Cats slowly blink their eyes in situations where they appear relaxed with our presence. We don’t know for sure what the blink means (although researchers are currently working on this) but common thoughts vary from it simply being the cat’s way of acknowledging us to their way of telling us they are not a threat and that they trust us. A cat with wide-open staring eyes is usually a cat that is feeling threatened or is threatening another. Blinking could show another that they do not perceive them as threatening. It takes a lot of trust to close your eyes when faced with someone, particularly if you do not know that individual. Some even believe that the cat’s slow blink is an invitation for further interaction – let’s wait to see what the research says on that one! We will cover how to approach cats in another top tip.
So, should we slowly blink when we see cats? Absolutely! Cats find direct staring threatening so by slowly blinking, we can convey we are not a threat. The slow blink should be nice and subtle, ideally with your glance directed slightly past the cat rather than directly at it.
Have a go next time you encounter your cat or another, did your cat blink back or were they first to blink?
Finally, we should be aware that not all blinking in cats appears to be related to positive feelings. Blink rate is our key to understanding! Cats that rapidly blink their eyes and bring their eyelids closely shut in a scrunched-up manner are likely to be feeling fearful and may be feeling threatened by your presence. In these situations, increase the distance between you and the cat and see what effect this has on the blinking behaviour.
Who would have thought a simple movement of the eyelids could tell us so much about cats?!
Cats have a reputation for standoffishness, especially compared with dogs, but if you find your feline friend a little hard to bond with, maybe you're just not speaking their language.
Never fear - new research has shown that it's not so difficult. You just need to smile at them more.
Not the human way, by baring your teeth, but the cat way, by narrowing your eyes, and blinking slowly. By observing cat-human interactions, scientists were able to confirm that this expression makes cats - both familiar and strange - approach and be receptive to humans.
"As someone who has both studied animal behaviour and is a cat owner, it's great to be able to show that cats and humans can communicate in this way," said psychologist Karen McComb of the University of Sussex in the UK.
"It's something that many cat owners had already suspected, so it's exciting to have found evidence for it."
If you've spent any time around cats, you've probably seen their 'partially closed eyes' facial expression, accompanied by slow blinking. It's similar to how human eyes narrow when smiling, and usually occurs when puss is relaxed and content. The expression is interpreted as a kind of cat smile.
Anecdotal evidence from cat owners has hinted that humans can copy this expression to communicate to cats that we are friendly and open to interaction. So, a team of psychologists designed two experiments to determine whether cats behaved differently towards slow-blinking humans.
In the first experiment, owners slow-blinked at 21 cats from 14 different households. Once the cat was settled and comfy in one spot in their home environment, the owners were instructed to sit about a metre away and slow-blink when the cat was looking at them. Cameras recorded both the owner's face and the cat's face, and the results were compared to how cats blink with no human interaction.
The results showed that cats are more likely to slow-blink at their humans after their humans have slow-blinked at them, compared to the no-interaction condition.
The second experiment included 24 cats from eight different households. This time, it wasn't the owners doing the blinking but the researchers, who'd had no prior contact with the cat. For a control, the cats were recorded responding to a no-blink condition, in which humans stared at the cats without blinking their eyes.
The researchers performed the same slow-blink process as the first experiment, adding an extended hand towards the cat. And they found that not only were the cats more likely to blink back, but that they were more likely to approach the human's hand after the human had blinked.
"This study is the first to experimentally investigate the role of slow blinking in cat-human communication," McComb said.
"And it is something you can try yourself with your own cat at home, or with cats you meet in the street. It's a great way of enhancing the bond you have with cats. Try narrowing your eyes at them as you would in a relaxed smile, followed by closing your eyes for a couple of seconds. You'll find they respond in the same way themselves and you can start a sort of conversation."
Dogs may be a lot more enthusiastically demonstrative than cats, but for cat lovers, this news won't come as a surprise. Research in recent years has shown that our feline friends are a lot more in tune with their human housemates than previously supposed, and that comparing them to dogs is a disservice.
Cats, for example, respond in kind to humans who are receptive to them - so if you find cats standoffish, that might be a problem with you, not the kitty. Likewise, cats echo the personality traits of the humans they live with - this may be related to why cats seem to pick up when their humans are sad. They also can recognise their names (although they choose to ignore them a lot of the time). And their bonds with their humans are surprisingly deep.
It's difficult to know why cats slow-blink at humans this way. It's been interpreted as a means of signalling benign intentions, since cats are thought to interpret unbroken staring as threatening. But it's also possible that cats developed the expression since humans respond positively to it. With domesticated animals, it's often impossible to tell.
Either way, it does seem to help forge a rapport. And that's a good thing to know. Learning how to improve our relationships with these enigmatic animals could also be a way to improve their emotional health - not just in the home environment, but across a range of potentially stressful situations.
"Understanding positive ways in which cats and humans interact can enhance public understanding of cats, improve feline welfare, and tell us more about the socio-cognitive abilities of this under-studied species," said psychologist Tasmin Humphrey of the University of Sussex.
"Our findings could potentially be used to assess the welfare of cats in a variety of settings, including veterinary practices and shelters."
You're going to go try it right now, aren't you?
The research has been published in Scientific Reports.
Cat owners understand that their four-legged companions have a language all their own. Cats tend to make sure their human is aware of their wants, needs, and feelings at all times. Odd behavior and body language coming from your cat may not be an uncommon occurrence.
Obviously, blinking serves its typical purpose of keeping the eyes wet, but can it be included in a cat’s means of communication and body language? The answer is, yes. Whether it’s that slow, drawn-out blink or the wide-eyed dead stare followed by what seems like a perfectly timed blink, your cat has something to say.
The good news is you are not crazy. While your cat does blink out of necessity, those blinks that give you a feeling your cat has something to say do have some substance regarding cat language. Let’s look into what it means when your cat blinks at you, for any reason.
Reasons Behind When a Cat Blinks
Not all blinking has some deeper, emotional meaning behind it. Cats, just like humans, must blink to cleanse and moisten their eyes. Every time they close their eyelids, salty secretions from the tear glands are swept over the surface of their eyes to flush away any dirt, debris, and dust particles. Not only does it cleanse but it lubricates the surface of the eyeball and is a necessary, involuntary function.
A cat’s slow blink is very recognizable, and you are likely picturing your cat doing as you read about it. It may not be something you think of instantly when interacting with your cat, but it can happen quite often and if it does, that’s a great sign.
The slow blink will only come from a relaxed and comfortable cat and their overall body language is a telltale sign. When a cat is under stress, the blinks tend to be faster since they are on high alert, and they may even wince. You will notice the slow blink when the body and ears are in a relaxed position. The pupils are typically dilated and it may even look like they are dozing off.
This subtle way of communicating through body language is a way that your cat is telling you they are relaxed and content and is like when a human gives a soft, warm smile. Studies even show that you can bond with your cat by slow blinking back at them.
These studies showed that most cats will respond to a human’s slow blink at them with one in return. They are even more likely to approach an unknown person that slowly blinks at them since it is reflecting the contentment and peace they reflect through this behavior.
Having your cat exhibit this behavior with you is a true sign that they trust you and feel affection toward you. Doing it back and forth is a way of sharing those affections and forming a stronger bond and rapport with your cat. Make sure to keep your body language calm and be stress-free when trying this, cats are great at picking up on your energy.
A direct stare with erect ears is threatening and a sign of possible confrontation. This goes for many mammals. If you notice that a cat is staring intensely at you with quick, almost undetectable blinks, this could mean they are feeling threatened by you or are being threatened toward you.
A cat on the offense may have severely dilated pupils or they may look like slits. If you notice this intense kind of stare, it’s best to avoid the interaction entirely, especially if you don’t know the cat well. You will undoubtedly want to avoid staring directly back at the cat, as you will confirm the threat.
Image Credit: TheCats, ShutterstockSigns of a Happy Cat
- Relaxed body posture
- Ears in a natural position
- Eyes shaped normally
- Closed mouth
- Stretching
- Laying down
- Exposed abdomen
- Tail held loosely from the body and sometimes curved upward
Related Read: How to Keep a Single Cat Happy (8 Tips You Need To Know)
Signs of a Playful Cat
- Ears positioned forward
- Pupils dilated
- Whiskers erect and forward
- Tail in an upward position
- Crouching
- Rearing and even wiggling the hind end
- Batting around objects with the paws
- Quick bursts of sprinting and ricocheting off objects
Signs of an Angry Cat
- Lying close to the ground
- Body flat
- Pupils dilated
- Tail and limbs tucked tightly into their body
- Tense posture
- Open mouth with baring teeth
- Paw slightly lifted and ready to strike
- Arched back
- Body held sideways
- Hair raised on the back
- Ears flattened to the head or low and pointing to the sides
- Unbreakable stare
Signs of a Stressed or Fearful Cat
- Tense body
- Tailed tucked close to the body
- Head lowered
- Dilated pupils
- Ear rotating to pick up surrounding noises
- Staring with quick blinks and occasional quick side glances to plan an escape
- Bolting and hiding if possible
- Fearful facial expression
Conclusion
Now that you know your cat’s blinks can mean more than just lubrication and cleansing of the eyes, you are better suited to communicate back when your feline live-in decides to speak out by using their eyes. Of course, the slow blink is the much-preferred form of communication, as it means our cats are happy, comfortable, and are genuinely enjoying our company.
Featured Image Credit: Pixabay