Why do cats stare? | Way of Cats blog

Many people have told me that a cat?s intent stare gives them ?the willies.?

I don?t know why those who dislike cats are quick to ignore aspects of their behavior that are like a human?s; things like affection, friendship, and a fondness for puzzles. Instead, ?cat dislikers? will choose something that simply indicates a cat?s predatory instincts, and then misinterpret it as a sign of malice.

Like the way a cat will stare at us.

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In humans, staring is rude. Or perhaps it is our own defensive instincts (am I prey?) that will lead to our mis-interpretation of a cat?s intent stare. But there?s another reason we both, humans and cats, stare at things. It indicates a strong interest.

Who are we to be judgmental? Most people spend a lot of time in their home? staring at the computer, the television, or the phone screen. We might get exasperated when our cat inserts themselves between our screens and our eyes, as RJ is so fond of doing with me. But it?s only that they want a bit of the Intent Stare for themselves. Cats feel equally free to give it to us.

In cat etiquette, an intent stare indicates friendly regard. A mouse is going to interpret it differently than a fellow cat will, of course. But we are getting The Stare because we are interesting.

The unblinking, unwavering, unnerving intentness of The Stare? That?s just cat physiology at work.

As desert creatures, cats evolved corneas that don?t need the constant blinking to wet their surface that humans do. So cats can stare, and stare, and stare. This has many advantages when they want to keep watch on their potential prey. But it also means they can commune with friends from across great distances. Using their incredible ability to see motion, cats can keep tabs on their friend?s state of mind, even send messages back and forth, through small, subtle, facial motions.

We can do the same thing. The next time our cat is staring at us, close our eyes in a cat kiss, or wiggle our eyebrows, or smile. Any facial movement will sharpen our cat?s attention, in a way we can see. We might then see them send a ?visual kiss? back, or stretch their paws in pleasure, or even roll over to show their belly.

A lot of cat language, among themselves, is body language. It?s actually a compliment that a cat finds us interesting.

Let them know we find them interesting, too.

I explain why staring is a game.

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Through her amateur cat rescue, she cured problem cats and placed them in new homes. Learn to maximize cat enjoyment!

Source: http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/whats-with-the-intent-stare/16430

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