Why Does My Cat Shake His Tail?

Understanding your cat’s mood can be a little task. It’s difficult even for the parents who have been keeping pets for years. Cats usually seem to communicate through their body language or vocalization. While your cat can communicate with you with its meows, but it’s not possible because we humans cannot understand their language.

So the only thing that is left is to monitor your little fur ball and try to communicate with it through its body language. One of the most common and also the most expressive aspects of your fur ball’s body language is the tail position. You can try to learn a lot about your cat when she moves and waves her tail in different positions.

It is a universal truth that if a dog wags his tail, then it means that he is happy. But have you ever wondered about your cat’s vibrating tail? I am sure when your cat is used to shake her tail; you ask yourself a question that why does my cat shaking tail?

One of the veterinarians, Dr. Blain Kennedy, at Florida Veterinary League in Vero Beach, Florida says that “when a cat shakes her tail then it’s often not a sign of her being happy”. This statement can put your mind in doubt. But there can be several other reasons for your cat’s tail shaking. Scroll down below to have a look at these reasons.

Depending upon the situations of the cat and of course her surroundings, she can express either negative feelings or positive feelings by wagging her tail. Below is the list of some of these emotions that it can express while she shakes her tail.

Your cat might feel confident: When a cat feels confident about herself, then she keeps her whole tail straight and just gently shake the tip of her tail. By this expression of your kitten you, as well as other cats, can get an idea that your little furry friend is open for interactions.

Your cat might feel restlessness and anxiety: When you cat is wagging the upper half of her tail, and then you might be able to get the idea that your cat is anxious about something. This anxiety can occur through even a small thing like she is not able to find her toy to play with.

Cats have more activated senses than we as human beings have. So, the anxiety your cat is facing can be the result of some noise that you can’t hear or some odor which you are not generally able to recognize.

If you are living in some noisy apartment with your little kitten, then this could be the reason for her chronic anxiety. This sort of anxiety in your cat can even develop a number of health issues such as skin problems. To make her calm, all you can do is try to make your kitten’s room even quieter and peaceful.

It may be a sign of her getting frightened: If your cat is wagging its tail low to the ground, then it can be the sign that she is feeling scared of something. If your kitten is extremely afraid of something, then she can even tuck her tail between her legs. This position of her gives the indication that she does not want any conflict.

Well, on the other hand, if your cat is afraid but still she wants to fight against anything, then she might show the signs of having an erect tail, pushed back-ears and arched back. The things that she wants to fight against can be any other animal as well as anything that has spooked her.

She might be in anger and feeling annoyed: Cats usually get annoyed even of small things. You literally don’t need much to annoy your little furry friend. She can get annoyed even if you are not paying her enough attention that she needs.

Sometimes if you are petting your kitten way too much, then your little furry can get irritated by this also. So, if your cat is shaking her tail while playing, then leave her for some time. Also, when some children arrive at your place, and they try to play with your cat, your cat shows that she is getting annoyed by them by shaking her tail.

So, it better to ask children not to tease her if she is getting irritated. If your cat gets extremely angry at something, then this might result in rapidly whipping of her tail. At this point try to calm her down.

This can also, indicate that she is in a process of hunting: Cats usually wave their tails back and forth whenever they are ready to hunt or in a hunt mode. By doing so they also try to mesmerize their prey. So, if you see your cat shaking tail back and forth, wait for her to complete her actions.

She might feel secure while wagging her tail: You might have noticed that when you pet your kitten while she is sleeping, your cat’s tail twitches slightly. This generally indicates the sign of security. Your cat can acknowledge you while petting her during sleep but she feels safe to keep her eyes closed.

This might indicate her happiness and excitement: When your cat is excited and happy, she keeps her tail in the upright position and shakes it from the base up. Your cat can also use this posture while she is urinating or marking her territory.

According to Dr. Kennedy, usually, every cat is used to shake their tails. The exceptions who do not shake their tails are the one who has got injured tail. Moving their tail is an important part because only by their body language, they are able to communicate with human beings.

Well, there can be other types of body languages too with which your cat can communicate with you. For example, if your cat is showing you her fluffy stomach while looking at you, then this might show that she is extremely comfortable with you.