3 reasons why cats don’t like their tails being touched: immediately stimulates their central nervous system

Petting a cat has many benefits for both us. But even less cat people know that there is a strictly forbidden area, namely the tail. As with everything in the case of cats, there is a compelling reason for this.

If you’d like to keep your fingers, but also reap the benefits of petting, we’ll show you why cats don’t like their tails being touched.

What does this precious organ mean to them?

In order to understand why cats are averse to having their tails touched, it is first important to clarify what exactly its function is.

Cats are known for their impressive acrobatic abilities, and one of the organs responsible for it is located in their inner ears. Another very important addition to this hidden structure is the tail. Their flexible backs and lack of clavicles help them position themselves to land on their feet when falling through the air. The tail helps them to rearrange their legs and body in time. When walking in tight or narrow places, their tail also serves as a counterweight.

In addition, it is also an important communication tool. The position of this body part is the cornerstone of their body language. Helps them a lot in sharing information with their peers. Fortunately, we can already interpret many signs, so it also facilitates smoother communication with us.

How sensitive an instrument is the tail?

Our pets send visual, audio-visual and olfactory signals to us and their surroundings. And of course touch is also very important to them. (Though not quite in the same sense as humans.) How they respond to our touch can depend on a number of variables. For example, from their personality, the degree of attachment, and also from how sensitive the affected area is.

The cat’s tail is particularly sensitive. The reason being that it is directly connected to the spinal cord and thus to the central nervous system. Billions of cells known as neurons are interconnected and transmit information through electrical signals. The information these nerves send to your kittie’s brain includes sensations of pain, touch, temperature, taste, hearing, balance, sight, and smell. Thus, it is not so surprising that touching the tail in some cases causes a more intense reaction.

Possible reasons why they may freak out when it comes to having a tail stroked

This may depend on the individual, but it has already become clear that the tail is a generally a very sensitive area. And not necessarily because of the touch, but simply the knowledge that this important and vulnerable part of their body could be in danger.

Unless you are dealing with a particularly tolerant cat, touching this precious body part will cause stress due to the sense of danger. We therefore recommend that you do not stroke it even if your pet allows it! It is better to respect this situation and not to prove at all costs that you can even do this.

It could also be that even though it is a tolerant cat, it doesn’t trust you for some reason. On top of that, they don’t even like this kind of touch. There is nothing wrong with that, trust has to be earned. In addition, just think about it for a minute. If you don’t like something, but your partner keeps forceing you despite it, it will end up in an argument at best.