My cat's tail bristles when he plays.

Cats use their tails for balance when running, jumping, playing or hunting, but did you know that they also use them for communication?

What cats use their tails for.

Sometimes we can see them with a bristly tail, similar to what happens to humans when we say that our hair stands on end.

But in what situations do their tails stand on end and what do they mean by it?

For play: sometimes when they are playing very excited we can see them with their tails standing on end because of an adrenaline rush, it means that they are very excited and they can even run sideways while this is happening to them. This is not bad, but we must control their level of activity and change the game for another that does not upset them so much if this happens too often, and play with something calmer and more positive for them, keeping them at this level of stress can be negative if it is repeated too often and we encourage this type of activity.

Because they are unwell: sometimes that bristly tail is associated with other behaviours such as apathy, meowing or discomfort, symptoms that something is not going well and are a reason to visit the vet.

Fever: if they are ill, we can see the cat's entire tail bristling or just the tail, even associated with tremors, we must make sure of their temperature (remember that the normal temperature is between 38 and 39ºC) and that above this temperature is a reason to consult your trusted vet.

Because of cold: just as it happens to us humans, sometimes with the cold they can bristle to generate a kind of thermal insulation, always check that the ambient temperature is not too low, and if it is, offer them a source of heat, remember that the optimum environmental comfort temperature in cats ranges between 30 and 38ºC! and below that they can feel cold, so you can put a heater, an electric blanket or a hot water bottle to make them feel better, as well as offering them caves or blankets that allow them to snuggle in order to get warm.

Fear: just as they bristle when they get upset while playing, they can bristle when they are frightened. In this case, in addition to the bristling tail, we can see that they change their posture and become bigger or make sounds such as growling, lower their ears or dilate their pupils.

Understanding that the bristling tail means an excess of adrenaline in the body of our companions or is a symptom of discomfort can help us to improve our relationship with them, if we know what has caused this situation we can help to stop it happening and thus make our coexistence more positive thus lowering their stress levels or treating the origin of this behaviour.

If you live with cats, we always recommend that you study their language and their different ways of expressing how they feel, as this way we can avoid unnecessary conflicts and help them to have a better quality of life and a more positive relationship with us and the other people or animals with whom they interact.