Your cat is trying to tell you something: Here's how to listen

The ways of cats can be mysterious, especially if you're new to them. But even lifelong cat lovers can learn something new from author/illustrator Lili Chin's book "Kitty Language" (kittylanguagebook.com), an illustrated guide to understanding cat body language, behavior and vocalizations.

Playful illustrations and easy-to-read text take readers on a tour of the feline body — eyes, ears, whiskers, tail, expression — and explain what those flicks, twitches, pupil changes, postures and more are saying about a cat's mood, feelings and desires.

Chin became interested in animal behavior and training when she adopted a Boston terrier, Boogie, in 2007. Learning to understand the small, subtle signals of stress that preceded reactive behaviors was an eye-opener, and she began drawing his body language to help her understand what he was communicating.

"The illustrations went viral," she says. "I started working with dog behaviorists and trainers to create dog body language charts to educate the public."

That led to the publication of her first book, "Doggie Language." It included illustrations of different breeds, since canine body language can vary depending on the presence or absence of a tail or whether ears prick up or hang down.

After Boogie died in 2020, Chin acquired two cats, Mambo and Shimmy. Not familiar with cats at the time, she took a deep dive into what was known about feline behavior to ensure that she could recognize if they were happy and well.

"I did a lot of research. I spoke to a lot of cat experts and read books and was obsessed with watching my cats and drawing them. And then it felt like it was a good time to do a cat body language book."

Here's just some of what I learned from Chin's book: When cats quickly lick their lip or nose and then swallow, it suggests that they may be feeling uneasy or concerned.

Another fascinating fact is that whisker structure varies by breed. For instance, curly coated cats such as Cornish and Devon rex also have curly whiskers. Maine coons tend to have longer whiskers than other cat breeds. The hairless sphynx has no whiskers or eyelashes.

For Chin, writing about how to recognize whether cats were playing or fighting was of special interest. Mambo and Shimmy are good friends, she says, but sometimes it's hard to tell if rough-and-tumble action is done in a serious or lighthearted spirit.

For answers, she spoke with Kristyn Vitale, who studied social behavior in cats. Vitale explained it this way: "It's like sports. You want to win. It's stressful. There's stress when you're trying to win, but it's still fun."

If you're unsure, body language tells all. Fun play is mostly silent, with no hissing or growling; swatting or smacking is done with claws in, not out; bites don't inflict pain or injury; and the cats take turns being on top.

The book also discusses how cats use scent to communicate, how to recognize the expression of a cat in pain, why cats pretend to sleep and the most entertaining feline stress reliever — the zoomies.

To successfully interpret what a cat is telling you, consider context, and look at the whole cat. Get to know the cat as an individual, and try to understand what they're experiencing in the moment. A lot depends on a cat's age, health, breed and sex, as well as other factors, including environment. With their keen senses of sight, smell and hearing, cats can be exquisitely attuned to sounds or actions we don't even notice.

Chin hopes her book will inspire cat lovers to observe and pay closer attention to their pets. "That is important in terms of making sure we don't stress our cats out and that we help them stay safe and comfortable," she says.