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Is a cat's tail involuntary? Does it move on it's own?

post #1 of 11
2/22/10 at 11:36pm
Thread Starter 
I always wonder this.

Is it like blinking for humans?
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post #2 of 11
2/23/10 at 8:55am
LOL no not involuntary at all! They pretty much move their tails according to their moods, etc.
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post #3 of 11
2/23/10 at 12:13pm
Thread Starter 
So, cats move their tail consciously then.

Nice to know.

Thanks.
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post #4 of 11
2/23/10 at 2:08pm
Well, if you get an email that ticks you off, your brows will furrow and your heart may start beating faster, etc. It's the same thing with a cat - their tails reflect a mood.
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post #5 of 11
2/23/10 at 7:12pm
I always know cello's mood by the way he flicks his tail! it's pretty funny
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post #6 of 11
2/24/10 at 12:16am
LoL, a couple of mine will hit me with their tail on purpose if they are sitting close to me. I think some of their tail movements are similar to us breathing, it just happens. Other times I think it is completely on purpose.

For example, I was holding Cody on the table at the vets office, waiting on the vet to come back to the room, and every time I leaned over to hug/kiss Cody, he would start slapping me in the face with his tail, as if to say "I am sick of this place, put me in the car and take me back home!" He wasn't mad or that upset, just being a turd.
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post #7 of 11
2/24/10 at 4:36am
It is an instantaneous communication between the brain and the tail, IMHO! Like when you see someone you like, you don't consciously think... I am going to break into a smile... but cats use their tails to communicate with US if we read them correctly AND with other cats.
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post #8 of 11
2/24/10 at 12:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KatKisses View Post
LoL, a couple of mine will hit me with their tail on purpose if they are sitting close to me.
When I am on my laptop and Holland decides she is being ignored, she will hop up onto the table, stand between me and the computer screen, and give my face a couple good flicks with her tail.
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post #9 of 11
2/24/10 at 5:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AddieBee View Post
It is an instantaneous communication between the brain and the tail, IMHO! Like when you see someone you like, you don't consciously think... I am going to break into a smile... but cats use their tails to communicate with US if we read them correctly AND with other cats.
Yeah, you explained it better than I can.
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post #10 of 11
2/24/10 at 5:29pm
Sometimes I'm having a hard time on reading Charlie's tail movement
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post #11 of 11
2/24/10 at 7:19pm
This thread made me giggle....in the best way! I have always joked about the triple a batteries they store in their tails. Sometimes it seems like their tails have a mind of their own, or atleast batteries of their own.
A kitties tail is the first point of communication. Sometimes I play with Maia just because I know she is always listening to what I am doing. While she is curled up next to me I will talk to her, calmly tell her "I love you" and her tail will twitch every time!
Quote:
Originally Posted by AddieBee View Post
but cats use their tails to communicate with US if we read them correctly AND with other cats.
I totally agree! This is the center of kitty communication, and it works better with those willing to read between the tails
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