Guide
Why your cat gets the zoomies
by Darina Schweizer
Suddenly, a raccoon: what’s wrong with my cat?
6-5-2025
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Darina Schweizer
Occasionally, my cat’s tail looks like a raccoon’s – all bushy and fluffed up. Here’s what’s behind this sudden transformation.
Every few days, a raccoon turns up at my house. He resembles my cat Jasper, but his tail’s at least twice as thick. The hair on its elongated spine usually puffs up when the rascal’s chasing ping-pong balls or his cat friend Joy. But why?
The process doesn’t happen consciously, but automatically via the autonomic nervous system. This autopilot, which regulates internal processes such as breathing or digestion, also triggers goose bumps in humans. Usually, this happens when it’s cold or we’re emotional (like I was when I saw this). In other words, a piloerection is a feline goose bump.
You can easily distinguish this from fear and aggression: the rest of the cat’s body remains as usual. No hump, no flat ears, no hissing. The same goes for Jasper. I’m relieved. His bushy tail alone isn’t an alarm sign. The piloerection is just a fluffy sign of happy playtime.
When does your cat’s tail fluff up? Let us know in the comments!
Darina Schweizer
Senior Editor
Darina.Schweizer@digitecgalaxus.chI love anything with four legs or roots - especially my shelter cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. My favourite things to do are stalking around with police dogs and cat coiffeurs on reportages or letting sensitive stories flourish in garden brockis and Japanese gardens.
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