Ears
The fastest-changing signal a cat has.
For exampleEars turned sideways or flattened, often called airplane ears, usually mean irritation or fear. Upright and forward means interest.
Species / Cats
Catbody language.
A small hunter that is also small enough to be hunted. That one fact explains most of what a cat does.
121Signals mapped
60Science-backed references
197Unique scenarios
Start with the animal
Who the cat is.
A cat is a small hunter that is also small enough to be hunted. That double life explains a lot: the love of high places, the quick exits and the habit of hiding pain.
Cats are not pack animals. They can be close friends with people and other cats, but they solve most disagreements by simply keeping their distance.
What FaunaVera looks at
The signals we read.
A few of the channels FaunaVera watches and listens to in every cat video, weighed together with context and checked against a cat-specific ethogram.
Eyes
Pupil size and blinking say a lot about mood.
For exampleWide pupils in normal light can mean fear, excitement or play. Slow, half-closed eyes usually mean a relaxed, trusting cat.
Whiskers
They move with how a cat feels, not just what they are sniffing.
For exampleWhiskers pulled back flat against the face suggest fear or stress. Fanned forward, they usually mean curiosity or hunting focus.
Tail
One position in particular is the clearest friendly greeting a cat gives.
For exampleA tail held straight up, often with a slight hook at the tip, is a friendly greeting. A tail lashing side to side usually means rising irritation.
Body
Posture, crouch and weight distribution.
For exampleA crouched, tucked body with the weight shifted back usually means a cat is frightened and ready to flee.
Voice
From purrs and trills to hisses, read alongside the body.
For exampleA hiss is a defensive warning, usually from a frightened cat rather than an aggressive one.
Did you know?
A slow blink is a friendly cat signal, and cats are more likely to approach a stranger who slow-blinks at them first.
Common misreads
- “A purr means a happy cat.”Cats also purr when stressed, in pain or unwell. Check the body: soft eyes and a loose posture, or tension and hiding?
- “A belly on display is an invitation to rub it.”Rolling over is usually a sign of trust or a greeting. Many cats grab or bite if their belly is touched.
- “A very still cat is a calm cat.”A cat that freezes, crouched and tense, is often frightened or trying not to be noticed. A calm cat looks loose and soft-eyed.
Being around a cat
Let the cat come to you, offer a hand at nose height and stick to the head and cheeks. A cat who knows they can leave at any time is far more likely to stay.
See it for yourself
Your cat, read in seconds.
Upload a short video and FaunaVera reads the whole picture for you: an Interpretation, Voice of Animal, practical Tips and Ethogram Insights that explain exactly which signals it saw.
Where this comes from
A few of the studies.
FaunaVera's cat ethogram draws on 60 science-backed references. Here are a handful of them.
- Caeiro CC, Burrows AM & Waller BM (2017). Development and application of CatFACS: Are human cat adopters influenced by cat facial expressions? Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 189, 66-78. Read
- Humphrey T, Proops L, Forman J et al. (2020). The role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat-human communication. Scientific Reports, 10, 16503. Read
- Evangelista MC, Watanabe R, Leung VSY et al. (2019). Facial expressions of pain in cats: the development and validation of a Feline Grimace Scale. Scientific Reports, 9, 19128. Read
- Cafazzo S & Natoli E (2009). The social function of tail up in the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus). Behavioural Processes, 80, 60-66. Read
- Bradshaw JWS (2016). Sociality in cats: A comparative review. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 11, 113-124. Read
- Tavernier C, Ahmed S, Houpt KA et al. (2020). Feline vocal communication. Journal of Veterinary Science, 21, e18. Read
