Check us out on Facebook and YouTube
All Pets Education and Training
  • Home
    • About >
      • Qualifications and Continuing Education
      • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Courses/Classes & Private Tuition
    • Skype or Zoom Consultations
    • Online Courses >
      • K9 manners online - info >
        • K9 Manners Online >
          • K9 Manners Period 1
          • K9 Manners Period 2
          • K9 Manners Period 3
          • K9 Manners Period 4
          • K9 Manners Period 5
          • K9 Manners Period 6
      • Cooperative Care Online - info >
        • Cooperative Care Online >
          • Cooperative Care Period 1
          • Cooperative Care Period 2
          • Cooperative Care Period 3
          • Cooperative Care Period 4
          • Cooperative Care Period 5
          • Cooperative Care Period 6
      • Building Confidence and Resilience Online - info >
        • Building Confidence and Resilience >
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - pre start
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 1
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 2
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 3
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 4
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 5
          • Building Confidence and Resilience - 6
      • Tricks Course Online
    • Virtual Classes >
      • Virtual - Puppy Pre-Primary School - dogs up to 6 months
      • Virtual - Loose Lead Walking and Engagement Course
      • Virtual - Training with multiple dogs
      • Virtual - Cooperative Care
      • Virtual - Tricks Course
    • Puppy School (8-16 Weeks) 6 week course
    • Private Tuition >
      • Private Pricing
    • Ready Vet Go!
    • Loose Lead Walking 3 week intensive
    • Tricks class 3 week short course
    • Barkour and Adventure course
    • Monday Meanders
    • Polite Manners Challenge 2019 - 1 task each month
    • Selfie Challenge 2020 - 1 task per month
    • Fitness Conditioning Challenge 2018 - 1 task each month
    • Husbandry Challenge 2017 - 1 task each month
    • Trick Challenge 2016 - 1 trick each month
    • K9 Manners (16 week and up) 6 week course - No New Enrolments
  • Enrichment
    • Dogs
    • Cats
    • Birds >
      • Homemade Bird Treats
    • Pocket Pets
    • Horses
  • Learning Theory
    • The Four D's of training
    • Consistency
    • Cues vs Commands
    • Resilience
    • Using food in training
    • Setting up for Success
  • Body Language
    • Canine Body Language
    • Feline Body Language
  • Kids & Dogs
    • Preparing Your Pooch For Baby's Arrival
    • Fun Games for Kids & Dogs
    • How Kids Should Interact with Dogs - Dr Sophia Yin
    • How Kids Shouldn't Interact with Dogs - Dr Sophia Yin
    • Family Paws Information sheets
  • Husbandry Behaviours
    • Muzzle Training
    • Elizabethan Collar
    • Sustained Target
  • Common Doggy Dilemmas
    • Adolescence - Sexual maturity and puppy licence expiration
    • Adrenaline Levels
    • Alone time is good
    • Separation Distress
    • OMG!! You've got a new puppy (or are thinking about one)... What next?
    • Buyers remorse
    • Adopting 2 Puppies
    • Dog Fights
    • Escaping Dogs
    • What's so good about rolling in poo & other stinky stuff?
    • My dog is Barking - Help!!
    • Growling is Good
    • Muzzle Training
    • Dog Vision
    • Firework Fear
    • Thunderstorms
    • Coprophagia - The act of Poo Eating
    • Managing Multiple Mutts
    • Puppy Socialisation and Fear Periods >
      • 30-day socialisation puppy challenge
    • Newly adopted rescue dog
    • Humping Hounds
    • Deference Training - Karen Overall protocol
    • Dog Parks. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.
    • Dominance in Dog Training
    • Dog-Dog Play
    • Leash Reactivity in Dogs
    • Look At That (LAT)
  • Boredom Busters
    • Recycled Enrichment
    • Crate Rest Crazies
    • Make your dog a TugToy >
      • Rules for TUG & GIVE
    • Bottle Bug Besties
    • Milk Bottle Bungee
    • Snuffle Mat Mayhem
    • Hot Weather Hints
    • Wet Weather Fun
    • Shaping Behaviour
    • Kong Recipes
    • The Bucket Game
    • Scent Work at Home
    • Proprioception
  • Special Needs Pets
    • Blind Dogs
    • Deaf Dogs
  • Helpful Hints & Ideas
    • Choosing a Trainer
    • Resilience
    • Psychologist vs Psychiatrist
    • Consistency
    • Cues vs Commands
    • Sleep - why it is so important
    • The Collar Grab
    • Knowing when to say goodbye
    • Grief and Depression in pets
    • Preparing your dog for a vet visit
    • TTouch Wrap
    • Easter Dangers
    • Winter and Your Pet
    • Chooks As Pets
    • Making and Using a Longline
    • Tips for Taking Great Pet Pics
    • Keeping your pets safe this Christmas
    • Pill Pockets - an aid to giving your pet oral medication
    • Food Tubes
    • Trish's Training Treats
    • Increasing the value of dry food used for rewards
    • Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi
    • Car Safety and your pet
    • Moving House
  • Keeping Cats Happy - Helpful Tips
    • Feline Happiness
    • Keeping Cats Happy - Choosing a Litter Tray
    • Keeping cats Happy - Choosing a scratching post
    • Introducing Cats and Dogs
  • All Pets Ed Case Studies
  • Newsletters
  • Useful Links
  • What to do in an Emergency
    • CPR
    • Bloat or Gastric Dilation Volvulus
    • Tick Paralysis
    • Toad Toxicity
    • Snake!
    • Xylitol Toxicity
    • Common Toxins >
      • Chocolate Toxicity Calculator
    • Wildlife
  • Words of Wisdom & Inspiring Quotes
  • Recommended Reading
  • Policies and Procedures
Picture

Feline Body Language

Feline Body Language is an elaborate sophisticated set of body postures, facial expressions and ear movements.   Cats will use these signals to communicate fear, anxiety, excitement, happiness and aggression.

Relaxed Cat
  • A relaxed cat will have its tail down and held in a U shape as it walks around, and when greeting other pets or people with which he is comfortable will approach with the tail raised and sometimes with a curl at the end like a question mark.
  • If the cat is resting, he may be on his back exposing his belly, or curled up with the tail loosely wrapped and his feet off the ground.
  • The tail of a relaxed cat, may wrap around another companion pet or family member. The cat is relaxed and enjoying the social interaction. 
  • A relaxed cat has upright ears, usually pointed slightly to the side and slightly forward. The whiskers point to the side and pupils moderately dilated (depending on available light).  The eyes may be half closed and a slow blink may be directed towards people or other pets as a non-confrontational greeting. The cat is content.
  • A cat may purr when relaxed, or meow as a friendly greeting.  Some cats such as Siamese are greater talkers than others.

Increased Arousal
  • A nervous cat will have ears that are twitching. His eye may be open with dilated pupils and the whiskers are tensed (point downward).
  • The tail may have a slow swish indicating the cat is focused or interesting in something – it may be a bird, a toy or your wiggling toe
Potential Aggression
  • If your cat begins whipping his tail from side to side, if often indicates they are annoyed or irritated by something.  This can quickly escalate to an aggressive display.
  • A cat that is showing signs of arousal or aggression holds their tail close to their body
  • An aggressive cat will have ears that turn back from a forward to a backward facing posture, and the pupils may constrict (get smaller). 
  • A conflicted or undecided cat will switch ear position back and forward from flattened and turned back. 
  • A fearful or defensively aggressive cat may growl, hiss and spit.

Frightened

  • A frightened cat will arch his back and raise his tail – the hair along the cats back and tail will be raised or fluffed out – this makes the cat look bigger, and hopefully scares away whatever has frightened it.
  • When frightened the cats ears will fold back from the forward upright position to a flattened sideways position against their head, the pupils dilate and the eyes are wide open. The whiskers will be held stiffly out to the side.
  • A fearful or defensively aggressive cat may growl, hiss and spit.
Picture
http://consciouscat.net/
http://consciouscat.net/
References


1.    Aspinall, V., 2006.The complete textbook of veterinary nursing. 1st ed. Edinburgh; Butterworth Heinemann Elsevier

2.   Cooper, B., Turner, L. and Mullineaux, E., 2011. The BSAVA textbook of veterinary nursing. 1st ed. Gloucester [England]: British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

3.    Horwitz, D. and Mills, D., 2009. BSAVA manual of canine and feline behavioural medicine. 1st ed. Quedgeley, Gloucester [England]: British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

All Material Copyright All Pets Education and Training 2021