Look at Me – Cats Communicate with Gaze

Posted on September 8, 2024 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

Eye contact is an important part of communication for many people. Face-to-face meetings are thought to be more productive – participants are able to take note of the nuances of facial body language.

It is not surprising that our pets also communicate with us by sight – watching what we do and how we respond to situations. Dogs are well-known for looking and watching us but recent studies show what many cat owners already know – your cat is watching you!

Cats communicate with gaze

One study showed that cats avoid the gaze of a familiar human but another found that cats ate more food offered by humans who gazed at them while calling their names compared to just calling their names (Reference 1).

Cats are able to follow a human’s gaze to obtain food – they watch you turn your head and follow your line of sight as you put the food bowl down. Cats will also follow a human pointing a finger at a container with food (Reference 2).

Cats communicate with Gaze

Dogs are known to attract a human’s attention and direct it toward an object or another person or animal. They do this by first gazing directly at the human in question, then switching their gaze to the object. When confronted with a toy or food that they can’t access, they also alternate their gaze between the human and the hidden toy/food, “requesting help” (Reference 2).

Most evidence indicates that cats have not been found to gaze at humans to acquire the desired food/toy. They will use cues provided but will not “ask” for these cues like the dog with his meaningful stare (Reference 1).

However, a recent study found that cats would look back and forth from the owner to a treat box they could not open. These cats had an acclimation period of 3 days and a training session at the laboratory the day before testing. Caregivers were put into one of two groups: “attentive” and “inattentive” (Reference 3). Cats with “attentive” caregivers looked to their caregivers earlier and more frequently than those with “inattentive” caregivers. Cats with “attentive” caregivers were more successful than the other cats.

Cats also have been found to follow our lead as to whether a novel or strange object is safe. A study used a fan with ribbons streaming from it when turned on as a novel object (Reference 4). The owners were divided into two groups: one group was instructed to have a “happy expression” and behave calmly with regard to the fan while the other group was told to be “worried” and leery of the fan with its ribbons.

The cats in the “worried” group sought the escape route in the room earlier than the “happy” group, indicating that the cats changed their behavior in response to the emotional message of their owners (Reference 4).

cats communicate with gaze – Emotional Behavior

Other research has analyzed video clips of cats using a system that identifies cats’ facial expressions (CatFACS) and found the following links between gaze and feline emotions (Reference 5).

Blinking and half-blinking are associated with fear.
Cats often turn their heads and look to the left when anxious.
Cats will turn their heads and look to the right when relaxed.

the slow blink

The feline “slow blink” has been likened to a smile; the meme “i slow blink you so much” infers that the “slow blink” is a sign of affection, of positive feelings. It is interesting that the “slow blink” is associated with fear (see above) – after all, cats are more likely to approach an unfamiliar human who has “slow blinked” them (Reference 6).

At the National Cat Adoption Centre in Sussex, UK, researchers found that cats who blinked back at humans who slow-blinked them were adopted more quickly. These cats tended to be more nervous around humans but gave longer slow blinks in response to human slow blinking (Reference 6).

A genuine human smile is one that reaches and wrinkles the corners of the eyes. Perhaps, cats who slow-blink seem to be smiling as they narrow their eyes – they may appear happier and potentially friendlier to prospective adopters.
Here’s another thought – nervous cats may view slow-blinking as a way to interrupt a tense, unbroken stare and redirect potential aggression and avoid physical conflict (Reference 6).

Cats communicate with gaze, responding to humans gazing at them and returning the gaze. They also watch where their owners are looking and pointing to. There is evidence that cats will look to humans when they cannot access food that they are seeking and will change their behavior in response to emotional cues from their owners. Gaze gives us another way to communicate with our cats.

references

Koyasu H, Kikusui T, Takagi S and Nagasawa M (2020), The Gaze Communications Between Dogs/Cats and Humans: Recent Research Review and Future Directions. Front. Psychol., 17 December 2020 Sec. Comparative Psychology Volume 11 – 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.613512
Péter Pongrácz, Julianna Szulamit Szapu, Tamás Faragó,
Cats (Felis silvestris catus) read human gaze for referential information,Intelligence,Volume 74,2019,Pages 43-52,ISSN 0160-2896,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2018.11.001.
Zhang, L., Needham, K.B., Juma, S. et al. Feline communication strategies when presented with an unsolvable task: the attentional state of the person matters. Anim Cogn 24, 1109-1119 (2021)
Merola, I., Lazzaroni, M., Marshall-Pescini, S. et al. Social referencing and cat–human communication. Anim Cogn 18, 639–648 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-014-0832-2
Valerie Bennett, Nadine Gourkow, Daniel S. Mills, Facial correlates of emotional behaviour in the domestic cat (Felis catus), Behavioural Processes,Volume 141, Part 3, 2017,Pages 342-350, ISSN 0376-6357, https://doi.org/10.563390/ani101222
Humphrey, T.; Stringer, F.; Proops, L.; McComb, K. Slow Blink Eye Closure in Shelter Cats Is Related to Quicker Adoption. Animals 2020, 10, 2256. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122256

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If You Don’t Talk to Your Cat, Who Will?

Posted on August 25, 2024 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

The idea of being able to talk to animals appeals to many people. The famous Dr. Doolittle, the central character in a series of children’s books, preferred animals to people and was able to talk to animals in their own languages. Nowadays, there are people who bill themselves as animal communicators and will “talk” to your animal for a fee.

It is not uncommon in western cultures for people to talk to their pets (in human language) and some scientific studies indicate that your cat or dog is listening to you. But do they understand what you are saying? Should you talk to your cat?

If you don’t talk to your cat, who will?

Cats Recognize Their Owners’ Voices

A 2013 study observed cats’ behavior to voice recordings of strangers followed by those of the their owners. The cats showed a stronger response (ear movement and head movement) when they heard their owners’ voices. (Reference 1).

Cats Learn the Names of Their Companion Cats

Still another study measured the response of house cats to the spoken names and pictures (on a computer) of familiar cats in their environment. In a second experiment, the house cats were presented with spoken names and pictures of human members of their household. The house cats were able to match their companion cats’ names and faces and to a lesser extent, matched their human family members’ names with faces (Reference 2).

Cats Know When Their Owners are Talking to Them

A 2023 study found that cats reacted more quickly to a human experimenter (stranger) using a visual cue or a combination of visual and vocal cues than vocal cues alone (Reference 3). A later study found that cats discriminated between speech directed to adult humans (Adult Directed Speech or ADS) versus speech directed to themselves (Cat Directed Speech or CDS) when spoken by their owners – they did not distinguish between ADS and CDS spoken by strangers. These findings indicates that cats may put more emphasis on vocal cues with familiar humans but favor visual cues with strange humans.

How do We Talk to Our Cats?

When talking to pets and young children, people tend to speak more distinctly, use shorter phrases and sentences, and repeat things more often. Charlotte De Mouzon found that both men and women speak in a “higher” voice (higher pitch) in CDS compared to ADS (Reference 3).

Should you Talk to yOur Cat?

Cats respond to people, particularly their caregivers, talking to them. Cats appear to know their own names and possibly those of the humans they live with. Talking to your cat helps establish a relationship that is unique to you and your cat.

The jury is still out as to how much of what we say can be understood by our cats but cats can be trained to perform a given behavior in response to a verbal cue. When working with cats, I tend to default to a combination of verbal cues and hand gestures, although recently I have been verbally labeling more and more of what I do with my cats as I am doing it. For example, I have been naming their head and shoulders as I put on their harnesses to prepare for going out for the morning walk.

This seemed to pay off the other day when I was shaving my Maine Coon, Zelda. I touched her right side and told her if she would lay on her side, then I would give her some Churu treat. She laid down on her right side and then, looked up meaningfully at the Churu I had in my hand. Time to pay up!

Scientific studies indicate that cats recognize their owners’ voices and possibly the names of other humans in the household. Vocal communication may be part of the closer cat-owner relationship while cats favor visual cues when interacting with strange humans. So, talk to your cat in whatever language you speak – your cat is listening!

references

Saito A, Shinozuka K. Vocal recognition of owners by domestic cats (Felis catus). Anim Cogn. 2013 Jul;16(4):685-90. doi: 10.1007/s10071-013-0620-4
Takagi, S., Saito, A., Arahori, M. et al. Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives. Sci Rep 12, 6155 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-10261-5
de Mouzon, C.; Leboucher, G. Multimodal Communication in the Human–Cat Relationship: A Pilot Study. Animals 2023, 13, 1528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13091528

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Touch not the cat: interacting with cats

Posted on February 27, 2022 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

T is for think about where you are touching the cat.

“Touch not the cat bot a glove” : so goes the motto of the Macpherson clan in Scotland. “Bot” means without; the cat referred to is the Scottish Wildcat. The motto warns that you must be careful handling a wildcat when his claws are not sheathed or “gloved”.

The Scottish Wildcat (Felis silvestris silvestris) still lives in Scotland today, a wild, reclusive cat whose numbers are dwindling.

After 10,000 years of living with humans, our domestic cats may have markers of domestication in their genome but they still share a lot with their wild ancestors and cousins. They still have sharp claws and teeth and need to be handled respectfully.

Dr. Lauren Finka, working with colleagues at the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, came up with a simple set of Human-Cat Interaction Guidelines. These guidelines aim to make cats more comfortable when they are interacting with us.

These practical guidelines for interacting with cats follow the acronym CAT (easy to remember). Here they are!

is for choice and control. Cats are not only predators, they are also prey for larger animals such as coyotes. To survive, they need to be in control of their environment.

Give your cat choice and control –
Allow your cat to CHOOSE whether or not to interact with you.

If you can, get on the cat’s level, offer your hand, and allow him to approach you.
If the cat wants to be touched, she will rub against your hand. If she doesn’t lean into your hand, don’t pet her.
Allow the cat to move away from you if he chooses; don’t follow him if he leaves.
Allow the cat to control how much you stroke her. When stroking her, pause every 3–5 sec to see if she wants to continue – does she rub against you to ask for more? If not, let her take a break.

is for attention. Pay attention to what your cat is trying to tell you – watch her body language.

These signals indicate that your cat is done interacting with you.

Gus turns to face me and pulls back on his paw during a nail trim – he needs a break!

She turns her head or moves away from you.
His ears become flattened or rotate backwards.
She shakes her head.
The fur on his back “ripples”.
She licks her nose.
He becomes still, and stops purring or rubbing against you.
She sharply turns her head to face you or your hand.
He suddenly starts grooming himself but only for a few seconds at a time.
Her tail starts switching back and forth rapidly; usually the tail is horizontal or on the ground.

is for think about where you are touching the cat.

A friendly cat prefers to be touched at the base of his ears, around his cheeks, and under his chin.
AVOID the base of her tail and tummy.
If you touch the cat’s back, flank, legs, or tail–watch his body language (see above) to see if he is comfortable with this. Follow the CAT guidelines when interacting with cats for a safer, more enjoyable encounter!

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The Cat Friendly Home: Predictable and Positive Interactions Between Cats and Humans

Posted on August 2, 2020July 3, 2021 by felinepurrspective_u3q4o6

The Cat Friendly Home: Predictable and Positive Interactions Between Cats and Humans

What is the predictable and positive way to greet a cat?

What makes cat-human interactions predictable and positive?

Greet your cat in his language…

When there is sufficient food in an area, free-roaming cats will often live in colonies. Cat colonies are groups of related cats. The core of the colony is the mother cat, her kittens, her sisters and their kittens.

Each cat colony has a scent…

Cats live in a landscape of odors – their sense of smell is 1000 x more sensitive than ours and they communicate by scent. The cat colony has its own scent – each member has this scent.

Scent identifies members…

Colony members often greet each other by touching noses, confirming the “colony” scent.

They also groom each other (allo-grooming) mostly on the head and rub against each other (allo-rubbing). All of these actions exchange scent, confirming the “colony odor” and membership in the colony.

You are part of your cat’s “colony” and share the “colony” scent, marking you as a colony member. You also have your “signature scent”, that identifies you as an individual to your cat. Greet your cat by letting her smell you and confirm that you belong to the colony.

Your cat may be a highly skilled hunter but he is also a small animal who is prey for larger carnivores such as dogs and coyotes. We are much larger than he is and don’t want to scare him and make him feel like prey. If you get on your cat’s level, you will seem smaller and not as threatening.

Meet and Greet – A Predictable and Positive Hello

Athena accepts a greeting by rubbing her face against my hand

Get on your cat’s level by bending down or by interacting with her on a higher surface. Extend a hand or a finger and allow her to smell you.

If she wishes to continue the interaction, she will rub against your hand (allo-rub).
Handle your cat on her head at first. This mimics the “allo-grooming” of friendly cats, where they groom each others’ heads.
A friendly or bonded kitty may allow her back to be stroked after accepting a head rub – like the “allo-rubbing” of colony cats.
Your colony membership is up to date!

If you cat does not lean into your hand or rub your hand on greeting, save the petting session for later – like us, there are times your cat does not want to be touched.

Other Predictable and Positive Interactions between cats and humans…

grooming, treat time or play time – Make this POSITIVE – choose something your cat enjoys
have a session the same time each day, say, after dinner or before bedtime
cats are in tune to the household rituals that mark the passing of the day more than the time on the clock.
this “schedule” allows you to communicate with your cat. He will be looking for the clues that tell him that treat time is around the corner – he may show up and solicit the interaction with a chirrup or meow.

Athena sniffs her comb prior to being groomed.

Have more than one cat? Make sure each kitty gets some premium time!

These activities will strengthen the owner-pet bond. This time can also be used to train behaviors that are beneficial to both owner and cat – for example, conditioning your cat to accept kibble in treats to reduce stress when she needs oral medication.

Do you ever wonder why cats like us?

People are the ultimate resource – we provide food, shelter, play and safety.
To our cats , we may seem to be large, clumsy and somewhat unpredictable cats.
Let’s eliminate the unpredictability by greeting our cats in their language and providing positive interactions that they can predict.