The domestic cat, we have to admit, has an unexpressive face compared to that of humans. This allows us to project our thoughts onto our cat. The reason is because their ability to be social is only a few thousand … Continue reading →
COMMENT: There’s a new study published online which looks at the way the normal facial expressions of a domestic cat are distorted by selective breeding when creating purebred cats with extreme appearances. It makes sense because the neutral facial expression … Continue reading →
This looks like a cat smile. Cats don’t really smile or if they do it is amazingly subtle. In fact the whole topic of cats smiling is deeply philosophical! Do they smile at all or it is a quirk of … Continue reading →
Why does this Ragdoll look so angry all the time? There can only be two possible reasons (1) he IS angry all the time or (2) his face just looks like he is angry. It is a false impression. The … Continue reading →
We have to be careful not to project our thoughts onto kittens and cats. Also we should recognise the effect a cat’s facial anatomy can have on their expression. They may look sad but it does not mean that they … Continue reading →
There is a study out and the media have latched onto it. In doing so they have distorted it. The reports say that 13 participants achieved a 75% success rate in reading cats’ facial expressions. These were the cat whisperers. … Continue reading →
This is an interesting but bafflingly complicated study about measuring facial expressions in non-human animals. I’ll summarise it in my own way but if you are interested you should read the full report on Nature.com (see link at base of … Continue reading →
Why do cats stick their tongue out? We are discussing domestic cats. You can see a classic example of this on twitter and I have embedded the short video on this page. Social media users call it a ‘cat blep’. … Continue reading →
A close up of a cat’s face as he/she goes through several emotional phases. First, the intense interest and expectation of something to come, food perhaps. Then she hears something to her right, the television perhaps or someone talking. Then … Continue reading →
The expression on mamma cat’s face while she is nursing her very young kittens is priceless. Who said that domestic cats don’t have facial expressions? I think she is regretting not having the operation.
Continue reading →