Cat tails

Category: Animal House

Post 1 by tear drop (No longer looking for a prince, merely a pauper with potential!!!!!) on Friday, 28-Nov-2008 13:59:54

i've a couple of questions regarding cats. When a cat swishes his tail, what does that indicate? When a cat licks his owner, what does that signal?

Post 2 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Friday, 28-Nov-2008 16:26:33

I've never had a cat that licked me much unless he happens to be cleaning himself while sitting on my lap. In that case, he may accidentally give me a few licks. I also used to have to put a specific cream on my ankles to take care of a rash, and I had a cat at that time who liked to lick the cream off my ankles. It was summer, so I was wearing shorts and no socks. I had to keep moving to get her to stop because I doubt if the cream was good for her.

Cat's don't "wag" their tails like dogs do to indicate happiness or excitement. In fact, if a cat's tail is swishing or twitching, it is very likely an indication of discontent. For example, my current cat smokey lets me know when he is tired of being pet or brushed. He may start out purring, but soon his tail begins twitching, and if I don't stop brushing him within a couple minutes, he wil sometimes whip his head around and try to bite my hand. So I've learned to pay more attention to what his tail is doing than whether or not he is purring.

Post 3 by tear drop (No longer looking for a prince, merely a pauper with potential!!!!!) on Friday, 28-Nov-2008 18:55:21

My cat seems to licm me when he wants attention, and when I put my hand by his mouth. Maybe he thinks I'm tasty? lol

Post 4 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Friday, 28-Nov-2008 19:56:55

Becky is right, most cats don't lick all that much. But I met a cat named Kira who licked quite a bit. My friend and I guessed it was either affection, or that she was cleaning us, or trying to get her own scent on us. Kira was a rather maternal cat, so who knows?

Also, Becky is right, in that most of the time, when a cat swishes it's tail, that means it's unhappy. The one exception I've seen is a cat I had for awhile named Emma. Her tail was constantly in motion, swishing even when she was happy. A friend of mine nicknamed her "Swish," for that reason. When does your cat tend to swish his tail, and what other behaviors is he exhibiting when he does it? Context could help you figure out some of this.

Post 5 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Friday, 28-Nov-2008 21:49:26

I talked to a lady at the vet's office one time who said she had a cat and a large dog. She said the cat was always trying to clean the dog as if it were her kitten. LOL

Post 6 by Daenerys Targaryen (Enjoying Life) on Friday, 28-Nov-2008 23:07:29

My cat likes to lick me when I put my hand by her mouth too and she also likes to clean my dog.

Post 7 by ablindgibsongirl (the Zone BBS remains forever my home page) on Sunday, 30-Nov-2008 0:46:02

Yep Annebelle does the licking thing. Sometimes I wake up getting a kitty bath. Her tail swishes when she knows I'm calling her and wants to ignore me. We got her as a tiny kitten so she thinks I'm her mommy.It depends on the cat. For Annebelle licking is an I love you.

Post 8 by tear drop (No longer looking for a prince, merely a pauper with potential!!!!!) on Sunday, 30-Nov-2008 1:32:07

George loves to also fetch. He fetches foil balls, and other objects. I think he seems to know i'm blind as he always puts the foil on my neck or cheek, and if I don't get to it fast enough, he taps it with his paw in rapid succession. As for his tail, he does seem to swish it when he is agrivated. He also says mamma. I swear he does!!!

Post 9 by Daenerys Targaryen (Enjoying Life) on Sunday, 30-Nov-2008 10:40:23

Aww that's cute.

Post 10 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Sunday, 30-Nov-2008 13:16:07

I believe you about your cat saying mama. When I first got Lizzy as a kitten, I woke up one night with her lying on top of me crying mama. She never did it again and never in front of anyone else, so I had a hard time getting people to believe me.

Post 11 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Sunday, 30-Nov-2008 19:21:59

Wow, that's funny. I've heard stories like that before, but I've never seen a cat actually do it.

Post 12 by blindndangerous (the blind and dangerous one) on Sunday, 30-Nov-2008 21:26:52

I got a video
for u guys, check this out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ifYax8Smoc
Enjoy, Mike.

Post 13 by tear drop (No longer looking for a prince, merely a pauper with potential!!!!!) on Monday, 01-Dec-2008 20:12:51

that's great!!!

Post 14 by margorp (I've got the gold prolific poster award, now is there a gold cup for me?) on Wednesday, 03-Dec-2008 17:36:47

My cat licks me and swishes her tail.
And, it is because she's happy because she does it when she's rolling around and stuff.
If she's sick of getting pet she will make this sort of clicking sound (like annoyance) and try to bite.

Post 15 by motifated (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 03-Dec-2008 19:58:14

Our current cat, Advent, licks things if he likes their scent. He likes my aftershave.

Lou

Post 16 by Shadow_Cat (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 03-Dec-2008 20:06:35

Oh boy. Aftershave can't be very good for him. LOL!

Post 17 by margorp (I've got the gold prolific poster award, now is there a gold cup for me?) on Wednesday, 03-Dec-2008 21:41:49

we once had a cat that chewed on hair.