The researchers found that cats displayed at least 276 different facial expressions, according to the study’s results, which published last month in the journal Behavioural Processes. Florkiewicz told The Washington Post that the findings show cats are more articulate and affectionate than previously thought.
“Many people still consider cats—erroneously—to be a largely nonsocial species,” Daniel Mills, a veterinary behaviorist at the University of Lincoln who was not involved in the study, tells Science’s Christa Lesté-Lasserre. “There is clearly a lot going on that we are not aware of.”
According to Florkiewicz, the new research may help people looking to adopt cats find one that gets along better with current pets or may provide pet owners with more knowledge about their feline friends. Companies have already gotten in touch with the researchers regarding the possibility of an app that decodes cat facial expressions in the future, according to Live Science.
A recent study looks at how cats express themselves when interacting with one another, including ear position and pupil size.
In total, Scott gathered 194 minutes of feline footage that contained 186 interactions. With the help of her co-author, evolutionary psychologist Brittany N. Florkiewicz of Lyon College, she analyzed the cats’ facial signals.
According to Live Science, the group also discovered that cats had a “common play face” that included a lowered jaw and pulled-back corners of the mouth. People, dogs and monkeys share similar expressions in playful scenarios.
A study conducted by two US scientists last month and published in the journal Behavioural Processes documented 276 distinct facial expressions that domesticated cats displayed during interactions with one another.
Ears flattened, constricted pupils, a lick of the lips. It’s likely that your feline friends were communicating something when their furry faces lit up when they hung out.
She also mentioned doing a follow-up study to find out the meanings of more of the expressions. Ad Feedback Ad Feedback Ad Feedback Ad Feedback Ad Feedback.
Lead author Lauren Scott, a medical student at the University of Kansas Medical Center who has a personal interest in cats, and Florkiewicz both felt that since domestication facilitates more cat-to-cat social interactions, the cats would express themselves more.
Although Florkiewicz and Scott were unable to interpret every expression they observed, they discovered that 45 7% of coded expressions were friendly, while 37% were aggressive.
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