Cats are very different from dogs and they usually have the reputation for standoffishness. But experts said that cat owners who might find bonding with their pets hard may just not speak their language.
Psychologists from the Universities of Portsmouth and Sussex report in their new study titled "The Role of Cat Eye Narrowing Movements in Cat-Human Communication," which was published in the journal Scientific Reports, that cats are more likely to approach humans who slow-blink at them.
Blinking Slowly Is Equivalent to a "Cat Smile"
The study confirms the long-held belief that cat owners can form a bond with their pets by slowly blinking at them. Narrowing the eyes generate the equivalent behavior of a smile for a cat, making people more attractive to cats.
Scientists observed cat-human interactions for their study to confirm that this act of blinking slowly makes cats approach and receptive to humans.
Psychologist Karen McComb from the University of Sussex explained in a press release that as some who studies animal behavior, it is great to confirm how humans could communicate with cats as it is something that many cat owners have already suspected but had no scientific evidence to back it up.
Cats sometimes partially close their eyes and blink, which is interpreted as a kind of cat smile, and this usually occurs when they are relaxed and content. Similarly, humans also have this kind of expression by narrowing their eyes when smiling.
Anecdotal evidence from cat owners is that when humans copy this expression, their pets tend to become friendly and open to interaction. In the study, Science Alert reported that the team designed two experiments to see how cats behave when they see slow-blinking humans.
The first experiment had owners slowly blink at 21 cats from 14 different households when they are looking at them. Results show that cats are more likely to slow-blink at their humans compared to no-interaction conditions.
In the second experiment, researchers slowly blinked at 24 cats from eight different households. They also tried extending their hand towards the cat and found that cats are more likely to blink back and approach their hands after the slow blink behavior. Researchers noted that this study is the first to experimentally investigate the role of slow blinking in cat-human interactions.
Communicating With Cats: Signs They Are Showing Affection
Slow blinking is a way cats communicate that they are comfortable and trust their humans. The more pet owners observe their cats, the more they would know some signals that their cats are interacting with them and showing affection.
According to Pawtracks, another way cats show affection is through tummy display as this is a highly vulnerable position for them. If cats are comfortable enough around their owner, they would show their tummy to them.
In the wild, showing a tummy means death as it signals subservience and it is not something animals do. Sometimes it could even mean a defensive posture.
Lastly, a cat's tail is an excellent indication that they are feeling happy and affectionate, especially when they walk between its legs and curls its tail around them. However, a rigid and arched tail means that they are in distress or anxious.
Cats may not be able to speak words and are not as affectionate as dogs, but they have their body language to communicate how they feel to their owners. When they do so, humans could return the compliment by giving them a slow blink.
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