As much as we communicate by the way we stand, sit and gesticulate, animals’ moods are possibly even more well emphasised by the way they act and hold themselves. Today I’ll explain how your cat’s mood may be reflected in his body language.

When your cat is in a relaxed, friendly mood, his coat will lie smooth and his tail will point straight up; his ears will also point ever-so-slightly forwards and his whiskers out to the sides. When close to you, he’ll be happy to come right into your face and will likely purr or give some vocal indication of happiness.

If, on the other hand, you cat is nervous or scared, you may notice his whiskers will be pulled back and his coat may be raised. The most obvious thing you’ll notice will be that his tail will either lash around anxiously or be tucked in close to his body, where it was previously straight up in the air, casually. His ears may flatten to his head and he might face you side-on, while hissing. This doesn’t necessary mean he is feeling aggressive – I’ll cover aggression next time.