“Blow On Their Nose”: People Have Firsthand Experience That These 45 Cat Hacks Work

One of the coolest things we’ve ever learned about cat behavior is just how important body language is when bonding with them. Especially what you do with your eyes.

According to research conducted by psychologists from the University of Portsmouth and the University of Sussex, you can actually build rapport with cats by using an eye-narrowing technique (the so-called ‘slow blink’) with them. It’s the feline equivalent of a genuine human smile.

As per the study, cats are more likely to slow blink at their owners once they have slow blinked at them. Meanwhile, cats are also more likely to approach strangers’ outstretched hands after they slow blink at them.

“It’s definitely not easy to study natural cat behaviour, so these results provide a rare insight into the world of cat-human communication,” said Dr. Leanne Proops from the University of Portsmouth’s Department of Psychology, who co-supervised the work.

Meanwhile, Professor Karen McComb, from the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex, who supervised the work, had this to add: “As someone who has both studied animal behaviour and is a cat owner, it’s great to be able to show that cats and humans can communicate in this way. It’s something that many cat owners had already suspected, so it’s exciting to have found evidence for it.”

Furthermore, Dr. Tasmin Humphrey, the first author of the study, said that when people understand the positive ways of interacting with cats, this can then enhance the public’s understanding of cats, improve feline welfare, and help everyone learn more about the socio-cognitive abilities of these animals.

“In terms of why cats behave in this way, it could be argued that cats developed the slow blink behaviours because humans perceived slow blinking as positive. Cats may have learned that humans reward them for responding to slow blinking. It is also possible that slow blinking in cats began as a way to interrupt an unbroken stare, which is potentially threatening in social interaction.”

Which of these cat hacks genuinely surprised you the most, dear Pandas? What did your pets at home think of them when you tried them out?

What are some weird but brilliant pet hacks you know that you’d love to share with other animal lovers? Let us know all about it in the comments below. And tell your pets we said 'hi!'