What does it mean when my cat holds its tail straight up?
A tail held straight up as your cat walks towards you is one of the friendliest signals cats have. It usually means a confident, sociable hello.
What it usually means
In Pawfect's cat tables the upright tail belongs to the friendly greeting, together with a confident approach, head bunts and a chirrup or trill. It also appears when a cat is alert and interested, with ears forward and a careful approach.
Sometimes the upright tail trembles at the base. The tables call this a tail quiver and read it as strong excitement, often intense affection.
Easy to mix up
- Marking. The tables note that a quivering upright tail can also go with spraying or marking, so notice where your cat is and what it is backing up to.
- A puffed-up tail. If the fur along the tail is fluffed out, the cat is highly aroused, not greeting you.
Look at the whole body
No single signal tells the whole story. Before settling on a reading, look at the tail, ears, eyes, mouth and posture together, and at what is happening around your pet.
Signals the tables often see alongside this one
- Ears forward
- Cautious approach
- Confident approach
- Head bunt
- Chirrup or trill
See it on your own pet
Point Pawfect at your dog or cat and it picks out the tails, ears, eyes and postures from these guides, then plays them back as a playful caption you can keep.
Related guides
Why does my cat headbutt me?
The head bunt is a cat's way of including you in its circle. What it usually means and how to respond.Why is my cat's tail twitching or lashing?
A twitching tip and a lashing tail say very different things. How to read cat tail movement, and when to give your cat space.Why does my cat's tail puff up?
A bottle-brush tail means a cat is highly aroused, from fright, upset or sudden excitement. How to read it and what to do.
Where this comes from
Built on the body-language tables behind Pawfect's analysis (dogs v2.1.0, cats v1.0.1), which draw on published work including:
- John Bradshaw, Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet (2013)
- Dennis C. Turner and Patrick Bateson (eds.), The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behaviour (3rd edition) (2014)
- Karen L. Overall, Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals (1997)
- Sarah L. Ellis et al., Feline communication and body language (2013)
- International Cat Care, Online resources on feline behavior and body language (2023)