Flattened ears, constricted pupils, a licking of the lips – these subtle cues in your feline companions’ expressions may not be as mysterious as they seem. A recent research study, published in the journal Behavioral Processes last month and conducted by two American scientists, has shed light on the complexities of feline communication.
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- What did the study reveal?
- Who led this investigation?
- How was the data collected?
- What did the study conclude?
What did the study reveal?
Their findings revealed a surprising total of 276 different facial expressions exhibited by domesticated cats during their interactions.
Who led this investigation?
Brittany Florkiewicz, one of the study’s co-authors and an evolutionary psychologist at Lyon College in Arkansas, shared with CNN on Wednesday that her research findings imply a profound influence of domestication on the evolution of facial communication in cats.
“Our study demonstrates that communication between cats is more complex than previously assumed.”
Florkiewicz explained that domesticated cats exhibit greater social tolerance than their wild counterparts, due to their proximity to humans. Consequently, the researchers anticipated observing a spectrum of facial expressions in various social contexts, both positive and negative. However, they were baffled when they examined 276 morphologically distinct facial expressions.”
Florkiewicz and lead author Lauren Scott, a medical student at the University of Kansas Medical Center with a passion for cats, conducted the study. They believed that domesticated cats would exhibit more facial expressions due to increased social interactions.
How was the data collected?
To collect data, Scott recorded 186 feline interactions by filming 53 adult domestic shorthair cats of both sexes. All of these cats were neutered or spayed. The observations were conducted at a local cat cafe in California, where both researchers were located between August 2021 and June 2022. Both researchers used a specialized coding system called the Cat Facial Action Coding System to evaluate feline expressions. They examined the number and types of facial muscle movements, excluding movements related to natural processes such as breathing and yawning.
What did the study conclude?
Although they were unable to assign specific meanings to each expression, the study found that 45.7% of the coded expressions were perceived as friendly, while 37% were categorized as aggressive.
In more detail, a friendly expression involved a forward movement of the ears and whiskers along with closed eyes, while an aggressive cat showed constricted pupils, ears flattened against the head, and a licking movement of the lips.
“Our hope is to expand our sample size to include cats living elsewhere by observing the facial expressions of cats living in multi-cat households and feral colonies.” and so on, Florkiewicz said.
unpack
He mentioned that one of our future goals is to conduct a follow-up study aimed at further deciphering the meanings behind other feline expressions.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn