Buzz
If you watch a cat for long enough, you’re bound to see them engage in a slow blink—closing their eyes briefly and then reopening them. This seemingly peculiar habit can leave you wondering: Is it a way for them to communicate? Are they showing distaste for humans? Or do they have something irritating their eyes?
Although experts can’t give a definitive answer, the slow blink is likely a positive sign. Mikel Delgado, a cat researcher at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, shared with Inverse that cats tend to avoid eye contact when feeling negative emotions. When a cat is scared or feels threatened, they won’t make eye contact. If they’re staring without blinking, they might be showing aggression. So, slow blinking might be a cat’s way of maintaining eye contact without signaling an impending attack.
It’s not just a reflex. Cats have been observed blinking in various ways, whether they’re rapidly closing their eyes and slowly reopening them or blinking at a deliberate pace. In other words, cats blink on their own terms.
Although it may not be a direct expression of affection, it likely signals contentment. When a cat feels relaxed around a human, closing its eyes suggests it doesn't perceive you as a threat.
But do cats mind if we blink back? It’s difficult to say for sure, but it’s still a good way to affirm your harmlessness. Staring at a cat for too long can be interpreted as a sign of aggression or a threat.
Theories around blinking are more about eliminating possibilities than drawing definitive conclusions, but until we can hear from the cats themselves, it’s the best explanation we’ve got.
