👂🏻Ears 👂🏻

Cats have excellent hearing, and their ears can be one of the most expressive areas of their face. 

Fun Fact: Each ear has 32 muscles for movement in all directions!

Forward-Facing Ears

This is a relaxed position for most cats.

Visual Signs

Forward-facing ear openings

Ear tips point upward, angled slightly to each side (angle can vary).

What Your Cat May Be Feeling

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Comfortable; Relaxed

When ears are point straight up, alert to something in the environment.

When ears are wider apart, not okay.

*Tip: The farther away the ear tips move away from each other, the less comfortable your cat may be feeling.

    Radar Ears

Most cats’ ears can move in many directions: farther apart, closer together, forward, sideways, backward, and in various combinations.

Visual Signs

Ear openings rotate briefly in any direction, then change direction (180° range!).

Each ear moves independently of each other. 

What Your Cat May Be Feeling or Doing 

“Is there something I should pay attention to here?”

Analyzing the direction of different sounds.

Pinpointing the source of a sound.

*Tip: If you look at your cat’s ear positions and movements in relation to other changes in the cat’s body language can give you a clue to whether the cat is feeling unfazed, curious, or concerned.

Rotated Ears

Also referred to as swiveled ears, sideways ears, or squid ears.

Visual Signs

Both ears are rotated.

Tips of ears point up or to the back. Ears can appear skinnier from the front.

What Your Cat May Be Feeling

Unsettled

Confused

Frustrated

“Things are not okay.”

“I need to be on my guard.”

*Tip: Both ears rotated and facing outward could mean that your cat is listening to two things at the same time coming from opposite sides.

*Tip: You can also observe if your cat is stressed by how long both ears stay in this position. The farther back the rotation, the more frustrated your cat is feeling. If your cat’s ears are lowered at the same time, there is also fear.

Flattened Ears

Also referred to as folded-down ears, lowered ears, invisible ears; or if the tips of the ears are pointed to the side or back like wings, airplane ears.

Visual Signs

Ears appear flat, openings are not visible.

Ear tips point down and back.

What Your Cat May Be Feeling

Scared

Anxious

Trapped

*Tip: The flatter the ears, the stronger the fear!

Ears Down – Different Meanings!

On average, your cat is feeling happy and confident when the ears are upright and facing forward. When the ears change direction, observe how long they stay that way and what is happening with the whole body to determine if your cat is stressed or not.

Stressed

When your cat is hiding or crouching low, flattened ears will tell you that your cat is feeling overwhelmed or scared. 

Just Protecting My Ears

When playing or fighting, your cat may lower his/her ears to stay safe. Your cat may also move his/her ears out of the way when getting petted or groomed on the head.

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Your cat may lower his/her ears so the he/she can comfortable fit through a narrow space. 

Other Kinds of Ears

Relaxed: Ears are curled back.

Alert: Ears are very wide.

Scared or Excited: Ear are flat/folded. 

Some cat breeds have ears with limited mobility such as, not fully rotating or flattening or not moving at all. If your cat is one of these breeds, observe more closely at the whole body in action when trying to determine how your cat is feeling.

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Reference

Chin, L. (2023). Kitty language: An illustrated guide to understanding your cat. Penguin Random House, LLC: New York. P. 21-33.