true cat wear down their emotions on theirtails , not their sleeves . They tip their fluffy rearward process during relaxing naps , thrash them while tense , and hold them stiff and aloft when they ’re feeling strong-growing , among other behaviour . And in some scarey situations ( like , say , being surprisedby a cuke ) , a cat ’s shadower will in reality expand , blow up up to almost twice its volume as its owner raspberry , arches its back , and flatten its auricle . What does a super - sized tail end signify , and how does it occur naturally without help from hairspray ?
Cats with puffed tail are “ basically trying to make themselves look as expectant as possible , and that ’s because they detect a threat in the environment , " Dr. Mikel Delgado , a certified cat behaviour consultant who studied fauna behavior and human - deary relationships as a PhD student at the University of California , Berkeley , tells Mental Floss . The “ scourge ” in question can be as major as an approaching domestic dog or as minor as an unexpected noise . Even if a cat is n’t technically in any real risk , it ’s still biologically wire to spring to the offense at a instant ’s posting , as it ’s " not quite at the top of the food mountain range , ” Delgado says . And a braggy fag end is reflexive feline consistence nomenclature for “ I ’m adult and scary , and you would n’t need to mess up with me , ” she tally .
A cat ’s tail blow when muscle in its skin ( where the hair substructure is ) contract bridge in response to hormone signal from the stress / fight or flight organisation , or sympathetic uneasy system . from time to time , the whisker on a cat ’s back will also puff up along with the tail . That said , not all cats swell up when a startling situation strikes . “ I ’ve seen some cats that seem imperturbable , and they never get poofed up , ” Delgado says . “ My CAT get puffed up reasonably well . ”
In addition to computed axial tomography , other animal also experiencepiloerection , as this phenomenon is technically called . For object lesson , “ some birds puff up when they ’re encountering an foeman or a threat , ” Delgado tell . “ I think it is a world-wide reply among animals to endeavor to get themselves out of a [ potentially dangerous ] berth . Really , the idea is that you do n’t have to fight because if you fight , you might lose an ear or you might get an injury that could be fatal . For most fauna , they ’re stress to reckon out how to frighten another brute off without in reality going pugilism . ” In other word , siss gently , but carry a big tail .
