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I'd almost swear my cat is smiling in this picture. Do cats smile? I'd appreciate hearing reader's opinions on this.
#1
#2Interesting! So you can tell by ear position and posture if a cat's happy or in a good mood?
#3Good mood, or receptive to interaction is probably the best way to describe their mental state.
I'm no pet psychologist, but I'm sure that cats don't process emotion on a cognitive level.
After years of caring for cats, though, you can pretty much tell when they want to hang out by their posture, and mostly, ears.
If a cat has his ears pinned back, leave them alone. Ears up, and they're looking for a scratching.
#4I don't know about smiling, but I have defintely seen cats grin - their mouths are in approximately the same position as a human's with the same expression. As Tim said, their ears are typically up and facing forward, and on occasion they will also purr.
I also don't know if cats process emotions cognitively. I'd probably sort by content or discontent. Content is physically expressed by smiling, purring, ears up and facing front, eyes partially closed, tail upright, whiskers out and point slightly to the front, etc. Discontent is expressed by ears laid back along the head, tail twitching (sometimes) or lashing, tail level with the spine or lower, and of course growling, hissing and spitting (these last often connote anger).
#5I dont know how similar a cats muscle structure is to that of a human but, I do believe that cats smile. I have five kittens of my own. I think you should try this, let your cat lay on your lap and pet her so that she purrs. Notice her eyes will squint, and at the same time, notice that the corners of her mouth raise, much like our own do when we smile. When a cat just closes its eyes say, to fall asleep this does not happen. Either way I know that they feel happiness, and many other emotions.
Very cute cat!
i know that when a cat slowely closes its eyes like i'm sure many of you have seen, it simpy means its relaxed. but thats about all i know, haha.
#7my kitten bites me all the time and scratches me...how do i calm her down, she does not even allow us to pet her:(
#8Give your current cat to someone who likes cats and get yourself another one.
#9mmm...thought this website was helpful. thanks for the sarcasm:)
#10Cats definitely smile! I can tell when my cat smiles, she closes or squints her eyes and and is very relaxed and her ears are pointed forward. She is usually purring at the same time.
#11To Melanie:
I reread my answer, and I'm sorry if it implied that you did not love your cat.
The very topic of this posting was whether cats smiled. I think they do.
I have learnt that cats are just as complex as human beings and have the same personalities, quirks, medical. and psychological problems.
Your kitten, for whatever reason, is not happy. I'm sure you give your kitten a great deal of love, affection, and care.
I owned a cat that was somewhat ferel (their natural state). He did not like people and preferred to stay outside. Ocassionally I left food out for him, and when I least expected it, would scram into the house and hide under the sofa. I was astounded that whenever I was sitting still in the living room reading, he would gingerly hop onto the chair and sit in my lap - but he refused to let me touch or pet him! When he indicated that he wanted to return outdoors, I complied. It was not the relationship I had wanted, but it was something.
A couple of my friends found out that their respective cats were actually allergic to them or the house. One friend found out that the cat she had adopted, had been severly neglected and therefore he distrusted humans.
Some cats are the way they are and no amount of love and affection will move them to be gentle. Some cats just don't want to be a pet.
Most kittens and cats are delightful.
Your kitten may need a change of venue and you need a more responsive pet.
Good luck!
A.M. Whittaker
#12Cats 'smile' by half closing their eyes when they look at you.
#13Cats ‘smile’ by half closing their eyes when they look at you.
#14i like cocain, crack mostly
I adore cats and when i go up to either one i know or a new cutie they smile at me and often roll over as if to say its tickle my stomach time!
#16I think cats smile. My lil one kinda squints her eyes at me, with the corners of her mouth upturned and her chin pointing outwards/ears pointed upwards with a purr.
It is always very pleasant to see. She is a very happy soul. Bit of a daddy's girl she'll allow me to pick her up and she'll drape over my shoulder quite happily for anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes without a struggle.
Having said this, I have had her with us since she was barely old enough to leave her mum.
You can always tell when a cat is happy by such body language... and the fact that she follows me everywhere lol.
#17Hello,
I think Because i have four cats. When I look at my one little tabby cat , Henry, It seems he will smile when he shuts his eyes a bit. With my little tuxedo cat She will always smile and never stop.But I think my two persian cats are a little bit more serious because they will never smile.
I think the cat is angry so showing her eyes but you think she is smiling. It can be but in my in opinion she is looking towards you.
#19I know cats have emotions and smile, frown, etc. I had a cat who was crying when he was lonely for me. He did not have anything in his eyes. He stopped crying when I picked him up and held him. Punkin Puss did this twice in his lifetime. I had never had and never have since had a cat cry physical tears. It broke my heart seeing him that way. He had "brother" cat to play with. I guess he just missed me.
#20Sometimes when I rub my cat's belly she smiles and closes her eyes. She's the only cat I've had that still loves having belly rubs at the age of two.
#21Kittymady, what a fascinating question! I do know that they purr, and are quick, and are great pets. My only problem with them, and I know it is just instinct, is this: Birds are part of the ecosystem, a very important part, and yes, you guessed it, I have 6 love birds and a cockateil (all indoors birds, cats not a problem here) and I can tell you they are just the biggest sweethearts. But here is the message for cat lovers, one that I saw in a newspaper article many years ago: Enjoy your cats, I love them too, but be aware that if you let them roam then their inate insticts take over and they hunt for birds and whatever. And they will catch some, yes they will. So the Bottom Line of the article is that roaming cats in neighborhoods create an unnatural killing zone for birds, they are not prepared for this because throughout their existance except for a very small period that only began sometime in the last century. That's right, if you let your cats roam, you are harming the environment, you are not "green." As soon as I finish this and get dressed, I got this big old something or other tree in my front yard, and as I walk to my car to go to work I am going to give that gnarly knotty rascal just a great big hug, yes I am.
And does anyone know if fish sleep?
But the very biggest question of all, do Anaconda's smile?? So I look at Europe and I see Europe as this rabbit that has its back hindquarter in the mouth of the Islamic Anaconda, and that right there Anaconda in no longer smiling, that Anaconda has the face of Muhammod Atta, Muhammod Atta Anaconda, the single most evil face I have ever seen, that face is not only From Hell, that face is now In Hell, the 72 houris, the 28 Eternally Young Gay Boys, all burning in hell, the true hell that Allah (Satan, Beelzebub, 666, the Beast.....) has promised him and all the other demonic Battalions of Islam that have ravaged the civilized world since Muhammod went up on that mountainside in 610 AD and started hearing those voices. Destroy this evil or perish, enough of the denial, the apologies, the denial, the Triumph of Hope over Experience. Stop it or die.
But I do think the Anaconda is smiling at this very moment, this Anaconda has immigrated to America in units of one, then all these individual units congeal into this ever increasingly large Anaconda, the immigrants are the Trojan Horses of Islam, or the Riyadhing Horses.....they come, nevermind that no one asked them to come, they present a danger that Mexicans will never present, the religion of Mexicans is not evil. And that Anaconda, as it grows and grows, it rears up, it looks just like Muhammod Atta once again, but this is not the stone cold killer eyes that you have seen in pictures of Atta, this Anaconda has a slight grin as it sizes America up, maybe ten feet away, it grins a bit, but as it grows, the grin fades and fades, and the Anaconda grows, and grows......Gulp.
#22cats do smile but they dont smile the same way as humans
sumtimes it may look as tho theyre mouth is smiling but thats jst the angle that u look at em from
in real they smile by half closing their eyes, if you do this back at them they will feel calm
#23i love that cat.It is sooooo cute that cat and all that writting u have got why why why have u got it for ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
#24that cat is sooooooo cute i wot it nowits sooooooooooooooooo cuutttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
#25
#27when you look at them at a certain angle yeah, i think they look like smiling. but i don't think they really do smile. maybe its just the structure of their face.
<a href="http://www.copiaclassica.com">le corbusier</a>
#28
#29
Prove that cat's can't smile Bob
#30I want to teach my cat to smile, and I think smiling at him all the time helps. Any other suggestions? I've also taught my cat to wink, and almost to wave, and he's only 5 months old.
#31my cars ears r somtimes sideways when its happy. and i kno it is happy bc im petting it and its purring so i dont think there ears always have to be straight foreward. also, my cats tail sometimes points down or lays at rest but this is when she is laying down so idk,
#32Today I was petting my cat while she slept, and I noticed that whenever I petted her head or scratched her ears, her mouth would upturn a bit into something of a smile. Now, I don't know whether or not that was just reflex, or if cats can actually express their emotions on their little faces. She's always loved affection and cuddles, but I'd never noticed her "smile" before...I'm probably the kind of owner who over-humanizes their pet, but it's sometimes nice to consider that your beloved, spoiled-with-love cat or animal has genuine affection for you in return.
#33My cat's bum looks like the end of a sausage roll. Do you think this means he likes sausage rolls?
#34I contend cats DO smile, --Just not as humans do.
(so, Bob #28--- that's NOT anthropomorphising my pet!!!)
My cat consistently puffs her whisker pads under circumstances identical to those which cause humans to smile. (Happy to see me, playing games, having fun, etc.)
Cat owners, pay attention to a boxy shape in whisker area. (Observe when it's there, and when it's not.) See if it doesn't correspond to moments of appropriate joy/happiness, (as opposed to mere contentment.)
I've also had 2 cats with hilarious senses of humor. Absolutely no other explanation!
The half-closed eye-blink is "hi".
They also have a specific vocalization for "hi" when communicating with humans.
#35provew thats god doesnt exist bob
#36My cats "smile" (at least what you'd relate to a human smile) when they smell something funky, or with an extremely powerful scent. That's just because they are using the Jacobsons' organ (Vomeronasal organ) in the roof of their mouth, which is used for smelling. They seem to do it most when they smell my dirty socks...but in that case, they may be expressing their disgust.
When I spoke with my vet, they said that cats do express comfort or relaxation (around humans) by shutting/opening their eyes slightly. This would be the equivalent of a human smile. When they do this, it means that they feel secure and comfortable around you. This makes sense, since if you watch a cat while they are hunting/stalking prey, or startled all of the sudden, their eyes are wide open, in "alert" mode.
#37One of my cats was very attached to his mother, but suddenly after 8 months of closeness, the mother started the another teaching process (snapping hisses, clawless boxing, etc.) and seemed to have broke her little boy's heart! After each rejection, he would come to me with welling tears in his eyes and mope on my lap!
The mother later mended the feelings between her kids and he's really a happy little boy now! Now he pures a lot and has a silly big smile when he's socializing with me. One day he was appearently having a sex dream (I'll spare the details), and he sure had the biggest silly smile a cat could possibly have! I know he was dreaming of having a great time, and his face made his feeling known!
I'm convenced that cat's do have a spectrum of high level emotions, and humor too! This same boy likes to play dead as a joke! He walks in, bumps me a few times, then runs and lays down in the other room and plays like he's sleeping. When I approach slowly, he forces his eyes closed and a big smile apears as I get closer. Then as I get really close, he breaks into a loud pure, but still plays dead! Of course the game concludes with him getting his belly tickles! I have another cat that brings me toys to play fetch with, she thinks she's a puppy!
#38
#39I have two cats (well had, the oldest one just died). The older one smiled just like a human, with lips pulled back and turned up and eyes a bit closed. Always at times that would have been appropriate to smile. When not feeling well or otherwise unhappy it was just the opposite: his lips were pursed. Sometimes the eyebrows kind of pinched, brow furrowed. My younger cat on the other hand hasn't smiled in the 12 years she's been there, but does purr, and when feeling friendly does that half- closed eyes thing, a sort of seductive look, turning the head a bit at the same time. I haven't noticed that she has a particuler expression for negative emotions, the main one os fear of strangers and she's always hidden then.
Yahoo dictionary definition: Smile; A pleasant or favorable disposition or aspect.
You can tell if a cat is smiling, using the above definition, and not; an upward turning of the mouth, by their ear position and posture.
The cat in this picture is smiling because their ears are forward, and they are sitting upright.
You can't see in this picture, but a cat's tail also tells you how they are feeling. A rapid swishing for when they're uptight, and a smooth swoosh when they're feeling good. Of course, tail between the legs doesn't really need to be defined.