Body language

Does your cat arch their back up to meet your hand when you pet them? This means they're enjoying this contact with you. Do they shrink away under your slightest touch? Save the petting for later; they're not interested right now.

Pay attention to your cat's eyes, ears, body and tail—they're all telling you something. Here are some basic (though sometimes contradictory) clues:

Ears

Forward: Alert, interested or happy

Backward, sideways, flat ("airplane ears"): Irritable, angry or frightened

Swiveling: Attentive and listening to every little sound

Eyes

Pupils constricted: Offensively aggressive, but possibly content

Pupils dilated (large): Nervous or submissive (if somewhat dilated), defensively aggressive (if fully dilated), but possibly playful

Tail

Erect, fur flat: Alert, inquisitive or happy

Fur standing up: Angry or frightened

Held very low or tucked between legs: Insecure or anxious

Thrashing back and forth: Agitated; the faster the tail, the angrier the cat

Straight up, quivering: Excited, really happy or, if your cat hasn't been neutered or spayed, they could be getting ready to spray something

Body

Back arched, fur standing up: Frightened or angry

Back arched, fur flat: Welcoming your touch

Lying on back, purring: Very relaxed

Lying on back, growling: Upset and ready to strike

Rubbing

When your cat rubs their chin and body against you, they're telling you they love you, right? Well, sort of. What they're really doing is marking their territory. You'll notice that they also rub the chair, the door, their toys and everything in sight. They're telling everyone that this is their stuff, including you.

Kneading

This is sometimes called "making biscuits," because the cat works their paws on a soft surface as if it they're kneading bread dough. It's a leftover behavior from nursing, when they massaged their mother's teats to make milk flow. Your cat does this when they are really happy.

The Flehmen response

Have you noticed times when your cat—perhaps while sniffing your shoe—lifts their head, opens their mouth slightly, curls back their lips and squints their eyes? They're not making a statement about how your shoe smells, they're gathering more information.

Your cat's sense of smell is so essential to them that they actually have an extra olfactory organ that very few other creatures have, the Jacobson's organ. It's located on the roof of their mouth behind their front teeth and is connected to the nasal cavity.

When your cat gets a whiff of something really fascinating, they open their mouth and inhale so that the scent molecules flow over the Jacobson's organ. This intensifies the odor and provides more information about the object they're sniffing.

A key to your cat's moods

Wondering if your cat is happy, meditating or having a bad day? Here's are some tips: