A Quick Guide To Impurrtant Cat Lingo By Your Friendly Neighborhood Feline Behaviorist

For people like us who are deeply involved in the cat world, there's a lot of stuff to know. You'll find, sometimes, as you're reading some story about a cat, that a whole bunch of terms come up that you don't understand. That's because there's a whole lingo among us cat people. Because even though cats are lazy, we sure are not, and we have come up with some impurrtant terms.

Now, of course, there are the classics. There are the cat purritos - cats who are wrapped up to purrfection. There are the cat bleps - a gentle yet awwdorable peek of the tongue. Then, there are the cat loafs - fresh out of the oven and baked to pawfection. And there are the cat airplane ears - ready for takeoff and always landing on all four wheels. But there are also the slightly more obscure terms. The less well-known terms. The kind of terms that if you are a true cat connosoir, you must know.

01
"Feline Behavior Post- Silly Terminology"

via adrianontherocks

"Hi Imgur, I'm your friendly neighborhood feline behaviorist. Cats are often misunderstood creatures- I can't tell you how much misinformation I see out there about them. Part of this is because cats have NOT been studied scientifically nearly as much as some other species, such as dogs!
I want to help cats by making sure that humans have a better understanding of them, and thus don't have unrealistic expectations for their behavior. I figured why not share some info on Imgur :) Even if you don't want to read it, you can at least enjoy a few pictures of some kitties!
For this post, I'd like to present you with a list of totally, definitely, absolutely scientific and not at all silly vocabulary about cats and the things they do!
Some of these terms are used fairly commonly by cat lovers all over, while some have been coined by myself or other staff members at my shelter."
Advertisement
02

via adrianontherocks

"Mlem vs blep: most people have heard these terms used at one point or another, but it can be easy to get them mixed up as they both involve the tongue adorably sticking out of the cat's mouth! A 'mlem' is when they are in the process of licking (as seen in the first picture of the orange cat), whereas a 'blep' is when part of the tongue is left sticking out, frozen in place, as if the cat forgot it was there! (As featured in this picture of my own cat Dominic.)
Loafing: when a cat lays in a way where all of their legs are tucked underneath them, so they look similar to a loaf of bread! A cat laying like this is usually pretty relaxed and comfortable, as it is not an easy position to spring into action from quickly, so you can take it as a sign that your cat feels safe with you! It can also indicate that they are cold."
03

via adrianontherocks

"Pinball feet: similar to a loaf, this is when instead of tucking their paws all the way under their body, they will just tuck them in a little towards their chest so they look like pinball flaps!
Booty elevator: when you scratch a cat's butt just above their tail and they stick their booty up in the air.
Zabloing: when a cat jumps from one surface to another quickly, almost like a bouncy ball- from a lap to a bed, or from the floor to a top of a cat tree!"
04

via adrianontherocks

"Spider Monkey or Sky-Diver: similar to zabloing, rather than just being one bouncy-ball like motion, this is when cats are zooming up high and down low, back and forth, really quickly! Think parkour.
Merp: sometimes referred to as the 'cat activation noise', a merp is a little trilling noise a cat will make- sometimes in greeting, or when they are excited to see you or something else, or (my personal favorite) when they are cat napping and you gently poke them and they wake up!
Heat hogs: when you look around and there's a cat on every floor vent!
Proper paws: when a cat stretches out their front legs and crosses one paw over the other."
Advertisement
05

via adrianontherocks

"Airplane ear zoomies: when cats put their ears to the side while they are running around playing! While sideways ears often indicate anxiety/fear in a cat, if they do it when they are playing it is typically nothing to worry about, it is just their play-instincts taking over a bit! (And who knows, maybe it does make them just a little more aerodynamic.)
Gargoyling: When a cat perches on the edge of something- a table or a couch- and looks out at their surroundings while in a very regal pose."
06

via adrianontherocks

"Froggy legs: Also known as a 'sploot', this is when a cat lies on their stomach and splays their back legs out to the sides so they look like frog legs!
Booping back: most everyone knows that a 'boop' is when you gently touch your cat's nose with your finger; 'booping back' is when your cat will gently tap your arm, face, or hand to ask for attention."
07

via adrianontherocks

"Bean-piling: when a cat stretches all their legs out in such a manner that their paws are together and you can see all their toe-beans in one spot!
Halloween cat: The classic pose associated with Halloween, this is when a cat arches their back and prances sideways, back and forth. While this pose will be used by a cats during a fight to make themselves look bigger, you will often see cats- especially kittens- do it during play as well!"
Advertisement
08

via adrianontherocks

"Thank you all for reading! For a full list of all my feline behavior posts, see here: https://imgur.com/gallery/QWAWDJS
If I've helped you out with a feline behavior issue, please consider donating to me! https://ko-fi.com/friendlyneighborhoodfelinebehaviorist
Do you have your own silly terminology you use for cute things your cat does?"