Dear Miss Behavin’: Sometimes my cat’s tail flickers really fast before she scratches or bites me. What can I do to prevent this?
Reply: It’s really great that you’re observing the cat’s behavior right before it scratches or bites, this will help you in preventing it from happening in the future.
The tail of a cat conveys a lot about the mood of the cat, whether the cat is relaxed, alert, confident, submissive, or even agitated. When observing your cat, pay attention to its tail and your cat’s environment, as this may be affecting your cat’s mood as well.
Is the tail wagging gracefully or erratically, is the environment quiet or stimulating, or is anyone petting or playing with the cat? Typically when a cat is calm and passive, their tail might wag lazily back and forth, like a slow fan. This is a good time to pet the cat, particularly on the head or around the cheeks.
However, if they are excited, aroused, or agitated, the tip of their tail or the entire tail might flicker quickly from side to s
ide. In both instances, the tail might be raised high and lightly waving or lay low flicking, and vice versa. If the tail is flicking, stop petting immediately, as the cat is becoming overstimulated.
Some cats become overly stimulated during petting, and in order to end the stimulation, they may try to nip or scratch the hand or toy that is the source of stimulation. The easiest way to know when to stop petting is to remember, if the tail or ears start flicking, withdraw your hand quickly and end the petting session.
Let the cat relax for the next few minutes, watching for the flicking of either tail or ears to decrease. If necessary, redirect the cat’s attention to a toy instead. If your cat becomes over-excited during play-time, with a flicking tail and grabbing with paws, using long cat wands and ribbons as toys can prevent scratches or bites.