“Cats don’t have facial expressions”

[Toddlerteaplease]

Said my friend last night when I mentioned that Penelope was looking unusually smug. There was I thinking he was an intelligent adult. (He had two cats, one of whom definitely has expressions!)

What?! My cat definitely has facial expressions - annoyance and disdain are the most prevalent, but there are many others too.

The might not smile or frown but the ears and eyes can say a million things. And of course their tails!

I think they have limited facial expressions but I have yet to agree with the many people on my local Facebook page who say they have taken a cat into their house because it ‘looked lost’.

The theory is that cats don't have the ability to move eyebrows like dogs & humans can, and a lot of facial expression is shown by eyebrows. However that isn't the only thing about facial expressions, just the most obvious. Your friend saying they don't, shows they are only looking at the most superficial 🙄😛

Mine definitely have expressions - the eyes wide, narrowed in different ways or softened/hardened, the mouth, the angle of the head, the ears. Girlcat can be very expressive, I can tell the difference between a stare meaning wanting attention or wanting her favorite kibble topped up, whether she wants me to pick her up for cuddles or follow her to a favorite cuddle place, if she thinks it's past bed time. Yes a small amount of that is body, but there's definitely a fair bit of face involved.

Our youngest boy would disagree!

Obviously he has never met any cats in his life ever 😂

@Needmorelegomy cats love him and he has two of his own. One of whom has a very expressive face. She is either looking daggers at him or gazing at him in adoration. 🤣🤣🤣

@Whiskeyandkittens🤣🤣

Cats have many facial expressions. Google the Glasgow pain scale! I can easily tell if a cat is in pain by the tension in it's face, ear/whisker position etc.

Pen can move her eyebrows 🤣🤣

Gratuitous cat pics. 🤣

I don’t know if these pics will post in the right order, but just from the last week:

Face one (bookcase) - I know I’m not meant to be up here, but I am consumed by the mad half hour and can’t stop.
Face two (wall) - WHY doesn’t next door’s cat like me? Why does she hiss?
Face three (box) - forever resigned to rejection by miss Hissy next door 😕

Huh?

Man doesn’t notice facial expressions - news at 11.

Joking aside, better this (ignorance) than the opposite (a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing). My ex took a class on micro-expressions and living with him became unbearable for QUITE a while - like being in a fucking crime show except the detective goes, “She looked to the right so she’s lying about laundry detergent,” or some bollocks.

Photo 1 - what? It wasn't me.
Photo 2 - feed me now.
Photo 3 - you have failed me puny human.

Sybil definitely has facial expressions.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 have they met many cats?!

Anyone who says cats don't have facial expressions knows diddly squat about cats. 😂

Ollie definitely did

Since when???

I have a great photo of Cat One draped over the microwave looking absolutely despondent but sadly I cannot go back over three years of photos to find it. Here are various expressions of annoyance instead. Cat Two often looks like she is planning someone’s demise. Cat Four’s mother is so expressive you can tell exactly when it’s okay to touch her, and when she would kill you if you did.

My old cat used to look at our dog with absolute disgust, especially if he was doing silly stuff like rolling around or crawling about commando style.
Admittedly our dog isn’t very bright.
Our new rescue cat (had her for two weeks) isn’t the smartest either. And she never looks at him with disdain. It’s beyond adorable!

Haribo has lots of expressions- worry (who has rung the doorbell?) anticipation (chicken or tuna?), annoyance (it's raining again!), excitement (magpies on YouTube), disgust (licking his bum) and his mean resting bitch face.

I tend to find that the more intelligent they are, the clearer their facial expressions (and the bigger their range). Curiosity, disdain, surprise, puzzlement, pride, guilt, etc etc.

The really dim ones sometimes don't get much beyond "gormless and happy," "gormless and perturbed," and just "gormless."

Marvin has a very expressive face - largely centred around his needs as you might expect. Photo one - stuck quite high up needs help getting down
Photo two - My names Marvin who the hell are you (CF Bart Simpson)
Photo three It's not fair and quite frankly I wish you had never been born (harsh!)

From no thoughts head empty to WHY DOES MY BROTHER HAVE WINGS (excuse the litter tray they are having disputes and Ive had to add one upstairs)