Any cat owner will be familiar with their cat running herself on objects and people. I wonder, though, how many understand what their cat is actually doing…

By rubbing her head and mouth against objects, a cat is marking her territory using scent glands to deposit facial pheromones. Unlike spraying, which is considered a response to a perceived threat, marking by rubbing is thought to be a positive and social expression, as well as something that makes a cat feel more comfortable in her territory. To this extent, cats who share a household will often actually rub against each other, even when simply passing one another by in the corridor!

Slightly different from this is a behaviour most cat owners will be familiar with, if not by name. ‘Bunting’ is the action of your cat rubbing her head against your face and is considered a very friendly and lovely gesture. Spraying is also normal cat behaviour but, rather than being a friendly and social gesture, it acts as more of a method of reducing confrontation by quickly communicating information about a cat’s age, health and rank. Although perfectly normal, spraying can be something of a problem for cat owners – check the rest of the blog for help and information regarding spraying.

One of the behaviours most associated with cats is that of arching their back and hissing. Although this looks very aggressive, it’s actually more of a defensive stance than an aggressive one; although the cat may be willing to fight, there are very obvious differences between an offensive stance and a defensive one. When your cat is arching his back in defence, you’ll also notice he will face his opponent side-on if possible, with his mouth open, tail held either low or over his back and his ears flattened against his head. If it comes to a fight, your cat will likely roll onto his back to defend himself – these are behaviours associated with defense.

By contract, if you cat is feeling aggressive towards you or any other animal or person, his body will tense-up, with his hindquarters lowered and ready to pounce. His tail will be down and he will likely stare straight at his opponent you, snarling with his whiskeys facing forward and the hair on his shoulders and tail standing straight up.

Although both behaviours are aggressive, it is wise to be familiar with the differences between offensive and defensive behaviours.

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.