Fearful Postures
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In terms of a fearful posture, a cat usually has dilated pupils and his mouth is shut. His ears are forward or very frightened ears are pinned back. Sometimes you'll even see the cat-cat's feet tucked under, front feet tucked under, and those that are fearful are usually not going to be aggressive. Some other fearful postures are the Halloween postures. This is actually a bluff pattern where the cat is just trying to look bigger but won't actually look at the opponent. This posture can also be seen in play, too. There's usually piloerection on the back and the tail can be inverted in a v-carriage. Usually they'll display this posture and then run or go into defensive aggression.