Why do cats stare?
Being fixed with an inscrutable stare is unnerving – even when it comes from your cat! Your cat may sometimes just look at you, unblinking or blinking very slowly, as though he has never seen you before, but the explanation is almost exactly the opposite.
Your cat likes you
First of all, don’t worry its all good. It is a sign of a close bond between you and your cat. Cats are very unlikely to hold eye contact with someone they don’t like or trust. Watch them if someone new comes into your house; the chances of your feline friend staring at the newcomer are extremely small because they don’t know them enough to be able to trust them. It’s a sign of trust between you and your cat.
Cat blinking slowly
When your cat blinks slowly at you while holding your eyes, it means that they love you! They are showing that they trust you enough to close their eyes in your presence. What should you do? If you want to show that you love them back return the slow blink. That will let them know their love is reciprocated.
Your cat is communicating with you
It is possible that you have trained your kitty to stare at you, without you realizing what you were doing. Think about it: in the past when your cat stared at you, you may have taken it to mean that they wanted food and given them an extra treat. Or maybe you thought they wanted attention and petted and made a fuss of them. Even something as simple as stopping what you were doing to ask them what they wanted is rewarding them for their behavior, and the outcome is that they will do it more often.
Meowing is communication too
Cats don’t meow to other cats. They only meow to communicate with their human. Cats were domesticated several thousand years ago, and have always been keen to get our attention, so they have learned to ‘meow’ at their humans. And, like the staring behavior, we probably have reinforced it by feeding them or giving them attention, so guess what? They keep doing it!
So don’t worry if your cat stares at you – just stare back. And blink. Then give in and give him some treats or a nice back stroking.
Erica
