Check out this study that shows cats have 276 different facial expressions. Yes, there's a funny cat video included.
· Nov 6, 2023 · NottheBee.com

Just because your dog rushes to greet you when you get home and your cat barely blinks doesn't mean Sir Fluffletons doesn't have feelings about the matter.

He's just more subtle about it.

Science may be on the brink of decoding cat feelings though, as a new study documented 276 distinct feline facial expressions, which some hope might lead to the development of an app that can read your cat's emotions.

I predict there will be a lot this:

To collect data, researcher Lauren Scott of the University of Kansas Medical Center visited a cat cafe in Los Angeles for about a year and recorded footage of 53 cats.

That's one way for a crazy cat lady to get her fix.

Along with her colleague Brittany N. Florkiewicz of Lyon College, the cat lady analyzed the animals' facial signals, including ear position, blinks, nose licks, and whisker and mouth movements.

"These findings show it is good to look at a cat's ears, eyes and whiskers to understand if they are feeling friendly," Florkiewicz said. "Their mouth provides a lot of information about whether a cat fight is likely. People may think that cats' facial expressions are all about warning other cats and people off, but this shows just how social and tolerant pet cats can actually be."

Cats also have a common play face, which was categorized by a dropped jaw and drawn corners of the mouth.

You know the one:

45% of the facial movements were classified as friendly, and 37% were classified as aggressive.

The other 18 percent?

Well, the internet has been documenting those for years.

Cue the hilarious cat video:


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