Tails

A cat's whiskers are extremely touch-sensitive.

Cats have dozens of movable whiskers (vibrissae) all over their bodies, especially on their faces,
to help in sensation and navigation. By contacting items directly and sensing air currents, these
may tell you how wide gaps are and where objects are in the dark. They can also cause protective
blink reflexes to shield your eyes from harm.[51]: 47

Actions
Also see: Behavior of cats Outside cats are active during the day, though they are generally a
little more so at night.[88] Although they can go hundreds of meters from their homes, domestic
cats spend the most of their time in the area around them. In one research, their established
territories ranged in size from 7–28 hectares (17–69 acres), a significant variation in size.[89]
Although cats are highly flexible and variable in their activity timing, they are typically
crepuscular, meaning that they are most active at dawn and twilight since they are low-light
predators. Nonetheless, human activity also has an impact on house cats' behavior, and they may
partially adjust to their owners' sleeping schedules.[90][91]

Compared to most animals, cats sleep more to conserve energy, especially as they get older. The
average amount of sleep per day is between 13 and 14 hours, although it can range from 12 to 16
hours. Some cats have a 20-hour sleep cycle. The phrase "cat nap" describes a quick rest that
involves a cat's propensity to nod out (gently) for a short while. Cats commonly have brief bursts
of rapid eye movement sleep, which is frequently accompanied by twitches in their muscles,
indicating that they are dreaming.[92]

sociability

In Myanmar, a shopkeeper's money drawer contains a sleeping cat.

Domestic cats exhibit a spectrum of social behaviors, from widely distributed individuals to feral
cat colonies that congregate around a food supply, supported by cooperative groups of females.
[93][94] One cat is typically dominant over the others in these groups.[95] Every cat in a colony
has a specific area, and the largest territories belong to the sexually active males. These
territories can overlap with those of many female cats and are around ten times larger than those
of the females. Urine spraying, rubbing things at head height with secretions from the face
glands, and defecating are ways that these territories are identified.[79] There are neutral spaces
in between these domains where cats can observe and welcome each other without causing
territorial disputes. When unfamiliar cats approach territory outside of these zones of neutrality,
territory holders typically fend them off with quick, sharp, and forceful attacks after trying
unsuccessfully with gazing, growling, and hissing. Cats hunt alone all the time and lack a social
survival strategy or herd behavior in spite of their colonial organization.[96]

Cats have developed a symbiotic social adaption as a result of living close to people and other
domestic animals, and they may show intense devotion for these people or animals. From an
ethological perspective, a cat's human caregiver serves as a substitute mother.[97] A type of
behavioral neoteny, adult cats have an extended kittenhood throughout their lives. They are
especially hard for people to ignore because of their high-pitched screams, which can resemble
the cries of a young human hunger.[98] A few kitties lack proper socialization. Feline asocial
aggression refers to the aggressive behavior—biting and scratching—that older cats in particular
exhibit toward recently adopted kittens.[99]

One prevalent type of aggressiveness that can happen in many cat households is redirected
aggression. Redirected aggressiveness typically stems from an agitating stimulus, such as a sight,
sound, or other stimuli that raise the cat's fear or arousal levels. In the event that the cat is unable
to fight the stimuli, it may vent its rage by attacking or acting aggressively against the closest
dog, cat, person, or other animal.[101][100]

The behavior of domestic cats to rub their scents on humans or other cats is believed to be a
feline way of forming social bonds.[102]

Interaction
Article focus: Communication in cats

Making noise with a domestic cat

Numerous vocalizations are used by domestic cats to communicate, such as growling, snarling,
hissing, grunting, purring, and various meowing sounds.[103] Their complete body relaxation,
the way their ears and tail are positioned, and how they knead their paws are all signs of mood.
In cats, the tail and ears are especially significant social signaling organs. Hostility is indicated
by flattened ears, whereas friendliness is indicated by a lifted tail. The social order of the group
is also indicated by a cat's tail-raising behavior, with dominant cats showing a lower tendency to
do so than subordinate ones.[104] Most feral cats don't say anything.[105]: 208 Another typical
greeting is nose-to-nose contact, which can be followed by social grooming when one of the cats
raises and tilts its head to initiate the interaction.[93]
It is believed that purring serves as a care-soliciting signal between nursing kittens and their
mothers, and that purring may have evolved as an evolutionary advantage.[106] In addition,
post-nursing cats frequently purr when they are petted, getting comfortable, or when they are
feeding. Although purring is commonly understood to be a sign of happiness, it has been
observed in many different situations, the majority of which include the cat making physical
contact with another, probably trustworthy person.[106] When they appear to be in agony or are
chronically ill, some cats have been seen to purr nonstop.[109]

The precise process via which cats purr has long been a mystery, however it has been suggested
that the vocal folds forcefully split as a result of several abrupt pressure builds and releases that
occur as the glottis opens and closes. It is believed that a brain oscillator, which produces a cycle
of contraction and release every 30 to 40 milliseconds (corresponding to a frequency of 33 to 25
Hz), powers the laryngeal muscles that regulate the glottis.[106][110][111]

Based on 26 separate facial movements, domestic cats seen in a rescue center were found to have
a total of 276 distinct facial expressions. These expressions are associated with various social
functions that are probably influenced by domestication.[112]