Communicating with Your Cat Just by Squinting

It’s been proven: you can communicate with a cat… by smiling at it. But not like a human—by showing your teeth—but in the way cats do, by squinting and slowly blinking.   If cats may seem aloof and less receptive than dogs, it’s perhaps because we simply don’t speak the same language as they do—or at least because we don’t understand what they’re telling us. Yet it’s not that difficult, according to a new study. All it takes is smiling at them more—but in their own way—by slowly squinting and blinking. By observing cat-human interactions, scientists were able to confirm that this type of expression encourages domestic cats to approach and respond to this nonverbal communication, whether the person is familiar to them or a stranger. Any cat owner has probably already noticed this facial expression—similar to the narrowing of the eyes in humans when they smile—which typically occurs when the animal is relaxed and content. Thus, simply mimicking this feline expression may be enough to communicate with your cat. In an initial study on the subject, a team of psychologists sought to verify whether cats indeed behaved differently toward people who slowly blinked their eyes. First, cat owners were asked to slowly blink at their cats in a home setting. Cameras recorded both the owner’s face and the cat’s face. The cats’ reactions—with and without the owners’ “blinking” interactions—were then compared. The findings show that cats are more likely to blink if their owners have previously blinked slowly at them. The researchers then sought to test this correlation with strangers—people with whom the cats had had no prior contact. The result: not only did the cats respond more frequently by blinking, but they were also more willing to approach an outstretched hand when the person initiating contact blinked. This is the first time the role of slow blinking in the cat-human relationship has been studied experimentally. It is still difficult to determine the reasons behind this form of communication through blinking. The researchers interpret it as a way to signal peaceful intentions. Indeed, a fixed gaze can, conversely, be perceived as a threat by cats. But it is also possible that cats have developed this expression in response to their owners’ positive reactions. This study thus demonstrates a genuine rapport between cats and humans, corroborating findings from a series of studies conducted in recent years, which indicate that cats are much more attuned to their owners than previously thought. In particular, cats are more sociable with people who pay attention to their facial expressions. If they seem distant, the problem may therefore lie with the person, not the cat. Similarly, cats mirror the personality traits of the humans they live with and can react to their sadness. They can also recognize their names, although they choose not to react most of the time. Their bonds with humans are therefore surprisingly deep. Blinking could therefore strengthen the relationship we have with cats. Improving our relationships with these social animals could also support their emotional health and, more broadly, ensure the well-being of cats in a variety of settings, including veterinary practices and shelters.