Why Do Cats Wag Their Tails While Lying Down?

Animals have different ways to communicate and express their feelings. As a pet lover, you need to understand their feelings and read what is happening in their prank-loving brains.

Your cat wagging its tail is one such expression.

In general, cats wag their tails from left to the right, or they make thumping motions with their tails. There must be times that you have seen your cat doing it.

So, if you find yourself wondering, “Why do cats wag their tails while lying down?” you are at the right place. In this article, I will be covering all the possible reasons for the same.

Why do cats wag their tails while lying down?

Cats use different ways to communicate with their loved ones. They mainly communicate through body language. A wagging tail is one such way to communicate their feelings to the people around them.

You may often see your cat thumping its tail on the ground or moving the tail from one side to another.

These are common ways for cats to express their emotions.

While you must be wondering why your cat wags its tail when it lies down, let me tell you, there are a couple of factors that lead to such activities among cats. The reasons could be many, but a few prominent reasons are listed below:

Your cat is greeting you

If you notice your cat wagging its tail just after you step into the room, it means your cat is greeting you with a hello.

Well, the other way of doing this for your cat is to get up from its place and rub its furry body against you.

You can also see your cat standing with its tail lifted straight up into the air to greet you. These are the common ways for your cats to acknowledge your presence and feel good about it.

If you wonder why your cat doesn’t get up and welcome you, there could be a couple of reasons for the same.

For example, your cats are aware that you will not stay around them for a long time. Or your furry feline is having a rest time, and it feels lazy to get up and wish you. Perhaps, your feline friend is waiting for you to be near him and comfort him.

Your cat is happy

If your cat is wagging its tail, it might be trying to express its contented feelings.

Observe if anything catches the attention of your cat. If nothing happens to grab its attention, then probably your cat is happy in its world.

But if you see your cat wagging its tail while you pet it, it’s a sign of pleasure and enjoyment. Your cat is enjoying your petting.

However, do not confuse other emotions with happiness if you see your cat thumping its tail down on the ground with a jerk. Moving ahead with the article, we will learn that even stressed emotions are attached to this activity.

Your cat is frustrated

If you see your cat wagging its tail as it lies down, there is a possibility that your cat is in a frustrated mood.

Something is concerning your pet and making it uncomfortable.  Your furry feline might be going through a stressful period.

Try to know what went wrong with your feline friend.

Did it miss something it wanted to achieve? Did your cat skip her meal? Is your pet unwell? Such conditions can lead to frustration and stressful feelings. Much like humans, even your pet can get fed up with certain disturbances.

Do not get near and pet your cat if you think she might get further agitated.

Your cat wants to play with you

Cats often love to stalk the object they want to play with, and they wag their tail in the process.

More often than not, this happens to be the first sign to denote that your cat is in a playful mood. 

Suppose a dilated pupil further accompanies the wagging tail, and your cat keeps staring at a particular toy with full concentration.

In that case, it indicates that your pet is up for a playful session. This time the playing session will be an intense one; make sure you supply your cat with a litter box and a few of her favorite toys.

Your pet is in pain

Cats do not like others to understand that they are in pain, and it is easy for other cats to attack them. But your feline friends cannot help wagging their tails when they are in pain.

When a cat wags its tail in pain, it would not be possible for him to concentrate on anything else.

But this cannot be the only indication that your pet is having some discomfort.

For example, your furry friend may be struggling with a particular body part, feeling tired and lethargic, hiding behind objects, having a loss of appetite, or acting aggressively.

To ensure that your cat is undergoing something, you need to try these other sorts of behavioral changes in your pet. Make it fast to a veterinarian if such conditions prevail any longer.

Your cat is dreaming

 If you see your cat walking its tail in a sound sleep, your furry feline must be dreaming of something.

It is natural for your cat to dream of its daily activities and anything that happens throughout the day. Look carefully at how your cat is behaving in its sleep. It reflects how its day went – whether good or bad.

These were the conditions in which your cat likes to sway its tail right from left to right or thumb it on the ground!

Why do cats move their tails from side to side?

If you see your cat wagging its tail from one side to the other swiftly, in a fast motion, it represents anger or some frustration.

Such a  wild motion of the tail indicates a bad temper and an angry cat.

On the other hand, if your cat sways its tail gently from one side to the other, it represents a happy reciprocation. It might have noticed your presence around, and it seems that your cat appreciates the same.

Why do cats thump their tails while lying down?

Which feline does not love when you pet it? Cats love to be petted and pampered by us. But often, we overstimulate our pets.

Petting them at a particular spot longer than they can tolerate can lead to overstimulating. It is then that the cats thump their tail on the ground with a jerk.

It indicates that your cat has become overstimulated; stop petting her for a while or else, you may make her feel uncomfortable.

So the next time you see your cat thumping or trusting its tail on the ground, remember it’s time to back up from what you were doing.

There could be other reasons for the thumping of the as well, but most likely, it is overstimulation that leads to this action.

Other probable reasons that make a cat thump or thrust its tail are spotting a playful toy or pain and discomfort of some sort.

If you see your cat focusing on a toy or an object besides thumping its tail, it is the very object that induces the thumping motion in your cat’s tail. However, if your cat seems to struggle or frown at something, she might be in pain.

Why does my cat wag its tail when I pet him?

It is natural for your feline to sway its tail as long as you pet it. Your cat is trying to reveal its feelings to you.

For example, if your cat does not like the place that you are petting, you might hear it hissing or purring in an annoyed fashion. If you see your cat wagging its tail while you are petting, your pet is feeling cozy.

Your pet is revealing its heart out and trying to convey its pleasure.

Conclusion

Sometimes it might get a little tricky for you to understand the body language of your feline friend, but this is a journey.

There can be a million reasons behind your cat wagging its tail.

I hope that this article did make your job a little easier. Take the process of knowing your cat slow, and I promise you will bond with your cat like never before.