Why Does My Cat Stare at Me?

In this guide

Rewritten from source material originally published at: rover.com (Why Does My Cat Stare At Me)

There are moments when intense eye contact makes sense, a job interview, wedding vows, but when it happens for no obvious reason, it tends to feel a little odd, whether it is a person doing it or your cat. If your cat has a habit of fixing you with a long, unblinking gaze, you have probably wondered more than once what exactly is going through their head.

There is no single definitive answer, since cats cannot simply tell us what they are thinking, but a few explanations come up again and again.

They want something from you

Cats cannot tap you on the shoulder to ask for dinner, so a fixed stare is sometimes their version of asking. If your cat has been staring at you for a while with no sign of stopping, run through the likely candidates: is it close to mealtime, has the litter box gone a while without cleaning, or has it simply been too long since you last played together. Meeting the need usually ends the staring.

Plain curiosity

Cats are naturally curious, and to your cat, you are the single most interesting thing in the room. Staring can simply be their way of keeping tabs on what you are up to.

They might actually be asleep

Not all staring is staring. Some cats doze with their eyes partly, or even fully, open, so what looks like an intense gaze may just be a cat sneaking in a nap.

In rare cases, it can signal injury

Certain health issues, high blood pressure in particular, can cause eye injuries that produce a stare-like appearance. If a fixed gaze is paired with dilated pupils, it is worth getting your cat's blood pressure checked by a vet promptly.

The bottom line

Most of the time, a staring cat wants something, usually food, or is simply curious about you, or even catching a nap with their eyes open. It is almost always harmless. The one exception worth watching for is a stare combined with dilated pupils, which is worth a vet visit; otherwise, there is no reason not to let them stare away.

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