Cat loaf

How to read it

Cats Protection defines the cat loaf as sitting with the paws and tail tucked completely beneath the body, and separates it from a crouch, where the paw pads stay on the floor. The difference matters: International Cat Care describes an anxious or fearful cat holding its body close to the ground with four paws firmly on the floor so it can run, and relaxed cats sitting perched with their paws tucked under their chest. Cats also sleep in a loaf. Cats Protection says a resting cat with all four paws on the ground may be ready to move, while one with its legs tucked underneath may be more relaxed.

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Why do cats loaf?

Cats Protection gives three reasons cats sit in a loaf. It is warm: tucking the paws and tail under the body keeps them warm with body heat. It is comfortable, or the cat would sit another way. And the cat feels safe: with its legs tucked away a quick getaway is harder, so a cat that loafs is one at ease where it is.

A relaxed loaf and a tense one

Not every loaf looks the same. Cats Protection says a relaxed cat in a loaf looks settled, with loose muscles and its head held comfortably; a cat that looks tense, keeps its head lowered or can’t settle is a different picture. International Cat Care describes a cat that does not want to be approached or touched freezing in a crouch with all four paws tucked tightly under it, head drawn into the neck and tail wrapped closely round the body to look small. The Colorado State University Feline Acute Pain Scale, used by vets, lists sitting “tucked up”, with the shoulders hunched, the head a little lower than the shoulders, the tail curled tightly round the body and the eyes partly or mostly closed, among its signs of pain.

Cats Protection says there is no single “sick cat” position: a change from a cat’s usual posture tells more than the posture itself. If this is new or comes with other changes, check with your vet.