When a cat feels good, its ears are erect and forward pointing, and its whiskers are relaxed.
At rest on a familiar lap, it may purr and knead its paws, opening and closing them just as it did against its mother's breast when it was suckling.
If its whiskers bristle forwards, ears turn back, pupils narrow to slits, and fur, particularly along the spine and tail, stands on end, the cat is spoiling for a fight.
The fur extension may be accompanied by an arched back so that the cat looks as big and menacing as possible.
Wide eyes and flattened whiskers and ears are signs of fear.
Whiskers are highly sensitive organs of touch and are sometimes used to make friendly contact with another cat.
Cats are nocturnal and may spend up to 16 hours in any one day resting, if not actually sleep.
As hunters, they are conserving their energy for the quick bursts of power needed to pursue their targets.
Their overwhelming instinct when they go out is to hunt small creatures.
This can even be detected in the play if young kittens with toys and leaves.
Hearing, sight and smell are geared to the demands of stalking and hunting and these senses are much more acute than they are in humans.
Tactile whiskers supplement the other senses, acting as sensors to feel close objects.
They may also be used as a friendly whisker to whisker gesture with other cats.
Cats are sociable and will establish a relationship with other animals or become part of the neighborhood cat community if they are allowed outside.
This community is hierarchical, with the unaltered males and females reigning supreme, and highly territorial.