A cat that bites "out of nowhere" almost always sent signals first. Learn to spot them and you'll have a cat that "communicates well."
The big four signals
- Tail — held high means happy, swishing fast means agitated, low and tucked means scared
- Ears — forward is curious, flat is angry or scared, sideways "airplane mode" is overstimulated
- Eyes — slow blinks are affection, dilated pupils mean arousal (good or bad), narrow pupils with a fixed stare means tension
- Posture — loose and stretchy is content, tight and crouched is preparing for something
The shift from "enjoying being petted" to "had enough now" is often a single twitch of the tail. Stop petting at the twitch, not the bite.
