I've always done this with my cats, it seemed natural seeing as they would blink at me. It's a great way to help relax a nervous cat, you're telling them that you trust them, so you don't have to watch their every move (cats find being stared at very unnerving and threatening). I blink at cats I see out and about and often get a double take as if they're saying 'oh, she speaks cat!'
I don't care if people think I'm batty, it works!:hihi: :loopy:

Yeah i do a slow blink too. It works with moggies.

I always do a slow blink with my cats. One is very friendly but the other's very timid and doesn't like being handled.

Smudge was always my cat and was very friendly but since I moved out of my room into a new one I have become friends with Smitch and since sitting a little distance from her and blinking her and then looking away she will come and lay on me and mew to ask for affection!

I always blink at my cats. If they blink back, it means they love you. Apparently.

I bet cats look at one another and say "Arent these monkeys clever? They understand almost every order we give them".

hahaha I think my cats plot against me the way they watch me sometimes!

I think they actually sit there thinking us primates are thick as two short planks! (Having said that, they think the canines are worse!)

i find this works to calm most animals

I blink at Sadie but she hasn't done it back to me

:o Oh my god!! I just blinked a few times at my dog and he stared at me without blinking for ages then he barked at me and nearly made me do somthing in my pants...

Edit, I did quick winks..I will try slow.

I did slow and got one back..I got a love too :)

I just tried it on my other half.
I looked at her and blinked slowly.

I think i might have a chipped tooth now.

I know this is off topic - but when my rabbit is stressed I wiggle my nose at him, slowly. His nose wiggles slower and slower, and then he's fine. Its weird.

we blink at ours and even wink at them and sometimes they wink back now that is odd to see.

Go on try it a few times see if they wink back and post your results.

Supposedly a cat closing its eyes is telling you they love/like/feel safe.

We have 8 and some wink some dont some blink some dont some just come into the bedroom and sleep right on top of you but we love em all.
:)

Oh my two always blink back - particularly Smudge the friendlier one.

They love it, we sit and chat for ages through out winks and blinks!

I never heard of doing this so I decided to try it. They all ignored me and looked away apart from one, she looked very scared and ran away lol

I never heard of doing this so I decided to try it. They all ignored me and looked away apart from one, she looked very scared and ran away lol

Did the rest close their eyes and turn their heads away looking non-too impressed?

This is friendly body language! Animals take long direct looks as a threat, so you need to know when to look away. The ones that ignored you may have been being friendly by looking away!

We use slow gentle blinks as a means of reassuring nervous cats at the Shelter all the time. It's a standard part of cat body language, like not staring eye to eye with a nervous cat, cos that's a threat to them.

A lot of the time, when they're really nervous, we might not get close enough to actually touch them for weeks, but sitting down so you're not looming over them, and using their rules for how to show them you're a 'cat person' seems to work with the 400-odd cats we have through the Shelter in a year.

Did the rest close their eyes and turn their heads away looking non-too impressed?

This is friendly body language! Animals take long direct looks as a threat, so you need to know when to look away. The ones that ignored you may have been being friendly by looking away!

they just walked off to be honest. I didn't stare at them though, only faced them for a few seconds but then my cats are good at being ignorant!

We use slow gentle blinks as a means of reassuring nervous cats at the Shelter all the time. It's a standard part of cat body language, like not staring eye to eye with a nervous cat, cos that's a threat to them.

A lot of the time, when they're really nervous, we might not get close enough to actually touch them for weeks, but sitting down so you're not looming over them, and using their rules for how to show them you're a 'cat person' seems to work with the 400-odd cats we have through the Shelter in a year.

It must be wonderful working in a shelter. How do you not cry and want to take them all home? I expect you do though!

Why do you think Medusa has so many cats herself?! :lol: She's a big softie!

Cats are very good at being ignorant, mine can be too but recently they seem to love our company more than they ever have done!

I don't care if people think I'm batty, it works!:hihi: :loopy:

Erm, I'm sorry to spoil you're fun, but it can't be true. Though I'd be very happy to be proved wrong on this one!

Erm, I'm sorry to spoil you're fun, but it can't be true. Though I'd be very happy to be proved wrong on this one!

Get a cat and prove yourself wrong.
Or any mammal for that matter.

It must be wonderful working in a shelter. How do you not cry and want to take them all home? I expect you do though!

The trick is to fall in love but then resist taking them home just long enough for someone else to fall in love too- then you can take pride in playing a part in a feline/human love affair.

Get a cat and prove yourself wrong.
Or any mammal for that matter.

I'm not a 'cat person', so it seems a shame to get one for this experiment, but hey, why not!

By the way, my dog get's nervous and looks away when I stare at her. I wonder what she's thinking? Trust me, my intentions are honourable!

I'm not a 'cat person', so it seems a shame to get one for this experiment, but hey, why not!

By the way, my dog get's nervous and looks away when I stare at her. I wonder what she's thinking? Trust me, my intentions are honourable!

She probably feels that you're threatening her- staring down is a way of asserting the pecking order in many animals.

She probably feels that you're threatening her- staring down is a way of asserting the pecking order in many animals.

I guess you're right Medusa, that does make sense. I'm not convinced about the blinking thing though.

I guess you're right Medusa, that does make sense. I'm not convinced about the blinking thing though.

Just visit a cat Shelter or a cat household some day- they'll show you what is meant (and it works far more with cats than it does with dogs anyway).

She probably feels that you're threatening her- staring down is a way of asserting the pecking order in many animals.

Yeah that is right..

blip try blinking to your dog see what he/she does..I did quick blinking to mine yesterday an he barked at me :hihi: I did it slow after an he came and gave me a love..

My old dog used to have a 'winking competition' with me and my sister. We used to wink at her, and she'd wink back. We'd keep going on, and then someone would 'give in' and if it was us, we'd go and play fetch with the dog, or take her for a walk or something, and if it was her who gave in first she'd come and give you a big lick on the face.
She was the best dog we've ever had.
:) :(

My old dog used to have a 'winking competition' with me and my sister. We used to wink at her, and she'd wink back. We'd keep going on, and then someone would 'give in' and if it was us, we'd go and play fetch with the dog, or take her for a walk or something, and if it was her who gave in first she'd come and give you a big lick on the face.
She was the best dog we've ever had.
:) :(

Awww bless..thats nice :)

I'm sorry she is no longer with you..It is sad when they go isn't it :( I'm dredding the day my 2 go :(

Awww bless..thats nice :)

I'm sorry she is no longer with you..It is sad when they go isn't it :( I'm dredding the day my 2 go :(

She left us about three years ago now, I'll never forget the day :( my Mum got her when she was pregnant with my sister, from the RSPCA in Chesterfield. She started off as a right terror, but soon turned into a lovely dog. We'd had her since I was four, and lost her when I was sixteen. She was eighteen years old when she passed, and was lame in her back legs. :( But I have a lot of happy memories about being with her, so thats what I think about. We also have a girl dog now, a GSD, who is EXACTLY like her. She looks identical to her, and acts the way she used to. Its strange, because our new GSD was born 2 the same day our old one passed. :confused:

My old dog used to have a 'winking competition' with me and my sister. We used to wink at her, and she'd wink back. We'd keep going on, and then someone would 'give in' and if it was us, we'd go and play fetch with the dog, or take her for a walk or something, and if it was her who gave in first she'd come and give you a big lick on the face.
She was the best dog we've ever had.
:) :(

Sounds like she was bright dog. I've been there, sadly it makes the parting an even more terrible loss. When you have real communication it's not an animal/keeper thing, it's something different.

Sounds like she was bright dog. I've been there, sadly it makes the parting an even more terrible loss. When you have real communication it's not an animal/keeper thing, it's something different.

yeah it is :(

She left us about three years ago now, I'll never forget the day :( my Mum got her when she was pregnant with my sister, from the RSPCA in Chesterfield. She started off as a right terror, but soon turned into a lovely dog. We'd had her since I was four, and lost her when I was sixteen. She was eighteen years old when she passed, and was lame in her back legs. :( But I have a lot of happy memories about being with her, so thats what I think about. We also have a girl dog now, a GSD, who is EXACTLY like her. She looks identical to her, and acts the way she used to. Its strange, because our new GSD was born 2 the same day our old one passed. :confused:

Awww bless..she lived to a good age didn't she!

When I was younger we had a dog called shelly..she was a lovely dog too!! She was outside on the garden when thunder and lightening started and she hated it..she ran away and never came back :( We searched the whole estate for ages and phoned around to see if she had been picked up etc but we never got her back :( It was sad!! I think she 15..her legs had gone week too..

Bless them..RIP.

I'm glad you have a dog now what reminds you so much of your previous dog..I bet thats nice :)

 
 
 
 
 

I tried this with one of my cats and blinked so slowly that when I opened my eyes he had come right up to my face and then swiped me with his paw.
Gave me a bit of a shock actually haha

I blink at Sadie but she hasn't done it back to me

I heard about this and tried blinking at my cat. She sat there staring at me and you could tell she was thinking, "Poor bugger, she's got something wrong with her eyes. Bored with that now, think I'll wash me paws".

I tried it with our smudge, only slowly, didn't stare and i was at his level and i have the cut on my head to prove it! Saying that he is all for my daughter and probably hates me :suspect: