Cats do not have to resort to physical force to emerge victorious in a conflict. They often use their most subtle and safest technique in a rival matchup: curious.
Cats interpret staring as intimidation and rivalry. That explains why when a group of friends visit your home, the person who doesn’t want to get too close to their cat may be accosted by the little feline, while cat lovers hoping to meet their cat don’t get their attention. People who are not cat fans tend to look away or not make eye contact. Cats find this non-threatening. On the other hand, cat lovers love to look directly into their eyes, which makes them feel intimidated or threatened.
When cats are in rivalry, they initially try to stare at each other. If one of the cats finally looks away, it usually indicates that they are giving up. However, if staring for a long time doesn’t solve the problem, you can progress to smacking or wrestling on the ground while continuing to stare at each other.
The dominant cat will stare at the other cat until their opponent runs away. Once they start looking at each other, they would put everything aside to focus their attention. They will remain in a high voltage state until one begins to blink and walk away.
Cat owners are often encouraged to slowly blink or wink their eyes (eg, sleepy eyes) when looking directly at their cats. This sends a message that you are not a threat and they should not be alarmed. However, cats always prefer their owners to use their peripheral vision to look at them instead of a direct gaze.
Cats’ pupils constrict or dilate depending on the light. In addition, they use their pupils to communicate their moods to others. When a cat’s pupils are dilated, it conveys fear, mild to aggressive excitement. However, when a cat is angry, his pupils constrict into a line, signifying that he is ready to attack. The reason they narrow their pupils is to better focus on their opponent and protect their eyes in the event of physical combat.
When cats are relaxed, they tend to keep their eyes half open as if they are falling asleep.
