Who says cats have no expressions? Humans have even designed a "Cat Expression Scale" specifically for them!

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The reason why recognizing cat's facial expressions is important is not only because it is related to whether the cat's owner is happy, but also because it is related to health - because for ordinary owners, when cats are sick or undergoing surgery, it seems difficult to read whether they are suffering from pain through their faces.

To this end, researchers at the University of Calgary have designed a "Feline Grimace Scale" to help people understand what a cat's specific expressions mean. The scale may also measure the severity of a cat's pain.

Cats are sometimes misunderstood for their aloofness or lack of expression. Compared to dogs, cats tend to express themselves in more subtle ways—perhaps just wiggling an ear or twitching a whisker. So far, only a few studies have attempted to decode the mysterious emotional lives of these creatures.

© Olivia ZZ via Getty Images

But now, according to a study published in October in the journal Behavioral Processes, cats use nearly 300 different facial expressions to communicate with each other[1].

“Many people still mistakenly believe that cats are a largely nonsocial species,” Daniel Mills, a veterinary behaviorist at the University of Lincoln who was not involved in the study, told Christa Lesté-Lasserre at Science. “There’s clearly a lot we don’t know.”

To gather data on these furry companions, Lauren Scott, a researcher at the University of Kansas Medical Center, frequented a cat cafe in Los Angeles over the course of about a year and recorded videos of 53 cats interacting with each other. All were adult domestic cats, both male and female, according to the study.

© The Times

In total, Scott collected 194 minutes of feline videos containing 186 interactions, and with the help of her co-author, Lyon College evolutionary psychologist Brittany N. Florkiewicz, she analyzed the cats’ facial cues.

They found 276 expressions composed of 26 facial movements, including changes in ear position, blinking, licking the nose, and movements of the whiskers and mouth (for comparison, humans have about 44 facial movements and dogs have 27). Of all the expressions, about 45% (or 126) were classified as friendly, 37% as aggressive, and 18% as ambiguous.[2]

"These findings suggest that it's helpful to look at a cat's ears, eyes and whiskers to understand if they're friendly," Vlokiewicz told Earth.com's Andrei Ionescu. "Their mouths provide a lot of information about whether a cat might be ready to fight. People might think that cats' facial expressions are only meant to warn other cats and people, but this study suggests that pet cats are actually social and tolerant."

© SensorSpot/Getty Images

The team also found a "common expression" in cats, characterized by a dropped chin and a pulled-back mouth, Live Science reported. People, dogs and monkeys share similar expressions in funny situations.

While the study sheds new light on cats' emotions and behaviors, the team still can't decipher exactly what each expression means. As Florkiewicz told CNN's Hafsa Khalil, this could be explored in future studies.

Still, the scientists found some patterns: In friendly interactions, cats tended to move their ears and whiskers toward each other, while in unfriendly interactions, they moved their ears and whiskers away. In hostile encounters, the animals often narrowed their pupils and lowered their ears.

Cats can express negativity and hostility through their ears being lowered and whiskers being pulled back. © Getty Images

The new research could help people who are looking to adopt a cat find one that's more likely to get along with their existing pet, or help pet owners better understand their feline companions. It might even one day lead to an app that can decode cats' facial expressions, and Live Science reports that companies have already contacted the researchers about the possibility.

"Our study suggests that cat communication is more complex than previously thought," said Frokiewicz. "We hope to expand our sample size to include cats living in other locations ... and look at facial expressions in cats living in multi-cat households and in wild colonies."

© Tenor

References:

[1]www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0376635723001419?via%3Dihub[2]www.livescience.com/animals/cats/cats-have-nearly-300-facial-expressions-including-a-play-face-they-share-with-humans

By Margaret Osborne

Translated by tamiya2

Proofreading/tim

Original article/www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cats-make-nearly-300-different-facial-expressions-180983185/

This article is based on the Creative Commons License (BY-NC) and is published by tamiya2 on Leviathan

The article only reflects the author's views and does not necessarily represent the position of Leviathan