Diary of a Cat Mom
Diary of a Cat Mom is a reflective cat podcast created and hosted by Dagmar Gatell about understanding cats more deeply — and creating a calmer, more connected life for both you and your cats.
Based on real experiences caring for over 50 cats throughout her life, each episode shares quiet observations, emotional moments, caregiving reflections, and gentle insights from everyday life with cats. From routines, behavior, and emotional wellbeing to grief, gratitude, overstimulation, trust, and the small meaningful moments many people overlook — this is not a traditional “how-to” podcast, but a space for understanding, awareness, and lived experience.
Beyond cat care itself, Diary of a Cat Mom also explores our connection to nature, emotional presence, personal growth, and the way our inner state can influence the animals who share our lives. Because living with cats is never only about feeding and routines — it’s also about energy, safety, trust, patience, and how we show up emotionally in the spaces we create together.
Created for cat lovers who see their cats as family, this podcast offers companionship, reassurance, perspective, and emotional support during seasons of caregiving, uncertainty, healing, change, and letting go.
Diary of a Cat Mom is a personal storytelling podcast and does not replace professional veterinary advice. Every cat is unique, and medical or behavioral concerns should always be discussed with a trusted veterinarian or qualified professional.
You’re not alone on this journey.
We’re learning, loving, and growing together — one paw print at a time.
Diary of a Cat Mom
Ep. 80 - Why Does My Cat Pin His Ears Back? 🐱❤️
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Have you ever been petting your cat and everything seems perfectly fine... until suddenly his ears go back?
In this episode of Diary of a Cat Mom, I share what I discovered after noticing one of my senior cats pinning his ears back during cuddle sessions. At first, I worried something was wrong. But after researching cat body language, I learned that pinned-back ears can be an important sign that a cat is feeling overstimulated.
Join me as we explore what your cat may be trying to tell you when those ears suddenly change position and how recognizing the signal can strengthen the bond between you and your feline companion.
What You'll Learn in this Cat Podcast Episode
🐾 What pinned-back ears can mean in cats
🐾 How to recognize petting overstimulation
🐾 The difference between fear, pain, and overstimulation signals
🐾 Why ear position should never be interpreted by itself
🐾 How respecting your cat's boundaries builds trust
Timestamp & Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:32 My little weaky and his pinned-back ears
01:22 When petting starts to change
02:08 Could I be overstimulating him?
02:49 What pinned-back ears actually mean
03:35 Signs your cat has had enough
04:13 When ear pinning may signal illness or pain
04:42 Learning to respect my cat's boundaries
This is where I’ve gathered everything that supports me and my cats:
https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
About the Diary of a Cat Mom Podcast
Diary of a Cat Mom is a quiet, personal cat podcast created by Dagmar Gatell, sharing real moments, emotions, and experiences from life with cats.
This space is meant for connection, comfort, and companionship. Everything shared comes from lived experience as a cat mom and is not intended as professional veterinary advice. Every cat is unique, and for health concerns, it’s always best to consult your trusted veterinarian.
Most of all, please remember:
You’re not alone on this journey. We’re learning, loving, and growing together — one paw print at a time.
Diary of Katma Today's diary entry my cat pins his ears back. You're listening to Diary of Katma. Have you ever been petting your cat? Everything seems perfectly fine, and then suddenly his ears go back. At first he looks happy. He's purring, leaning into your hand, enjoying the attention. Then something changes. His body becomes a little tense, his eyes seem more alert, his ears slowly pin back against the sand. If you keep petting him, you might get a loft bite, a pork crab or a swat. So what's your cat trying to tell you? One of my older cats is my little wiki. He has a low immune system and it seems to catch everything more often than my other cats, so I spent a lot of time absorbing him. Pay attention to whether he's eating, drinking, using litterbox and whether he feels warm works differently than usual. And because I watch him so closely, I started noticing something during our cuddle sessions. He absolutely loves being petted. I can pat his cheeks, forehead, back and even his tummy. So for several minutes he seems completely happy. But after a while, I notice his ears slowly moving backward and his body is becoming a little bit stiffer and his eyes look much more alert. And if I keep petting him, he would eventually crap my hand with his paws or give me a love bite, and it wasn't quite so loving anymore. So I started wondering if I was actually overstimulating him because he seemed to enjoy the attention, but maybe it was too long and he was telling me that I reached his limit. So I started researching cat body language and ear positions, and what I discovered was fascinating. Like the cat's ears are one of the most expressive parts of their body. Cats can rotate their ears almost 180 degrees and use it more than 30 muscles to move them. Pin backed ears can mean several things depending on the situation. So a cat may pin his ears back when it feels scared, anxious, defensive, aggressive, overstimulated in pain, or even intensively focused on play. So in my cat's case, the answer was that he was just over stimulated. They weren't pinned back when another cat came near him. They only um pinned back when I petted him too long. So pointed toward overstimulation. So I learned that ears moving back during petting can be one of the earliest signs that a cat has had enough. Another signs can include a tense body, tail flicking, rippling skin on the back, dilated bubbles, looking more alert, crabbing with paws, loft bites. So now when I see those early signs, I stop petting him before he feels the need to asphylate. Instead, I give him a kick toy and some catnip so he can redirect that extra energy in a healthy way. And I also learned that ear position should never be understood by itself. Like it's always about the bigger picture. Does the cat have a relaxed body, then the cat is comfortable. And sometimes pinned back ears can even be a sign of pain or a medical issue. So if your cat frequently pins her or his ears back and also seems lethargic, eats less, shakeshead, paws on the ears, then it's absolutely worth talking with your vet about that. And one thing I love about cats is that they are always communicating with us. The challenge is learning their cat language. So for my little wiki pinned back ears weren't a sign that he stopped loving the attention. They were just simply his polite way of saying, okay, mama, that was wonderful, but I have had enough for now. So the moment I learned it and recognized that signal, our interaction became much more calmer and more respectful. So sometimes loving our cats isn't about giving them more affection. Sometimes it's about noticing the moment they ask for a little space. And when we listen, they learn that we understand them too. Thank you for being here with me. This is Diary of a Cat Mom. Don't miss the next entry. There's always another lesson, another story, another message ready to be shared. I see you in the next entry. Bye. Diary of a cat mom.