Cat Tail Up

by Louise
(Scotland)

Can you please explain why my 2 year old newly acquired cat who is loving and never aggressive insists on shoving her rear end in our face with the tail standing rigid in the air before settling in a lying position?

Cat tail up editor comment:

Dear Louise,

Cats have various cat tail behavior gestures, which owners should identify. Those cats which are adopted recently or who were more isolated, usually exhibit more behavioral problems.

In this particular case, it seems to be an attention seeking cat behavior. Surprisingly, shoving the rear end in your face and the cat tail standing up rigid is a relatively more aggressive way to show affection.

Usually, a cat rubs their body and tail against the owner to show its affection. Other ways by which cats usually seek owner attention are to raise the cat tail, by raising their hind quarter and by trying to remain close. Some cats may appear shy by isolating itself and staying away from the owner, and then by becoming more aggressive over time.

If an owner does not pay much attention to a cat, or if the acquired cat has either remained in a depressed mood in past or is experiencing cat separation anxiety, it is possible that it might exhibit such behavioral gestures.

It seems that your cat not only needs your attention, but also remains stressed and may develop increased levels of anxiety and more complicated behavioral problems over time.

In order to treat this cat behavior problem, you should start by paying more attention to your pet. Be sure to show affection and try to keep the cat engaged in some playful activities.

In the mean time, you can try using some strict commands to try and signal to the cat that it is an unwelcome behavior. For example, you can ignore the cat when your pet uses the cat tail up behavior or use a strong and angry voice, and say "no" or "stop".

Whenever your cat does not show this gesture while settling down, praise her and if possible offer some treats.

Some cats with these types of cat behavior problems might need a behavioral medicine to control its' neurological status and to prevent any developing aggression and anxiety. It is recommended that, better you should try a natural remedies at first, such as Pet Calm. These types of products should help to keep stress and anxiety under control. In turn your cat should obviously become more social, friendly and calm.

Please keep us up to date on your cats tail behavior.