Cats have a reputation for being loners, but as it turns out, they are trying to chat to us. We just haven’t cottoned on – yet.
Our feline friends have almost 300 different facials expressions that they employ to tell us what they want. All we have to do is pay more attention.
Over 10 months, researchers observed 53 domestic cats in a cat cafe and recorded 186 separate meetings between the animals. Many of their expressions are surprisingly friendly, too.
The researchers found 126 different expressions of friendliness and even love, as well as 102 unfriendly expressions.
You might recognise the peaceful, half-closed eyes expression on your kitty – it means they’re safe and feel loved.
On the other hand, if your cat has narrowed its eyes at you and flattened back its ears, then you’re not in its good books.
But not everything was clear – there were 48 facial expressions that researchers couldn’t figure out at all.
In general, the sheer range of cat facial expressions took the cat experts by surprise as their faces don’t move that much. Dogs, on the other paw, can smile, laugh, and give us ‘puppy dog’ eyes.
According to the research, cats have 26 unique facial movements which form their expressions, compared to 27 in dogs. Humans only have 44 in total – and we can barely move our ears at all.
Dr Brittany Florkiewicz, senior author of the study, from Lyon College in Arkansas, told the Daily Mail: ‘These findings show it is good to look at a cat’s ears, eyes and whiskers to understand if they are feeling friendly.
‘Their mouth provides a lot of information about whether a cat fight is likely.’
Over half of the expressions meant that they wanted to play – including a cat’s lips being pulled outwards, with their bottom teeth showing, mouth open and jaw stretched.
But if a cat is not in the mood to play with a fellow kitty, there are four telltale signs. First up, when a cat is licking its lips, it is getting ready to fight. Another red flag is when the ears move to one side of the head – or they flatten down completely. And the last sign is narrowing its pupils.
So there you have it, cats just want to be our friends! But they still need alone time, too, so pay extra attention to see what our feline companions are thinking.
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