Does Your Cat Blink Around You? That Means You Make Them Feel Comfortable, Research Says
If cats are part of your family, you likely already know that these four-legged friends have some adorably quirky personality traits. Whether your pets love to purr or frequently rub against you, many of their behaviors let you know when they're in good spirits. But what does it mean when your cat gives you a slow blink? According to Mental Floss, this is another positive signal. Mikel Delgado, a cat researcher at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, says that cats will often avoid looking at you if they are in a bad mood, Inverse originally reported.
Getty / Les Hirondelles Photography
Delgado shares that if cats are afraid or threatened, they won't stare at you. If your felines are focusing on something and do not blink, they are probably feeling aggressive, he adds. So, if your cats keeps eye contact with you, they will blink to signal that they are not going to attack.
Related: Why Does Your Cat Like to Knead with Its Paws?
Cats also do not have a blink reflex like humans, Delgado notes. Cats blink by closing their eyes quickly and opening again slowly and also by closing and opening in a purposeful, consistent manner.
While this blink might not seem like an obvious outward expression of joy, but Delgado says that it likely still shows that they are content. Keeping their eyes closed around a human means that they do not see you as a threat. While it is unclear if cats perceive a human blinking as any particular sign, it may still help them view you as harmless. Just be sure not to stare in a cats' eyes for too long—it may give them the impression that you are a threat.
