Why Cats Blink Their Eyes at You: The Story Behind the Slow Blink

In this guide

A cat locking eyes with you and slowly closing and reopening them is one of the most quietly meaningful gestures in the entire feline vocabulary, and it has actually been studied properly rather than just assumed.

What researchers found

A 2020 study by researchers at the University of Sussex and University of Portsmouth tested cats' responses to slow blinking from both their owners and unfamiliar people. Cats were more likely to slow blink back at a person who had slow blinked at them first, compared to a person who simply sat with a neutral expression, and cats were also more likely to approach a person's outstretched hand after an exchange of slow blinks. This gave the popular idea of the cat kiss genuine scientific backing rather than leaving it as pure folklore.

Why closing the eyes signals trust

In the wild, closing the eyes for even a moment leaves an animal briefly unable to watch for threats. A cat willing to do this in front of you, especially while holding your gaze rather than looking away nervously, is signalling that it does not consider you a threat worth watching closely.

How to do it back properly

Making eye contact, then closing your eyes slowly and holding the closure for a beat longer than a normal blink, tends to get the best response. A hard stare without any softening rarely reads the same way, since a fixed, unblinking gaze is closer to a challenge in cat body language than a greeting.

Not every cat responds the same way

Some cats, particularly nervous or less socialised individuals such as many rescued community cats, may take longer to respond to slow blinking or may never fully engage with it, and that does not mean the bond is any weaker. Consistency and patience tend to matter more than any single gesture.

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