Eyes

Eyes

Eyes are another organ which cats use for communication. Cats with eyes fully open and looking straight at you want to say "I am listening". Half closed eyes means 'I am sleepy and content'. A cat's eyes are very big, and the pupils can expand to take up almost the entire area of the eye. This is useful for night vision, allowing the cat to absorb the maximum amount of existing light. When there is plenty of light, the cats pupils will narrow to a slit. So correct reading of the eyes is not very straightforward. But in general, a calm content cat in day time will have slit-like eyes. But as soon as the cat becomes uneasy, its pupils will expand to allow it to take in more of its surroundings.Unhappy - ears pointed sideways and flattend, whiskers drooping

However, a cat's pupils will also expand when she is excited, so for example the excitement of seeing her people after their absence will result in dilated eyes.

The important thing to remember on the subject of eyes is that cats regard eye contact as aggressive. So two rival cats will try to out-stare each other to resolve the conflict. Staring directly into cats eyes will always be interpreted as an aggressive behavior. Have you ever wondered why, when there is a group of people and the cat wanders in, it will choose to sit on the lap of the only person who does not like cats? The answer is very simple. Most people when they see a cat, look at her, and try to pet her to show her how much she is liked. But the effect on the cat is the opposite: the cat thinks 'why is this person so aggressive towards me?' and then chooses the company of the one person who offers no threat.

The other interesting thing is cat's communication through blinking. Try doing an experiment. Sit next to your cat when she is fully relaxed, and then slowly close and open your eyes. Watch the cat doing the same. What you have both said is 'Hi, I like you'.