# cat tails........ **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 22, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-tails/183525 "2003-06-22T02:13:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KoshkaDevotchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/85e7bf/32.png) [@KoshkaDevotchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KoshkaDevotchka)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-tails/183525/1 "2003-06-22T02:13:07Z")
[COLOR=red]\*\*does anyone know what purpose a cat’s tail serves? my bf swears it’s for their balance, but i’m not so sure…if it’s for balance then why does it move when they’re lying down? i seem to recall reading somewhere that they wag their tails when they’re pissed…does anyone know what purpose a cat’s tail serves? my bf swears it’s for their balance, but i’m not so sure…if it’s for balance then why does it move when they’re lying down? i seem to recall reading somewhere that they wag their tails when they’re pissed…\*\*COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-tails/183525/2 "2003-06-22T02:32:48Z")
it serves the same purpose that is served by a dog’s tail…it serves the same purpose that is served by a dog’s tail ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-tails/183525/3 "2003-06-22T02:44:49Z")
Mainly balance, but it also serves as a signaling device for body-language communication between cats. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-tails/183525/4 "2003-06-22T02:47:23Z")
The “reason” that cats have tails is that some ancient critter with four legs had a tail and there has never been a strong evolutionary pressure to remove it. Japanese bobtail cats and Manx cats have no tails (or short stumps) and they function just fine. In the wild, lynxes and bobcats are also pretty much tailless. Kittens do, indeed, use their tails as counterbalances to help steady themselves as they begin to walk. (That is why young kittens tend to walk with their tails straight up in the air. As they discover their own balance, the tail begins to “relax” until mature cats no longer maintain their tails stiffly upright. And, yes, (at least in my experience) Manx kittens tend to fall a bit more frequently in the earliest weeks that they learn to walk.) Angry cats do not wag their tails, they lash the tips of their tails back and forth. (This seems counterproductive, to me, since it causes other cats to want to attack the lashing tail of the angry cat, making the cat more angry. Maybe that keeps them from attacking the cat’s head, I dunno.) ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-tails/183525/5 "2003-06-22T02:53:55Z")
I’m confused by your OP, and I’m confused because my cat does not HAVE a tail (Manx). She gets along just fine without it, she’s on the chair next to me now with no visible balance problems. Our other cat DOES have a tail, and she’s the daughter of the tailless one. It seems to serve as a handy prop when one needs a ‘villain’ moustache. I’m confused by your OP, and I’m confused because my cat does not HAVE a tail (Manx). She gets along just fine without it, she’s on the chair next to me now with no visible balance problems. Our other cat DOES have a tail, and she’s the daughter of the tailless one. It seems to serve as a handy prop when one needs a ‘villain’ moustache. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cat-tails/183525/6 "2003-06-22T02:57:54Z")
Upon posting: Thanks **tomndebb** , as usual, for an informative and NON-smartass answer. Your dope is straight.