Purring And Wagging Tail At The Same Tine

[Pija Giandra]

Hello, I'm an new cat owner

I know that if a cat's purring means it's happy and wagging tail means it's angry
(please correct me if I'm wrong)

but, my cat does both at the same time. so, is she happy or angry? I'm pretty confuse about it. and she does this alot. I know she's purring, because her purr it quite loud. any advice will do.

thank you

 

[margd]

Welcome to TCS and the wonderful world of cats! You are in the right place to have your questions answered as you grow to know your girl.

You're right that purring is often seen as a sign that a cat is happy and yes, that is one reason a cat purrs. They also purr when they are in pain or anxious about something. I used to have a cat who would launch into a frantic purr when it was his dinner time. It will take you awhile to figure out how to tell the difference but when cats are purring because they are in distress, their purrs are often louder and faster than when they are happy and content.

Just as there is another side to purring, there is also another side to tail wagging. There are some rare cats who wag their tails when they are happy, almost like dogs. If I hadn't had one of these cats myself, I might never believe it but it's true - some cats wag their tails to show affection. If your cat is acting in an affectionate manner and seems relaxed, both purr and tail wag are probably signs that she is happy. The hostile tail wag often starts with a twitching at the end and builds up into an agitated swishing although an upset cat may skip the tail switching and go straight to the swishing. Swishing may be either slow or rapid, depending on your cat or the situation.

The most important thing you can do is to pay attention to your girl's body language. If her muscles grow tense and her eyes become dilated, this is a sign she is uncomfortable.

Since you are new to cats, you might this article very helpful: First-time Cat Owner's Guide

It sounds like you have a real sweetheart. We'd love to see photos! And what is her name?

 

[Columbine]

Hi Welcome to TCS and the wonderful world of cat ownership

Purring generally means that a cat is happy, but it can mean other things too. Cats who are nervous, sick or in pain will sometimes purr as well, and in this case it's a form of self-soothing.

A twitching tail can mean a number of things, not just anger. Cats at play will twitch their tails as they're getting ready to pounce. Tail twitching can also be a sign that a cat is nervous, unhappy or uncomfortable.

The situation you describe (loud purring with tail twitching) means that the cat is happy, but is getting a little overstimulated by your stroking/petting her. Basically, when you stroke a cat you're putting energy in, and some cats are more sensitive to this than others. In this situation your best bet is to stop stroking her, either keeping your hand still or removing it completely. Keeping a cat safe stuffed toy on hand can help too, as that way you have something to offer her in place of your hand if she does get too wound up (overstimulation from petting can end with the cat hitting or bunny-kicking your hand to release that pent up energy. Far better to offer her a toy to 'kill' than for her to use your hand ).

My girl does the whole purring with twitching tail thing a lot too (her tail is very rarely still ). With her, faint twitches mean it's ok to carry on petting for a bit, but the wider and stronger the twitches get, the closer she is to being overstimulated. If I misread her and go on too long, I'll get a warning swipe or two, or even a very gentle bite. It doesn't mean she's unhappy or angry - in fact, she'll often stay snuggling long after the overstimulated stage, just so long as I take the hint and let her be.

This articles may help clarify things (and the last one is a fun quiz ):-
Cat Sounds - Feline Vocal Communication
Cat Aggression Toward People
Your Cat Probably Hates It When You...
First-time Cat Owner's Guide
[URL="https://thecatsite.com/ams/how-well-do-you-speak-cat.32441/"]How Well Do You Speak Cat?[/URL]

 

[Pija Giandra]

thank you all for your answer..new thing to learn every day. my girl is my profil picture. her name is Noir, which means black. it's French. her color is black, smoky black.

here we see she's in her natural habitat (she loves high places)

 

[di and bob]

I have two cats that 'swish' their tails back and forth while purring, they are very happy. I really believe that purring that loudly means your cat is happy. Violently flicking the tail back and forth usually means there is an attack coming and there is no purring involved.

 

[House of Cats]

Hi Welcome to TCS and the wonderful world of cat ownership

Purring generally means that a cat is happy, but it can mean other things too. Cats who are nervous, sick or in pain will sometimes purr as well, and in this case it's a form of self-soothing.

A twitching tail can mean a number of things, not just anger. Cats at play will twitch their tails as they're getting ready to pounce. Tail twitching can also be a sign that a cat is nervous, unhappy or uncomfortable.

The situation you describe (loud purring with tail twitching) means that the cat is happy, but is getting a little overstimulated by your stroking/petting her. Basically, when you stroke a cat you're putting energy in, and some cats are more sensitive to this than others. In this situation your best bet is to stop stroking her, either keeping your hand still or removing it completely. Keeping a cat safe stuffed toy on hand can help too, as that way you have something to offer her in place of your hand if she does get too wound up (overstimulation from petting can end with the cat hitting or bunny-kicking your hand to release that pent up energy. Far better to offer her a toy to 'kill' than for her to use your hand ).

My girl does the whole purring with twitching tail thing a lot too (her tail is very rarely still ). With her, faint twitches mean it's ok to carry on petting for a bit, but the wider and stronger the twitches get, the closer she is to being overstimulated. If I misread her and go on too long, I'll get a warning swipe or two, or even a very gentle bite. It doesn't mean she's unhappy or angry - in fact, she'll often stay snuggling long after the overstimulated stage, just so long as I take the hint and let her be.

This articles may help clarify things (and the last one is a fun quiz ):-
Cat Sounds - Feline Vocal Communication
Cat Aggression Toward People
Your Cat Probably Hates It When You...
First-time Cat Owner's Guide
How Well Do You Speak Cat?

I have a teenager who will low purr while slapping his tail violently. I'd like to think he is throwing teenage catitude, but I'm wondering if it's really overstimulation. I only pet him a short minute or two before he gets this way. Sometimes I just say his name and he's already softly purring and tail slapping. He's soooo stinking cute. So it's hard to leave him alone.

 

[Columbine]

If he's never shown any other signs of overstimulation (like getting tense, or hitting or biting at you) then it could just be a quirk of his. I'd pay extra attention to the rest of his body language though, and if he shows any other signs of being over excited or over stimulated then back off so he can chill and calm down.

Oh, and welcome to TCS

 

[Lklittle]

My mom has two cats and 5 dogs. The cats have adopted the dogs body language. Theyll swish their tails when they're happy. Weird stuff but it's true. Perhaps your cat is imitating?