Do cats wag their tails when they're having fun like dogs do?  I saw this
special on "dog actors" and it showed that when they're being aggressive for
a film that they're actually having fun and that they usually have to tie
down the dog's tail so that it's not seen wagging around in the film because
everyone knows a wagging tail means the dog is happy.  That wouldn't be too
convincing if the dog was supposed to be  looking mean.  The "act" is just
all part of the training and they know they'll be rewarded for the behavior
so they're happy.

Well, that got me thinking about my cat, Butterscotch.  I've written about
her before and her seemingly aggressive behavior.  When we're playing she
often goes into attack mode and scratches or bites and then runs away.
Well, today she did her usual plop down in front of me and meow so I would
come pet her.  I was rubbing her tummy and she all of a sudden rolled onto
her back and had her paws up and her ears back and that wide eyed look on
her face...but then I noticed that her tail was wagging and when I would
reach out to quickly get a little pet in on her belly, she just barely pawed
at me and started at me with her teeth but I moved.  She just continued to
sit there in that position with her tail wagging.

Now I've written before about her behavior when it used to really make me
mad because I was bleeding all the time!  But, I've since gotten used to the
signs of her "attack play mode" and realized that she does it because when
she was a kitten I let her nibble on my fingers and scratch at me because it
didn't hurt and it wasn't really aggressive then.  She's my first pet and so
I didn't know it would turn into her regular play mode.  So, I guess I'm
asking if I'm right in assuming that she really is just playing and doesn't
have some sort of vendetta for me since her tail is usually wagging when she
does that.  It's just weird though because sometimes she's so cuddly but it
has to be when she comes to me because if I pick her up, 9 times out of 10
she bats at me and tries to bite me and then jumps down.  So, sometimes it's
hard to figure out if she is crazy or not!

Beth