Cutie
A field guide to cat body language

Is your cat happy?Here’s how to tell.

Ears, eyes, whiskers and mouth, posture and tail. How to read each one, what the signs mean, and the moods they add up to, from the research Cutie is built on.

Coming soon to the App Store How a read works
Miso is feelingLoafed up and slow-blinking01 / 14
Relaxed

How a read works

Five places a cat tells you things.

No single sign means much on its own. Wide pupils can be fear or play. A wrapped tail can be rest or worry. So read all five together. Scroll, and watch Miso get read.

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Miso

Five places to look.

  • Weight so far
  • Relaxed0
  • Content0
  • Curious0
  • Sleepy0
  • Anxious0

  1. EarsWhich way are they pointing?

    Upright and facing forward is a cat’s neutral, at-ease position. Pricked toward something is attention, not worry. Turned out, swivelled back or pressed flat each point somewhere less comfortable.

    Also look for: ears pricked toward something, ears turned out to the sides, ears swivelled back but still up, ears pressed flat.

    Ears

    Seen: upright, facing forward

    Points to: relaxed, content, curious · Good research evidence

  2. EyesHow open, and how wide the pupils.

    Soft, half-closed eyes in a loose face are typical of a calm, comfortable cat. Large pupils in normal light mean high arousal: fear, or excitement in play. The ears, tail and posture tell you which.

    Also look for: wide, round pupils, squinting with tight eyelids, a fixed hard stare, looking away.

    Eyes

    Seen: soft, half closed

    Points to: relaxed, content, sleepy · Good research evidence

  3. Whiskers and mouthLoose, fanned forward, or pinned back.

    Whiskers that sit loosely out to the side match a calm face. Fanned forward, they’re sensing something in front: interest, or a toy. Pinned back, or stiff with a tight muzzle, is a different story.

    Also look for: whiskers fanned forward, whiskers pinned back, stiff straight whiskers with a tight muzzle, lip or nose licking.

    Whiskers and mouth

    Seen: loose and to the sides

    Points to: relaxed, content · Good research evidence

  4. PostureThe whole shape of them.

    A loaf with a soft face and a level head is a comfortable resting position. A hunched crouch looks similar but tense, so it’s worth telling the two apart.

    Also look for: sprawled out, a tightly tucked ball while awake, a low crouch with weight back, a hunched tense crouch, an arched back side-on.

    Posture

    Seen: a relaxed loaf

    Points to: relaxed, content · Early research

  5. TailUp, wrapped, tucked or lashing.

    A wrapped tail can be a neutral resting position, or a way of making the body small when uneasy. Look at the ears and eyes to decide which.

    Also look for: tail held straight up, tail tucked under the body, tail lashing or thumping, a puffed ‘bottlebrush’ tail.

    Tail

    Seen: wrapped around body

    Points to: relaxed, anxious · Early research

  6. The readThen it adds them up.

    Cutie only ticks the signs it can see. Each sign carries a weight for the moods it points to, and the mood is scored from those weights. The same signs always give the same mood.

The moods

Every mood has its signs.

The moods Cutie can read, the face its drawn cat pulls for each, and three of the strongest signs you can see in a photo. Most signs point to more than one mood, which is why they’re read together. Hover or tap a mood.

    Signs from Cutie’s knowledge base, in its own words. In the app, tap a region on a read to see each sign it ticked, what it means, and how strong the research is. Signs vets like to know about are flagged.

    A note on the research

    Where the signs come from.

    Every sign Cutie looks for comes from a knowledge base built on published feline behaviour research, veterinary guidelines and expert consensus. Each one carries its grade: strong research evidence, good research evidence, early research, or vet consensus. Pain-related facial signs (ears, eyes, muzzle, whiskers and head position) are informed by published research on cats’ faces.

    A mood from one photo is a likelihood, not a certainty. Purring turns up when cats are content, when they’re in pain, and when they want breakfast. That’s why Cutie shows you its reasons, not just a word.

    Some of the sources.

    • Kessler & Turner, 1997Stress and adaptation of cats housed singly, in pairs and in groups in boarding catteries.
    • Rodan et al., 2022AAFP/ISFM Cat Friendly Veterinary Interaction Guidelines.
    • Humphrey et al., 2020The role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat–human communication. Scientific Reports.
    • Scott & Florkiewicz, 2023Feline faces: unraveling the social function of domestic cat facial signals. Behavioural Processes.
    • Evangelista et al., 2019Facial expressions of pain in cats. Scientific Reports.
    • Merola & Mills, 2016Behavioural signs of pain in cats: an expert consensus. PLOS ONE.
    • Cafazzo & Natoli, 2009The social function of tail up in the domestic cat. Behavioural Processes.

    Coming soon to the App Store.

    Know how your cat is feeling, and why. Cutie is coming to iPhone.

    Coming soon to the App StoreMeet Cutie