The cat’s tail is the elongated end of the spine, consisting of muscles, tendons, skin, mostly fur and of course vertebrae – from 21 to 24 depending on the breed. Numerous muscles make it quite flexible to the tip. In this way, the cat can not only raise and lower its tail, but also extend it, bend it, rotate it around the base of the tail, or simply move the tip of the tail independently of the rest of the tail.
balance
The more flexible the cat’s tail, the more varied its duties. For example, the cat, with its help, can easily balance at heights that are dizzying for humans. “Similar to a tightrope walker who uses a pole for balance, the cat uses its tail to lengthen its body and therefore its balance,” explains animal psychologist Isabelle Rohner of Edlibach ZG.
Like a paddle, the cat balances its weight by stretching its tail in the opposite direction as it jumps, climbs, and runs. In addition, the cat usually falls on all fours thanks to its tail. “Initiates the righting reflex in free fall with the help of the cat’s tail.” To do this, it deftly rows around its axis with its tail.
sign language
However, the cat’s tail is not just a tool for planting and landing anywhere. As part of the sexual act, the cat’s tail has several meanings. “A female cat can only be bred if she doesn’t hold her tail over her private parts to protect her,” explains Rohner. That’s why he pulls it aside. They also show their interest by wagging their tails and pointing their tails vertically upwards. “After the action, the tail signals the male cat that he must escape as quickly as possible, otherwise he risks being injured by the female cat.”
The cat expresses its emotions especially with its tail, which acts as a communication tool. The velvet paw carries its tail vertically up, indicating a friendly mood. Kittens also raise their tails to greet their mothers. When greeting other fellows, the raised tail also denotes a friendly gesture. Ranking in social group seems to play an important role here. Simona Cafazzo of the University of Vienna’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine discovered in 2008 that low-grade cats display this tail position more often than higher-order cats. The latter was met with their tails held high more often than cats in other tiers.
If the cat’s tail flutters restlessly from side to side, it usually means that the furry owner is nervous. If the tail is really whipped back and forth, this is a clear sign of aggression. If there is a possible defense or even attack, the cat keeps its tail close to the body to offer as little attack surface as possible and thus avoid potential injury.
If the velvet paw feels scared or threatened, it takes a defensive position and fluffs its tail. “So he tries to make himself look bigger to look more dangerous and menacing,” explains the cat expert, explaining why the tail doubles in volume in response to hormonal signals caused by stress or fear. “In the so-called piloerection, the hair follicle rises above the skin surface and the hair stands up.” The hair on the back usually stands up at the same time. This happens automatically. “When we are trembling or excited, so is fear, as is the contraction of the hair root muscles under the control of the vegetative nervous system. The cat cannot voluntarily control such behavior.” The cat often unconsciously expresses its emotions with its tail – making it an excellent mood barometer.
scent messages
On the other hand, the cat consciously uses its tail for marking, which is the communication of scent between congeners. “In addition to the so-called caudal glands in the anus area, the cat also has other sebaceous glands on its head, on the pads of its paws, and also at the base of the tail,” says Rohner. The cat emits odors, also called pheromones, through these skin glands. “The cat can then wag its tail and place pheromones and urine in a targeted manner.” The tail takes a typical position for this: raised high with a slightly quivering tail tip, the cat marks in a typical back position. But this is not the only way to mark. “The pheromones are also dispersed at the base of the tail. For example, if the cat strokes its human’s legs or the human strokes the underside of its tail, the pheromones will stick.”
A life without a tail?
With so many tasks for a tail to do, the question naturally arises: What do cats do with only a short tail from birth or lose it in an accident? Short-tailed cats have been around for a long time, at least. One of the earliest records dates back to 1868, when Charles Darwin reported on short-tailed cats in the Malay Archipelago. In his book The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication, on page 47, he wrote that in the Malay Archipelago, Siam, Pegu, and Burma, all cats have a short tail, half the length of a normal tail. usually cartilaginous.
Short-tailed breeds are still very popular today, especially in Southeast and East Asia. The tail does not seem necessary for life. “Cats with short tails, whether congenital or accidental, are somewhat handicapped, but they learn to deal with it very well,” says Rohner. Your own cat continues to climb trees even with its short tail and can balance itself well with the rest of its body. “Still, there are cases where, for example, if it slips, it can’t balance itself fast enough because it has no tail and falls.” Depending on the depth of the fall, the righting reflex may not be performed.
The most well-known bobtail cats in the western world are the Japanese bobtail, Manx, American bobtail, pixie-bob, and Kuril bobtail. While the American Bobtail’s tail was bred, the Manx’s tailless is now due to a gene mutation that was deliberately bred. “These animals are definitely at a disadvantage when it comes to communication,” says Rohner. “Communication issues are mainly because other cats, and other mammals in general, are less able to read communication because their counterparts lack an important means of communication by which the cat’s mood can be identified.” However, if animals live together in a group, all other members quickly learn to adapt to a slightly different type of communication.