Great Information-Why Do Cats...?

yayi

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Looks informative but I disagree about the eye communication. To cats, eye contact is no big deal. To dogs it is always some sort of challenge. To a cat this is nothing. Cats rely on body language to communicate. When a cat looks away it means "I do not understand you/ I don't care/Lets talk some other time/I have better things to do"
 

gingersmom

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Originally Posted by yayi

Looks informative but I disagree about the eye communication. To cats, eye contact is no big deal. To dogs it is always some sort of challenge. To a cat this is nothing. Cats rely on body language to communicate. When a cat looks away it means "I do not understand you/ I don't care/Lets talk some other time/I have better things to do"
I don't know where you got this information, but this is SO not true. Direct eye contact with a cat you don't know can be/is perceived by the cat as a threat.

If you research the socializing of feral cats, you'll learn just how important it is to NEVER make direct eye contact with a feral, if you want it to eventually trust you.

It can be true, however, that a domestic cat, born and raised indoors and handled by human hands from birth may not ever have the eye contact issues that feral and semi-feral cats have, but in general, when a cat looks away, it means: I am not challenging you.
 
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calicoblue

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

I don't know where you got this information, but this is SO not true. Direct eye contact with a cat you don't know can be/is perceived by the cat as a threat.
I sooo agree with this. I care for a feral cat and if I don't look directly at him he will come right up to my patio and eat within a few feet from me. If I look at him directly....he won't come near me. Poor fella...my neighbors must think I'm crazy...as I talk to him but am looking at the bushes....
 

sakura

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Eye contact (without blinking) can definitely be a threat to a cat.
 

kittkatt

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Hmmmm - interesting! I can look my cats (both strays & my indoor furbabies) directly in the eyes, and they never seemed threatened: they'll even look right back at me.


Thanks for posting the link.
I'll be checking it out!


~KK~
 

werebear

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Eye contact is asking for engagement. It's like marching up to someone and sticking out our hand for a shake. A cat who doesn't know you will shy away because they don't know you and don't know what you might be asking of them.

With cats we have a close relationship with, it's welcome engagement, and they will lock eyes and stare all day long. My cats love to be stared at! It's attention. Mr. Bond dragged a rug to in front of the television, where he can pretend we are staring at him for hours. And we do pay attention to him there.

To send a message of love, blink your eyes very slowly. This is a "cat kiss." Cats will respond by blinking very slowly back.


They will also do this at things they like; Mr.Bond likes to watch the kitten play, sending him cat kisses, even though the kitten is not paying attention to him at the time.

This is how I know Mr. Bond likes RJ, even though his Official Stated Position is that the kitten is a pain in the patootie and we must have been insane to bring in this dang kitten who doesn't know how to do anything right.


I can send love across the room this way. Try it with your cats.
 

momofmany

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Eye blinks are a form of greeting in a feral colony. I can tell when a feral cat starts to respond to me when I blink at them and they blink back in return. It's not love, just acceptance that you are part of their accepted pride.
 

luvmy2cats

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Wow, those were great. I liked the one that explains why cats just suddenly take of running.
 

epona

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Eye contact is very significant to animals. Generally speaking (referring here to mammals and most birds), predators have eyes which are forward-facing in order that they can focus on prey, and prey have eyes on the sides of their head so that they can detect movement of a potential predator behind them or to the sides.

If a prey animal sees a pair of forward-facing eyes looking at it unblinking, it is being hunted, and will be terrified. If a predator sees a pair of forward-facing eyes looking at it unblinking, it is being challenged over hunting rights for that area and needs to either submit and flee, or prepare to fight.

It's a quite basic biological reaction that only humans have evolved away from - if a mammal sees 2 eyes staring at it, the recognition of that signal is routed in the brain through the amygdala - the part of the brain that deals with fear and the 'fight or flight' instinct.

I often see people saying that if you blink slowly at your cat you are telling it that you love it - but that is not in any way correct - if you blink slowly at your cat you are simply telling it that you are not a threat - in biological terms, the neurological signal to the 'fight or flight' centre in the brain is stopped. Which is nowhere near the same thing. Slowly blinking also works with prey animals to stop them being terrified of you.
 
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calicoblue

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Originally Posted by Werebear

To send a message of love, blink your eyes very slowly. This is a "cat kiss." Cats will respond by blinking very slowly back.
How adorable! I am soooo going to try this!!!
 

kittkatt

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Originally Posted by Werebear

To send a message of love, blink your eyes very slowly. This is a "cat kiss." Cats will respond by blinking very slowly back.
This is true.
I've done this w/ my cats, and they've responded by blinking back at me. I've also tried winking at them, and they'll sometimes wink back!


~KK~
 
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