The slow blink
Cats say “I love you” to each other and to us all the time – so how do you say it back?
Look into your cats eyes and slowly blink at them. Its that easy!
A cats slow blink says that they trust you enough to lower their guard. Eye contact is very important in cat language. Staring into a cats eyes intensely is interpreted as a threat – its what enemy cats would do to your puss just before a fight. By relaxing your gaze and blinking ultra slowly, you are saying “I trust you, I love you”.
Humans who don’t know about the slow blink can often interpret it as a cat being disinterested, annoyed, bored or unimpressed. Things a human would be thinking if another person slow blinked at them. Funny how one action can mean opposite things from species to species!
In Practice:
The slow blink can be used to tell a very anxious cat that everything is ok and tell a neighbours cat that you aren’t a nasty neighbour. The uses are nearly endless.
Meeting a friends cat for the first time?
Slow blink
Cat scared by a loud noise outside?
Slow blink
Stressed out in a cat carrier?
Slow blink
Cat looking at you from across the room?
Slow blink
This tiny action is one of the most useful tools in your cat-language tool kit and one of the first you should learn if you want to understand what your cat is trying to tell you. In my work with re-homing shelter cats, the slow blink is invaluable. I use it to help new cats know I mean them no harm, that they are safe now and that I would like to be their friend. If you are familiar with the “East Coast Wave” – that uniquely New Zealand way of greeting each other, I use the slow blink as the cat version of the East Coast Wave quite a lot.
