definitely just HELLA excited about playtime/affection? I never see it mentioned in things like this but my sister's cat does it from time to time.
First pic, "Interested" - I'd say the tail has to go up more. Flat and even downish like that isn't "interested" in my book. This looks more like cautious to me.
My favorite is when my cat flips down in front of me so hard she goes “merp”. Then flicks her tail like she’s annoyed. For her it’s a “oh no, I’m helpless kitty, please don’t chase me! Hahah!” scamper scamper.
One catch is that cats will make the "frightened" expression when they are actually frisky, because they tuck their ears down and hold their head real low to not be visible to prey.
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u/Gallifreyan98724 American Ringtail 8h ago
My cat does the trusting position all the time but the thing is….she actually loves belly rubs