From purring to hissing: the definitive guide to cat behaviour

Cats are constantly communicating with us. Just not with words, but through sounds, body language, their eyes, ears and tail. If you can read these signals, you’ll understand your cat better, prevent conflicts and spot problems early on. Often before the vet has to.

Here’s an overview of the most important signs and what they mean for you and your cat.

Cat language at a glance

Short on time? A quick overview of your cat’s most important signals:

• Purring can mean contentment or self-soothing. Pay attention to the context.
• Growling and hissing are signals to keep your distance. Give them space rather than trying to coax them.
• Tail up means friendly, tail swishing means irritated. Unlike with dogs.
• Ears laid back indicate anything from uncertainty to a readiness to attack. The flatter they are, the more critical the situation.
• Slow blinking is the cat’s kiss. It’s worth returning it.
• Sudden changes in behaviour should first be checked by a vet, then look for sources of stress.

Those who can read their cat’s behaviour can prevent conflicts and spot early on when something is wrong. A calm environment with plenty of hiding spots, fixed routines and clean, conflict-free resources is the best foundation for this.

The vocal language of cats

Cats have an astonishingly wide range of vocalisations. Researchers distinguish more than 20 different sounds, many of which occur only in communication with us humans. Among themselves, adult cats are actually quite silent.

Purring is not always a sign of happiness

Everyone recognises purring as a sign of contentment. However, it is also a self-soothing mechanism. Cats purr at the vet, when in pain, and sometimes even as they are dying.

The purring frequency lies between 25 and 50 hertz, a range which studies have even attributed healing effects to in relation to bones and tissue. Presumably, cats therefore also use purring for self-therapy.

Rule of thumb: if your cat purrs in a clearly stressful situation or withdraws whilst doing so, it is more a matter of coping than of well-being.

Meowing, purring and whining

Adult cats meow almost exclusively at humans. It is a learned strategy, because they quickly realise: vocalisation leads to attention, food, an open door.

What the pitch reveals:

• Short and high-pitched: a friendly greeting
• Long and drawn-out, urgent: a demand (food, open the door)
• Low and plaintive: discomfort, pain, illness
• Hoarse or altered meowing: have it checked by a vet

Cats that meow conspicuously often are simply under-stimulated. More playtime and stimulation usually help more than any training measures.

Purring, trilling and chattering

The soft trill that many cats make when greeting you originally stems from mother-to-child communication. If your cat greets you like this, it’s a genuine compliment.

Cats typically display chattering (rhythmic clacking of the lower jaw) at the window when watching birds. Presumably a mixture of excitement and suppressed hunting instinct.

When the cat growls or hisses

Growling and hissing sound threatening, but are essentially signals of distance. Your cat isn’t saying “I’m attacking”, but rather “don’t come any closer”. Understanding this helps de-escalate the situation rather than making it worse.

Growling is the warning stage

A deep, chest-thumping growl signifies: unease, a sense of threat, or the defence of a resource. Often combined with flattened ears, dilated pupils and a stiff posture.

What helps now:

• Give them space, do not approach
• Do not try to soothe them with words; this often increases the stress
• Identify and remove the trigger, if possible
• Give the cat time to calm itself down

If your cat growls whilst eating or at its sleeping spot, it is usually about defending resources. This is a particularly common issue in multi-cat households.

Hissing is the final warning

Hissing is a reflexive threat signal and mimics the hissing of a snake. This is evolutionarily clever, as many predators instinctively retreat from snakes.

Typical triggers:

• Strange animals or people
• Sudden noises or movements
• Pain when touched
• Conflicts with other cats in the household

Anyone who reacts to hissing by approaching risks the next stage of escalation: pawing, biting, scratching. The only correct response is to retreat.

Does my cat hiss for no reason?

A cat never really hisses for no reason. It’s just that the reason is often not obvious.

Common hidden triggers:

• Pain caused by a hidden condition (teeth, joints, urinary tract)
• The smell of other animals on the owner, for example after a visit to the shelter
• Hormonal changes, particularly in unneutered animals
• Sensory overload after overly intense stroking or play
• Redirected aggression: stimulus from outside, reaction inside

If your cat suddenly hisses even though, from your perspective, nothing has changed, it’s worth taking them for a vet’s check-up. Behavioural changes are often the first visible sign of illness in cats.

Cat is suddenly aggressive: what’s behind it?

If an otherwise relaxed cat suddenly bites, scratches or attacks, there is always a reason. The trick is to find it before the behaviour becomes a habit.

The most common causes of sudden aggression:

• Pain or an emerging illness. By far the most common trigger. Dental problems, arthritis and urinary tract diseases often first become apparent through behavioural changes.
• Stress caused by changes. Moving house, a new partner, rearranging the furniture, a new pet. What may seem like minor things to us can completely upset a cat’s sense of security.
• Petting aggression. Stroking that lasts too long or hits the wrong spot. Many cats send out warning signals (tail twitching, skin twitching, ears turned to the side) that owners overlook.
• Redirected aggression. The cat sees another cat through the window, cannot react, and takes it out on the nearest target. That is often you.
• Conflicts over resources. Food, sleeping spots, vantage points and, above all, the litter tray.

The last point is underestimated. In multi-cat households, the litter tray situation is one of the top triggers for chronic stress and thus for aggressive behaviour. Rule of thumb in behavioural medicine: one litter tray per cat plus one extra. And it’s not just the number that matters, but the cleanliness. A dirty litter tray is avoided; avoided litter trays lead to conflicts at the remaining tray; and conflicts lead to stress.

This is exactly where the self-cleaning CatGenie litter tray comes in. It automatically flushes and washes with water after every use. The cat always finds a clean surface, without the need for daily cleaning. In households where litter tray conflicts trigger aggression, this is often the simplest solution of all.

What else helps if your cat suddenly becomes aggressive:

• Have it checked by a vet – always the first step
• Reverse changes in the environment or introduce them gradually
• Create retreat areas, at least one per cat
• Shorten petting sessions and watch out for warning signs

Cats & Body Language: What tails, ears and eyes reveal

Most cat communication is non-verbal. If you only pay attention to sounds, you’ll miss most of it. There are four areas you should keep an eye on.

The tail is the most honest signal

The tail is the most reliable indicator of your cat’s mood. What the position means:

• Vertically upright: friendly greeting, self-confidence
• With a question mark tip: curious, inviting, in the mood for contact
• Bristling like a bottle brush: fear or a threat; the cat is making itself look bigger
• Swishing rapidly or flicking back and forth: irritation; the mood is about to change
• Tucked between the legs: fear, submission
• Hanging loosely, with a slightly twitching tip: relaxed alertness

Important to know: tail wagging in cats means the opposite of what it does in dogs. If the tail is wagging, the cat is irritated, not happy. A mistake that many dog owners pay dearly for.

Ears as a mood barometer

Cats can rotate their ears by almost 180 degrees, controlled by over 30 muscles. This makes them the quickest and most sensitive mood indicator in the entire animal kingdom.

• Erect, facing forwards: relaxed and alert
• Slightly turned to the side (“airplane ears”): uncertain, irritated, uncomfortable
• Flat against the head: fear or an imminent attack

Rule of thumb: the further back the ears move, the more critical the situation.

The eyes show trust

The pupils reveal the emotional state almost in real time:

• Narrow slits: relaxed or focused (for example, when observing prey)
• Medium width: normal alert state
• Wide open in normal light: excitement, fear or aggression

A special signal is slow blinking. If your cat looks at you through half-closed eyes and blinks slowly, this is the famous cat kiss. It signifies trust and relaxation in your presence.

You can return the signal: look calmly at your cat and blink slowly back. Many cats respond with another blink. This isn’t some esoteric theory, but has been documented in studies.

The overall posture in view

Individual signals say little; the overall picture says it all. The classics:

• Hump with bristled fur: maximum threatening posture; the cat is making itself look bigger
• Standing sideways with an arched back: combined threatening posture towards other cats
• Showing its belly: usually trust, rarely an invitation to be stroked (Caution)
• ‘Cat pie’ with paws tucked in: relaxed, but ready to stand up at any moment
• ‘Loaf of bread’ with paws completely curled up: deep relaxation

Always pay attention to the combination. A tail held high with ears laid back is different from a tail held high with ears pricked up.

Learning to read stress: the underestimated early warning signs

Many behavioural issues begin long before owners notice them. Cats are masters of hiding, which makes evolutionary sense (showing weakness attracts enemies), but in everyday life leads to problems being recognised too late.

You should take these signs seriously:

• Excessive grooming in one spot, often on the belly or inner thighs, sometimes leading to bald patches
• Withdrawal to unusual places or much more frequently than usual
• Sudden marking or soiling outside the litter tray
• Changes in appetite, both eating less and significantly more
• Changes in drinking behaviour, particularly drinking noticeably more
• Sleep patterns change, for example restless at night instead of relaxed
• Increased vocalisation or, conversely,
• Increased startle response to noises or movements
• Aggression towards the owner or other animals in the household

Individual signs are rarely conclusive. A cat that eats poorly for a day may simply be in a bad mood. However, if several signs occur simultaneously or over several days, action is required.

Important: Behavioural changes in cats are often the first sign of a physical illness. Before looking for sources of stress in the environment, a vet’s check-up should be carried out. Pain, gastrointestinal problems, loss of appetite, constipation, thyroid problems or urinary tract diseases are often misinterpreted as “difficult behaviour”.

Once physical causes have been ruled out, it’s worth taking a look at the environment. Common sources of stress include:

• Changes in the household (new people, new pets, moving house)
• Too few hiding places or vantage points
• Conflicts with other cats, often over resources
• Noise and hustle and bustle in daily life
• Dirty or contested litter trays

The last point deserves attention because it is the easiest to resolve. By making the litter tray situation more relaxed, you remove a daily source of stress for your cat without having to turn the whole household upside down.

How to respond correctly to cat behaviour

Reading signals is one half of the equation. Responding correctly is the other. A few basic rules that really help in everyday life:

1. Observe before you act. Most owners react too quickly. A cat that withdraws often wants exactly that at first. Let them choose.
2. Accept signals of distance. If your cat growls, hisses or swishes its tail, retreat is the only correct response. Soothing words or touching will only make the situation worse.
3. Use trust signals deliberately. Slow blinking, a calm voice, slow movements. This doesn’t work immediately, but over weeks it builds a clear bond.
4. Keep petting sessions short. Many cats show early on that they’ve had enough. Tail twitching, skin twitching along the back, ears to the side. Stopping in time prevents petting aggression.
5. Have sudden changes in behaviour checked by a vet. Always the first step. Most so-called ‘behavioural problems’ are actually pain-related issues.
6. Provide plenty of resources. Enough feeding stations, sleeping spots, vantage points and litter trays. Rule of thumb: better to have one resource too many than too few.

What you shouldn’t do: raise your voice, spray water, lock them in a room or physically punish them. Cats don’t learn what you want from this. They only learn that you are dangerous.

From the first twitch of the tail to loud meowing, the same questions crop up time and again in everyday cat ownership. Here are the most important answers in a nutshell.