The most descriptive body part a cat has is its tail and there’s nothing a cat would like more than for us to understand what it’s communicating when it swishes, puffs out, raises or lowers its tail. As a general rule the more of your cat’s tail that is moving then the more of an emotion your cat is feeling.
A cat’s tail is hardly ever still, even when they’re dozing in front of their fire they will often be swishing their tail around a wee bit. The more relaxed they are the less they move their tail.
We all love to see our cats hold their tail straight up when they see us because it means they’re confident with us. Of course it could also be “cupboard love” when they associate seeing us with meal times too! But take a closer look at that upright tail, if you cat gives its tail a little shimmy or quiver then your cat is genuinely excited to see you and is confident you feel the same so it’s a great opportunity to give your cat some affection. If the tail has a small curl at the tip then our best guess is that the cat is pleased to see you but is uncertain if the feeling is mutual.
If you’re stroking a cat and it’s purring but starts to swish the tail then it’s probably time to stop stroking as the cat is trying to say it has become fed up with the attention but it doesn’t know how to stop its human from discontinuing.
We’ve all seen the brush tail shape a cat’s tail puffs into when she’s ready to fight or defend herself to make herself appear bigger and more imposing. However if the brush tail is horizontal or lowered the cat is saying she’s ready to defend herself with violence but doesn’t really want to whereas if it’s vertical then she’s ready AND willing to rumble.
When you see your cat sitting upright with its tail curled around its body it shows that it’s not 100% sure of its surroundings whereas when the tail is straight out along the ground behind it it feels perfectly secure and knows there’s no danger around.