I've mentioned this before here and there on this blog, but does your cat ever look at you and slowly blink their eyes shut and open again?
What does it mean when a cat blinks at you slowly?
If you see a cat blink slowly at you, don't worry, it's a good thing! Some people even call it a cat kiss! Lets learn more about the slow blink!
According to vetexplainspets.com slow blinking cats are showing that they are comfortable in their environment, so if a cat blinks while in your presence, they are showing that they trust and feel safe around you. Catster.com says it's a big compliment if your cat blinks slowly while looking at you. Cats know they are vulnerable with their eyes half shut, so to do it around you is a sign that they are relaxed with you.
CatBehaviourAssociates points out some tips to look for to identify the cat kiss from other kinds of expressions cats might make with their eyes. A cat with narrowed eyes, ears pulled back and whiskers pushed forward is not communicating relaxation and affection! When you are looking for the slow cat blink, the rest of the cat's face will be relaxed, with whiskers soft. A blinking cat might just be blinking, but as you spend more time observing your cat, you'll soon learn to identify when you are getting a cat kiss!
Should I slow blink back?
While the idea of blinking at a cat may sound silly at first, it can be a good way to reciprocate those feelings of trust, so when cats blink at you you can try to do a slow blink back, or you can even initiate the love fest by slowly blinking at your cat if you notice they are looking at you!
ScienceAlert even mentions a study done about slow blinking that showed that cats were more likely to return a slow blink after their owner slow blinked at them. They also studied how cats react from slow blinks from strangers and found that the cats were more likely to slow blink back to them and approach them as well after getting a slow blink first. Slow blinking at cats does seem to be a way to start to build trust between you and them, so the next time you want to make friends with the cats down the street, try blinking slowly at them!
If you want to give it a try, Vetexplainspets.com recommends closing your eyes about halfway, leaving them that way for a few seconds and then opening them back up to mimic the slow cat blink.
But don't worry if your cat doesn't slow blink! Not all the cats are the same and so the lack of a slow cat blink doesn't mean your cat doesn't love you, or doesn't trust you! Your cat might just show affection in other ways, like kneading or head bunts! What about you? Does your cat give you slow blinks?
Cover photo by Nihal Karkala on Unsplash
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