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The ears

Cat ears say a lot, but they only tell part of the story. An alert, healthy cat will have his ears straight up, taking in his surroundings, perhaps napping in the sun and relaxing. Unless we combine his ear position with tail and body posture as well as pupil dilation, we won’t know for sure if his ears are straight and relaxed, or straight and listening intently for something that’s grabbed his attention.
Moving his ears toward the side of his head — if you call his name or he hears a loud noise, for example — means that something got his attention or the noise bothered his sensitive ears. Ears flat against his head signal fear, anxiety or someone who is looking to start a fight. It’s probably not wise to touch a cat while his ears are flat, as he may bite out of fear or aggression.
I saw a lot of flat ears as we were in transit during our move. Once we arrived at the new house they stayed flat for a while. It took some of my cats longer to get back to “ears up,” but they’re all there now