40 Pics Of "Cats Accepting Their Lives" In The Most Hilarious Ways

Generally, cats have an expressionless look on their faces, regardless of whether they’re hungry or happy to see you. However, there are nearly 300 facial expressions humans likely don’t see. According to a 2023 study published in Behavioural Processes, there are 276 to be exact. 

The study included 194 minutes of videos of cats' facial expressions while communicating with fellow felines. These expressions revealed 26 unique facial movements, such as parted lips, dilated pupils, jaw drops, half-blinks, nose licks, and retracted whiskers. 

For context, humans have 44 unique facial movements, while dogs have 27. Chimpanzees, so far, have the most facial expressions with 357.

University of Kansas medical student Lauren Scott and evolutionary psychologist Brittany Florkiewicz conducted the study. During their research, they broke down a cat’s expression into three categories: distinctly friendly (45% of the time), distinctly aggressive (37% of the time), and ambiguous (18%). 

In an interview with Modern Cat, Florkiewicz explained that a cat’s facial expressions have evolved over time. Domesticated cats, in particular, have become more tolerant towards everyone around them, whether with humans or fellow cats. As a result, they’ve developed friendlier expressions. 

“They’re using facial expressions to navigate social interactions,” Florkiewicz stated. 

For all of you cat parents out there, have you noticed your beloved pets in these nonchalant, seemingly irked facial expressions? If you have photos of them, share them in the comments section below!