Can Cats Control Their Tails?

The tail is an essential element of a cat’s body language and balancing. However, cats that were born without a tail or lost it due to an injury eventually adjust to living without it.

People can control their leg and arm movements, so it would be logical to suggest that cats can control their tails. But are they in control 100% of the time?

Regardless of whether cats move their tails voluntarily, every owner must learn to identify their pet’s physical and emotional state based on the tail language.

Why & When Do Cats Move Their Tails

A cat’s tail language is diverse, incorporating numerous movements that indicate varying feelings, including happiness, pain, anxiety, fear, and aggression.

A cat’s tail consists of six muscles and 19 to 23 bones to facilitate different positions. Everyone knows that a dog wagging its tail is happy and excited. In contrast, a cat wagging, thrashing, or thumping its tail is irritated or angry.

Owners may notice wagging tail movements when their cat is overwhelmed by petting or doesn’t like the presence of another animal in the room. However, a thrashing tail doesn’t mean that a cat is ready to attack.

Typically, wagging tail movements are a prelude to hissing, growling, and actual attack. If the owner soothes the cat before the pet starts showing other signs of aggression, they can avoid scratching and biting.

A tail hooked down between the cat’s back legs is a significantly more worrying sign indicating that a cat is ready to attack at any second. Such a tail position is usually accompanied by hiding, growling, and ears pulled back.

A puffed-up, hooked-down tail and arched back indicate that a cat is threatened or frightened. However, a fluffy standing-up tail is normal during active play between two cats.

Tail slowly whishing from side to side is another indicator of an upcoming attack, but not an aggressive one – the cat is likely hunting a toy or a bird behind the window.

Sometimes, owners may notice their cat twitching only the end of its tail. Such movements indicate that a cat is either excited during play or mildly irritated. In this case, the owner must pay attention to the overall cat’s body language and read the scene.

Some cat tail movements are relatively rare and seem odd to owners. For example, a cat quivering its tail is either excited to see another cat or urine-marking its territory.

When cats greet someone they like, they often wrap their tail around the person’s leg. A tail hooked in a question mark illustrates a friendly invitation to interact.

In contrast, a tail pressed low to the ground is a sign of anxiety and fear. A cat wrapping its tail around its body is either anxious, in pain, or simply chilly.

Do Cats Move Their Tails Voluntarily?

Cats move their tails to communicate their emotions to their owners or other animals, but do they do it voluntarily? In short, sometimes. Adult cats have complete control over each muscle and bone in their tail.

Control over the tail’s movement is vital for cats because it’s one of their primary communication and balancing tools. Cats’ famous ability to always land on paws is mainly the accomplishment of their tails.

You probably know how a cat can slip its tail through your fingers when you touch it. The motion may seem involuntary, but it’s actually deliberate.

Cats can also control their tail’s language depending on emotions. When a cat wags, quivers, or wraps its tail around the owner’s leg, it’s fully aware of the tail’s movement and is doing it on purpose.

When Cats Move Their Tails Involuntarily

Sometimes, a cat’s tail movements are involuntary. For example, when a cat swishes or flicks its tail in a deep sleep, it may be dreaming or have mild spasms.

Such tail movements are ok as long as they aren’t excessive or accompanied by other symptoms. A cat may also involuntarily move its tail due to reflex – think of it as when you move your hand away from a hot pan.

How Do Cats Control Their Tails?

People only have four appendages, so it can be difficult to understand how cats control their tails. Perhaps, cats perceive their tails as just another appendage that they can control like a leg.

Taking a closer look at the cat’s tail anatomy can help understand how felines communicate and balance using this appendage. A cat’s tail is an extension of its spine rather than an independent body part.

The tail consists of 19-23 tiny bones held together by ligaments, muscles, and tendons. However, some cats have shorter tails – for example, Japanese Bobtail breed cats have very short tails measuring only a couple of inches.

Like other body parts, a cat’s tail is an element of the central nervous system, controlled by the spinal cord and brain.

The brain transmits impulses to the spinal cord, facilitating tail movement. In short, cats control their tails just like any other body part.

At What Age Do Kittens Gain Control Over Their Tails?

Kittens are born blind and deaf. They are primarily guided by instincts and don’t fully understand their actions. But do young kittens have control over their tails, and to what extent?

From a cat’s perspective, a tail is just a fifth appendage no different from legs, making researchers believe even young kittens have complete control over their tails.

Tiny kittens don’t yet know how to communicate with people and other felines using their tails, so you will never see a three-week-old kitten wag or quiver tail.

However, even such young kittens can control which direction they shift the tail and how they fold it, although their movements may seem awkward and clumsy.

It is uncertain whether kittens learn to communicate using their tails from their mother and other felines or another way.

Many researchers suggest that cat tail language is instinctive because even kittens who were separated from their mother at a very young age and couldn’t learn from her make the same movements as other cats when they grow up.

Furthermore, every cat in the world uses the same tail movements to indicate specific emotions. In a sense, tail language is similar to hunting or mating behavior because it’s instinctive but only manifests at a certain age.

When To Pay Special Attention To Your Cat’s Tail Movement

Feline owners must pay close attention to their pet’s tail language to avoid missing signs of physical pain or emotional distress. Always look at the tail when playing or petting your four-legged friend.

Cat petting aggression caused by sensory overload is common, and watching the tail language is the easiest way to know when to start touching the cat.

If your cat begins to wag the tail or twitch the tail’s end, it probably has had enough of petting. In this case, stop petting the cat immediately to avoid irritating it further.

Know a cat’s attack position, with the rear end raised, front end pressed to the ground, tail hooked between the legs, and ears pulled back. If your cat takes this pose, move away as soon as possible.

Don’t ignore your cat keeping its tail wrapped around its body. If you notice this sign, ensure that the temperature inside your house isn’t too low. If the reason isn’t the cat feeling chilly, it’s most likely in pain.

Any caring pet owner should also know the most common cat tail injury signs. Limpness, minimal tail movement, and hissing when you touch the tail are typical symptoms of a broken tail in cats.

Swelling with hair loss usually indicates an infection caused by a bite wound. Such injuries often occur after a fight between two cats. The cat may not move its tail or keep it wrapped around its body.

Inability to move the tail in cats may also indicate nerve damage. Overall, a complete lack of tail movement always means a severe problem.

Kittens often chase their tails when they play; that is perfectly normal. But why do cats attack their tails when they don’t play? A cat attacking its tail may inflict injuries on itself, including wounds and infections.

Typically, such behavior is caused by fleas or ticks. The cat doesn’t try to damage its tail but tries to get rid of annoying parasites.

A cat suffering from ticks or fleas may also constantly whish its tail from side to side, trying to flick them off. Lastly, a cat attacking its tail may indicate feline obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Symptoms of feline OCD are odd movements, including constant tail wagging, hyperactivity, dilated pupils, excessive tail grooming, attacking the tail, running away from an invisible threat, and hypersensitivity to touching.

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