what does it mean when a cats tail sways from side to side? She might be looking outside or playing?

Question

She can be playing with our other cat or maybe fighting? Or looking at a neighbours house from the window. (Theres a big tom living there). She is roughly 3 and our other cat is 18 months. They get on well most of the time cleaning eachother and so on. But everynow and then her tail sways side to side and i would love to know what it means or what she is thinking!

Answer 1

Hi there...depending on the speed of the swishing and the event it occurs around it could mean apprehension, aggitation/annoyance, pensive, etc.

Here's a chart exhibiting the meaning of tail movment:
http://messybeast.com/images/cat-chat3.png

Answer 2

The answer my friend is simple. When cats wag their tail sideways the are irritated by something. They can be aggrevated by any number of things that cats are annoyed with rangeing from not being fed to a confrontation with another cat. As a side note when dogs wag their tails they are happy.

Answer 3

No, it does not mean she is in heat ( the tail stays on the side, not swaying) Cats tails move differently for different occasions. Long hard thrashes from side to side means she is angry or agitated. Look at her ears if they are slightly flattened then she is in hunting mode, if they are upright and facing forward then she is playful.

Answer 4

Swaying side to side usually means something has caught the cat's interest and she is paying attention to it. In your case, it probably means the other cat is doing something or acting a certain way that has caught her interest.

Rapid tail twitching usually means the cat is irritated by something.

Answer 5

When playing, she's saying "That's enough!" It's a warning to the other cat to back off. When looking outside, there might be an animal out there she perceives as prey. Her tail wagging is showing her heightened predatory instincts: "Let me at it!" Either way, she is feeling aggressive.

Answer 6

I read somewhere that it was along the lines of a warning, I'm getting annoyed, I'll swipe out or pounce at any second from now.
The one to really watch for if they're very cross is when they look as if they've pulled a hat down over their ears, the ears stick back and downwards, that means run like hell.

Answer 7

It means the cat is contemplating making some sort of sudden move. This can be in play, annoyance or anger. It is probably in play or excitement with the other cat in the house, and probably in annoyance or anger with the neighbors cat.

Answer 8

When my cat swishes her tail while looking out the window, I know she sees another animal....usually a cat. If she is making a little chattering sound too.....she sees a bird. If she starts swishing her tail while I'm petting her, that means I should stop before she scratches me.

Answer 9

I have read in a magazine that a cats "wag" their tails b/c they are in one of two moods: playful or mad. As long as the ears don't go back and hair doesn't stand up on their backs, it is likely your cat is just playful.

Answer 10

I heard that they do this when thwy are thinking. Not like a dog who does this when they are happy or excited. Cats are smarter and their tails sway when they have a thought or are trying to do something, that involves thinking.