This is what happens when you scratch a cat’s tail base (video)

We show the cat's reaction on video and explain what's happening in the recording.

Even if you haven’t experienced it with your own pet, you’ve surely come across a video like the following. The owner starts scratching the cat’s tail base, to which the animal reacts quite peculiarly: meowing in an unusual tone, sticking out its tongue, and shaking its head. Let’s see what’s going on:

There’s an explanation for this strange behavior. When you scratch the base of a cat’s tail, you’re literally dancing your fingers on its nerves. A cat’s spinal cord extends all the way to the base of its tail, where numerous nerves branch out towards its tail. When you scratch this area, all the nerves located here are activated simultaneously, and your pet may suddenly find it difficult to respond distinctly.

Since these nerves are extremely sensitive, they can trigger two types of reactions. The cat either enjoys it, expressing it with peculiar meowing, or not at all. In the latter case, it’s more likely to move away, but don’t be surprised if it even swats your hand away to immediately remove it.