How to build rap-paw* with your cat
University
of Sussex
The new study 'The role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat-human communication', published online in the Nature journal Scientific Reports, has shown for the first time that it is possible to build rapport with a cat by using an eye narrowing technique with them.
This eye narrowing action by humans generates something popularly known as a cat smile -- the so called "slow blink" -- and seems to make the human more attractive to the cat.
Eye narrowing movements in cats have some parallels with the genuine
smile in humans (the Duchenne smile), as well as eye narrowing movements given
in positive situations in some other species.
The team, led by Dr Tasmin Humphrey and Professor Karen McComb, animal behaviour scientists at the University of Sussex, undertook two experiments.
The first revealed that cats are more likely to slow blink at their owners after their owners have slow blinked at them, compared to when they don't interact at all.
The second experiment, this time with a researcher from the psychology team, rather than the owner, found that the cats were more likely to approach the experimenter's outstretched hand after they'd slow blinked at the cat, compared to when they had adopted a neutral expression.
Taken together, the study shows that this
slow blinking technique can provide a form of positive communication between
cats and humans.
* EDITOR'S NOTE: I did not come up with the bad pun in the sub-heading and text. Out of respect for our British colleagues, I left their original title in. I also did not change their odd way of spelling some words such as "behaviour." - W. Collette
The study found:
·
Cats were more likely to slow blink at their owners if their owners had slowed
blinked at them, compared to when the owner was present in the room but not
delivering a slow blink stimulus.
·
Cats were more likely to slow blink when an unfamiliar experimenter slow
blinked at them, compared to when they had maintained a neutral expression.
· Cats preferred
to approach an experimenter after they had slow blinked at the cat than if they
had maintained a neutral expression.
Professor Karen
McComb, from the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, who
supervised the work, said: "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. It's something that many cat owners had
already suspected, so it's exciting to have found evidence for it.
"This study
is the first to experimentally investigate the role of slow blinking in
cat-human communication. And it is something you can try yourself with your own
cat at home, or with cats you meet in the street. It's a great way of enhancing
the bond you have with cats. 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."
Dr Tasmin
Humphrey, a PhD student in the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex
during the work, who was the first author of the study said:
"Understanding positive ways in which cats and humans interact can enhance
public understanding of cats, improve feline welfare, and tell us more about
the socio-cognitive abilities of this under-studied species.
"Our
findings could potentially be used to assess the welfare of cats in a variety
of settings, including veterinary practices and shelters.
"In terms
of why cats behave in this way, it could be argued that cats developed the slow
blink behaviours because humans perceived slow blinking as positive. Cats may
have learned that humans reward them for responding to slow blinking. It is
also possible that slow blinking in cats began as a way to interrupt an
unbroken stare, which is potentially threatening in social interaction.
Dr Leanne Proops
at University of Portsmouth who co-supervised the work said: "It's
definitely not easy to study natural cat behaviour so these results provide a
rare insight in to the world of cat-human communication."
How the experiments worked
Two experiments were conducted to explore the significance of the slow blink in cat-human communication. The first experiment included a total of 21 cats from 14 different households. Fourteen different owners participated in experiment 1. Ten of the cats were male and 11 of the cats were female, with cat age ranging from an estimated 0.45-16 years. The experiments took place in each cat's home.
The psychologist advised the cat's owner on how to slow blink. Once the cat had
settled down in one place, the psychologist asked the owner to either sit
approximately 1 m away from the cat.
Experiment 2 included a total of 24 additional cats. Twelve cats were male and 12 cats were female, with cat age ranging from an estimated 1-17 years old. The cats included in the final analyses were from 8 different households.
In this
experiment, the researcher, who was unfamiliar to the cat, either slow blinked
at the cat or adopted a neutral face without direct eye contact. This
experiment also tested which context the cats preferred to approach the
unfamiliar experimenter, by them offering the cat a flat hand with palm faced
upwards whilst sat or crouched directly opposite the cat. Both experiments were
video recorded.
Cat psychology -- the existing context
In the new
paper, the authors provide some context for their findings. The psychology of
cats hasn't been studied as extensively as dogs, but what is already known
includes:
·
That cats have been shown to attract and manipulate human attention effectively
through 'solicitation purring'.
·
That cats can discriminate their name from other words, even when unfamiliar
humans are calling.
· That cats may
be sensitive to human emotional cues, and will rub or butt their head against a
an owner who feels sad.