Cat quivering their tail meaning

Cat quivering their tail meaning? It means the cat is excited; normally because they are pleased to see you.

I can provide the answer the answer to this aspect of feline body language with great accuracy I believe as I have seen it firsthand under a very distinct circumstance which I remember extremely well even though it was around 37 years ago. I rescued a cat from the streets of Notting Hill Gate where I was living at the time.

My cat who taught me the meaning of the tail quiver decades ago. Image: MikeB

I saw this female cat in the basement of a neighbouring house about 100 yards from mine. It looked as if she had been abandoned by her owner who was also the owner of the house. The woman had just left. A classic method of cat abandonment and very cruel.

I spoke to the cat and carried on. Soon after she was under a car outside my house. She looked up at me and her tail quivered excitedly. She instinctively knew I was friendly from the tone of my voice and was in effectively asking me to rescue her. 

I did. I lived with her for a dozen years after that. She died of kidney disease at the age of 18. A good age. She was a very gentle cat. I loved her. I feel nostalgic for those days. It hurts to think of them.

The tail quiver is an expression of excitement and pleasure and it probably accompanies a meow and even a purr.

There is another circumstance when it happens which is entirely different: spraying urine against a vertical object to mark territory.

When the urine is ejected against the object the tail quivers at the same time.

These are the two occasion when a cat quivers her tail.

Some people ask Google for the answer to a similar question: Cat shaking their tail meaning? I believe that they mean quivering.

I hope this helps. I am sure that I am correct.