Cat Behavior…the Tale of the Tail

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Many people believe cats are hard to read. Although they can at times be more challenging to read than dogs, cats do have some clear “tells” beyond the standard poker face. One of the easier ways to get a handle on how your kitty is feeling or trying to say is to read their tail.

This is such an important part of cat behavior that I will be devoting several articles discussing this very topic. Today we will be talking about when a cat’s tail gets puffy.

I am specifically referring to puffy at the base only which is a good thing. Puffy all over can be a warning to stay back depending on the situation.

This is Grayson. He is a giant dork. We have a chocolate lab named Cubby who is a giant, goofy, dopey, friendly, strong, and often in trouble, but very lovable always. Grayson is the exact cat version of Cubby. He is so big that he struggles to fit in much of our cat furniture, most boxes, and even some smaller litter boxes!

Grayson adores me. He follows me around like a puppy. When I am not around he often gets into trouble with my wife and even many of the other cats since he does not seem to be terribly bright. Often when I am petting him and it’s just him and me the base of his tail will puff out.

This base puff look is always accompanied by a lot of affection, purring, and happy behavior.

You can clearly see that just the BASE is puffed. I actually have not seen this a lot over the years. Ironically, I have two cats that do this on a regular basis now.

Squish also does the tail base puff look. She is not shy like Grayson and will do this look even more regularly.

In fact, I am usually just off on Sundays. She knows when it’s Sunday and will be all over me especially in the morning. I can usually count on a puff tail base moment at least once every Sunday.

Squish will also do this endearing action at bedtime on occasion. When the base of her tail is puffed I know that she is going to need a lot of attention for a bit regardless of my circumstances. I am happy to oblige since this also activates her very loud purring. One of my favorite activities is interacting with a very lovable cat that is purring and extremely affectionate. It’s very relaxing, calming, and can have some health benefits as well.

Stay tuned for more cat tail communication tips.