STUDY CONFIRMS A SIMPLE TRICK TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CAT

Cats are often seen as aloof (and fluffy), but if you and your feline friend aren’t quite connecting, it might be because you’re not communicating in their language.

Don’t worry—research from 2020 indicates that it’s simpler than you think! To strengthen your bond, try smiling at them—not in the human sense of showing your teeth, but the cat way: narrow your eyes and blink slowly.

By studying cat-human interactions, scientists found that this expression encourages both familiar and unfamiliar cats to approach and become more receptive to humans.

“As someone who has studied animal behavior and is also a cat owner, it’s wonderful to demonstrate that cats and humans can communicate in this way,” said Karen McComb, a psychologist at the University of Sussex, in a 2020 statement. “Many cat owners have suspected this, so it’s exciting to have evidence to support it.”

If you’ve spent time with cats, you’ve likely noticed their ‘partially closed eyes’ expression, often paired with slow blinking. This resembles the way human eyes narrow when smiling and typically occurs when a cat is relaxed and content. It’s interpreted as a kind of cat smile.

Anecdotal evidence from cat owners suggests that humans can mimic this expression to signal friendliness and encourage interaction with cats. To explore this idea, a team of psychologists designed two experiments to see if cats responded differently to humans who slow-blinked.

In the first experiment, owners slow-blinked at 21 cats from 14 different households. Once the cats were settled comfortably in their home environment, the owners were instructed to sit about one meter away and slow-blink when the cats were looking at them. Cameras captured the expressions of both the owners and the cats, allowing researchers to compare the results to how cats blink in the absence of human interaction.

The results indicated that cats were more likely to slow-blink at their humans after their humans had slow-blinked at them, compared to when there was no interaction.

The second experiment involved 24 cats from eight different households. This time, it was the researchers—who had no prior contact with the cats—who did the blinking. For comparison, the cats were also recorded in a no-blink condition, where humans stared at them without blinking.

The researchers employed the same slow-blink technique as in the first experiment, but this time they also extended a hand toward the cats. They discovered that not only were the cats more likely to blink back, but they were also more inclined to approach the human’s hand after the slow blink.

“This study is the first to experimentally examine the role of slow blinking in cat-human communication,” McComb noted.

“And you can easily try this with your own cat at home or with cats you encounter on the street. It’s a wonderful way to strengthen your bond with them. Simply narrow your eyes as you would when giving a relaxed smile, then close your eyes for a couple of seconds. You’ll likely find that they respond in kind, allowing you to start a kind of conversation.”

While dogs are often seen as more enthusiastically expressive than cats, this revelation comes as no surprise to cat lovers. Recent research has shown that our feline companions are much more attuned to their human housemates than previously thought, and comparing them to dogs does a disservice to their unique qualities.

Cats, for instance, tend to respond positively to humans who are open and receptive to them. If you find that cats seem standoffish, it might actually be a reflection of your own behavior rather than the cat’s disposition. Additionally, cats often mirror the personality traits of their human companions, which could explain why they seem to sense when their owners are feeling sad. They can also recognize their names, although they often choose to ignore them! The bonds they form with their humans can be surprisingly deep.

The reasons behind cats slow-blinking at humans are still unclear. This behavior is often seen as a way to signal non-threatening intentions, as cats interpret prolonged staring as a threat. It’s also possible that cats have developed this expression because humans respond positively to it. With domesticated animals, it can be challenging to determine the exact motivations.

Regardless, it does appear to foster a sense of connection, which is encouraging. Understanding how to strengthen our relationships with these enigmatic creatures could enhance their emotional well-being—not just at home, but in a variety of potentially stressful situations.

“Understanding the positive interactions between cats and humans can improve public perception of cats, enhance feline welfare, and shed light on the socio-cognitive abilities of this often-overlooked species,” said psychologist Tasmin Humphrey from 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.”