Blackie the cat next door visits me every day and loves to be petted. He switches his tail around especially when I talk to him and seems happy. But someone said when a cat wags its tail it means it is disturbed. 2)Blackie also always is rubbing his head against anything, the side of his face I mean. What does this mean, why would he want to rub his face like that and he is very happy, does it mean he has ear mites like my dogs used to get?
Also, 3) someone told me that when a cat backs toward you it means it likes you. Is this true?
A cat can wag its tail for a number of reasons. They do it when they are getting ready to pounce on prey, so in that case, I guess it would mean concentration or anticipation. They switch it very quickly and stiffly when angry. They also wave it around softly like a towel when they are content.
When a cat rubs the side of its face on something, it is using scent glands in its cheeks to “mark” the object. It is a sign of possession–like “it’s mine”.
Cats are much more ideosyncratic than dogs; since they are not as social, they don’t communicate with body language as much. This makes cats more difficult to ‘read’ than dogs. Some cats are tail-waggers, others aren’t. So your cat may be wagging as a sign he’s pleased, but for many cats, wagging or twitching the tail is a sign the cat is nervous. Cats that are frightened will twitch their tails while hissing and baring teeth. The only cat-tail gesture that seems universal is holding it up as straight as can be, to show dominance.
When a cat backs toward you, he is probably trying to rub you with its anal scent glands. This is a sign that he trusts you; he is marking you for future reference that you are a ‘safe’ spot. You can call that affection if you like. If a cat REALLY likes you, he’ll give the ‘full rub’- First with the cheek scent glands, followed by the ones by the ears, finally by the anal glands. That is why cats rub up against their owner’s legs.
I thought the sign for a cat liking you was a dead pigeon on your doorstep.
Another cat question: Why while petting some cats, they start licking at my hand/fingers? No, I don’t have food leftovers in the hand that I’m petting with.
With my cats…the tails straight up mean recognition. As in I know you!
Pet me!
When my cat Bo is curious or interested in something his tail twitches. he also does the “chickenhead” - he moves his head around like a chicken when something interests him.
You’re salty!
It’s probably a grooming instinct. Cats groom each other to reduce tension and establish friendship. When you pet a cat, it interprets this as grooming and will instinctively try to return the favor.
Our cat takes the rubbing of the cheeks scent glands to the extreme - often to the point where if you drop your hand to her face, she will rub quite enthusiastically against it, often falling to the floor in delight and rolling around.
Actually, it’s quite strange that she’s so affectionate (she’ll come when she’s called, is always more than happy to see you, sleeps on your bed, etc), but she loathes being cuddled. You can pick her up into a forced cuddle, and she’ll started purring, but she doesn’t like it. She also refuses to jump onto your lap for a cuddle despite her over zealous displays of affection in other manners.
My cat Henry ‘vibrates’ his tail (shakes it very quickly, with very small movements) in 2 very distinctly different situations. If he’s scared to death, or if he’s very happy. Odd. Whenever he would go into a new situation (like as soon as we took him home from the shelter), he was shaking his tail, but then we noticed he scampers out happily and vibrates his tail whenever I’d come home, and he would want me to pet him, so it was sort of a “Hi, I’m happy you’re home” signal. Cats can be strange.
Jman
You might want to check for a copy of Desmond Morris’s Catwatching at your local library. A wonderful book–I think it’s been out of print for a while.
Your cat is scent marking when it rubs its head against things. There are more details, but that’s the basic answer. Doesn’t have anything to do with ear mites. You might want to check the ears for mites anyway. Cats can get them. Take a cotton swab and rub it inside the ear near the base. A black residue would indicate mites.
Cats also have a variety of tail gestures, none of which can really be described as wagging.
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Tail height: a cat walking alone keeps its tail in a relaxed position, slightly away from its body, with the tip off the floor. Anything lower than that indicates fear. Higher tails indicate friendliness. Think of it as something like a flag. The exception is when a cat raises and fluffs its tail, arches its back, and raises its coat. This is a fear display designed to make the animal look larger.
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Tail movement: most cats use three types of tail movements: lashing, tapping, and curling. Lashing is the gesture most commonly mistaken for wagging. The meaning couldn’t be more different. Lashing actually indicates anger or extreme self-consciousness. Cats lash their tails when they’re being forced to do something they don’t enjoy, or sometimes when an inexperienced housecat tries to hunt. Think of this as a signal of internal conflict. Tapping is a modified form of lashing. Cats often tap their tails in recognition when they hear their names being used in a human conversation. Curling signals pleasure. It’s usually done when a cat enjoys being petted by a human.