And it does n’t even involve treats .
If you have a African tea , you belike know they are n’t always in the mood for being kiss , embrace or otherwise adored by man . It experience like a trap , though — if they ’re not into kissing , why are theyso all-fired snuggly ?
Every cat has a different disposition depending on their years , societal upbringing and genetic science , but one thing ’s uniform across the board : for earn the perquisite of hang out with these saucy floof monsters , we have to respect their boundaries .
So how do we give tongue to affection in their linguistic process ? It ’s long been rumored that twinkle slowly at a cat indicates we love them and that they are dependable with us . And , legend has it , if they slow - blink back , it means that the touch sensation ’s mutual .
But is it real ? Or just a Disney - corresponding fantasy we ’ve sold ourselves ?
That ’s what we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson , hosts ofHuffPost ’s “ Am I Doing It Wrong ? ” podcast — askedMikel Delgado , Ph.D. , a true cat behaviorist and scientist , when we recently chatted with her to better understand our furry ally .
“ It ’s material . It ’s not a myth , it ’s science , ” Delgado told us . “ There ’s beenresearch behind the tiresome blinkthat did paint a picture that cats do slow - blink in return and they do seem to reply positively to it . ”
While the construct of blink at each other to express a subject matter may sense like supernatural communicating , Delgado explained that the action is a primal indicator to our CAT that we ’re “ friendly . ” Staring at them or holding their regard can be read as jeopardize to them . Slow - blink is immensely different — it bespeak that we are , in fact , not a threat , she said . Basically , it signals to them that we do in peace .
Some scientist , include Delgado , think that while cats may look to their human as a parental figure of variety , they most likely do not slip us for other cat . However , they may still engage in positively associated cat behavior — showing off an upward - pointed hindquarters , a face nuzzle , or the infamous slow blink — with us . “ you could see at how cats interact with each other and they do some looking away and close up their eyes to fan out battle , ” Delgado said . “ So it makes concluded common sense [ that they would do this with us too ] . And yes , it ’s one thing that we can say has been backed by science . So dull - blink away . ”
Aside from confirming that the slow blink is the way to our cats ’ hearts , we also learn about where they hate being pet , how to make their bedding box feel like a spa , and why they do that adorable kneading affair ( cookie , anyone ? ) .
Need some aid with something you ’ve been doing wrong ? netmail us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com , and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode . This article originally come along onHuffPost .
