Here’s what your cat’s pupils are telling you, including changes in the shape of its eyes. Aside from the fact that pupils allow the entry of light into the cat’s retina, the different shapes that it undergoes can also convey a message. And while we can argue about whether cats and dogs have a soul in the way we define the term, their pupils can tell us a lot of things that’s going on in their feline brains. If you are trying to institute yourself as the leader or authority in the home, don’t give into eye contact intimidation from your cat.The pupils are the literal “windows” to a living organism’s soul. This is why cats will relentlessly hold eye contact with their humans until one of you looks away. With humans, the cat can see that you are a much larger creature than he, but the age-old instinct that eye contact suggests a challenge runs deep in your feline’s blood. Whoever seems the more determined of the two establishes dominance and is deemed the winner. Or it could serve as a territorial warning system between creatures. Intense eye contact between animals might build to hissing/howling and even scratching/biting and other physical attacks. Staring is a way cats “read” if someone is a threat or enemy, or asses how willing the person may be to back down. Cats lock eyes to engage in battle of “who will look away first” or to challenge an opponent. Staring contest: Unswerving eye contact occurs often between cats and humans. When a cat is worried or feels threatened, he eyes are wide and engaged, as opposed to relaxed and winking which he does when in a secure and peaceful zone. However, others believe that winking is a sign of trust, security and confidence that cats only seem to communicate with their owners on occasion.
However, the most common of eye shapes in cats are the oval eyes as found in Maine Coons and Ragdolls, etc. Persian cat, Exotic shorthairs, (among other breeds like Bengal cats, or Scottish Folds) and are known for having large round eyes. For example, there oriental based cats often have almond-shaped eyes that are set off to the sides of the head, and have a minor upward slant to them. Read below to learn about cat eyes and the meaning of their expressions.Įye shapes: Cats generally have three different shapes of eyes depending on the breed. Their gazes can hypnotically enchant us, or unnerve and terrify humans in a way not many other animals can. This is very likely because of the intimidating power of expression cats communicate through their eyes. Cats have been celebrated in culture, worshipped as heavenly gods, and feared as demons from hell.