The slow blink: a cat’s version of a smile
It’s a ‘hello’ you can try today: soften your eyes, blink slowly, and see if your cat answers.
Takeaway
Narrowing your eyes and blinking slowly at a cat makes it blink back – and more likely to approach you.
What the study did
- University of Sussex researchers ran two experiments in cats’ own homes.
- When owners slow-blinked, cats narrowed their eyes more than when owners did nothing.
- With a stranger (18 cats analysed), cats averaged 2.78 eye narrowings after a slow blink vs 0.33 after a neutral face.
- Cats were also somewhat more likely to approach the stranger’s hand after slow blinks.
The numbers
Show data table
| Group | Value (mean count) |
|---|---|
| Half-blinks – after slow blink | 5.33 |
| Half-blinks – neutral face | 1.94 |
| Eye narrowing – after slow blink | 2.78 |
| Eye narrowing – neutral face | 0.33 |
Data source: Humphrey et al. 2020, Sci Rep 10:16503, Results, Experiment 2 text: 'Half blinks: Experimental M = 5.33 ± 6.10, Control M = 1.94 ± 1.77 … Eye narrowing: Experimental M = 2.78 ± 3.73, Control M = 0.33 ± 0.97' (N = 18 cats).
Limitations
Small samples (about 20 cats per experiment), and we don’t know whether cats read it as friendly or simply mirror it.
Citation
Humphrey T, Proops L, Forman J, Spooner R, McComb K (2020). The role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat–human communication. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73426-0
For general information only; it does not replace advice from your vet.
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