17/11/2021
Make friends with a cat by blinking slowly
Scientists have discovered narrowing your eyes is the best way to build a rapport with cats.
In a study by the universities of Portsmouth and Sussex, researchers found that the technique mimics what is known as a cat smile – referred to as a ‘slow blink’ – and it appears to help to form a bond between the human and the cat.
“As someone who has both studied animal behaviour and is a cat owner, it’s great to be able to show that cats and humans can communicate in this way,” said Professor Karen McComb, from the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, who supervised the work.
“It’s something that many cat owners had already suspected, so it’s exciting to have found evidence for it.”
“Try narrowing your eyes at them as you would in a relaxed smile, followed by closing your eyes for a couple of seconds. You’ll find they respond in the same way themselves and you can start a sort of conversation.”
The study revealed that cats were more likely to slow blink at their owners after their owners have slow blinked at them, compared to when they do not interact at all.
