One minute they’re the cutest ball of fluff in the whole universe and the next minute they could be plotting to murder us.
But the real question that needs answering about our feline friends is why do they stare at us?
What does it mean? Are they hungry or are they plotting something?
Who knows! Well, let’s try and find out today. Just keep on reading to learn more about why your cat stares at you.
Body Language
A lot of the reasons our cats stare at us can be put down to the body language of the felines and what they’re doing.
Unlike dogs, it seems like cats don’t mind direct eye contact and will often use it to connect with their human buddies.
Cats and humans will have a deep connection and will long for each other’s company, even when sleeping!
One of the biggest examples of how body language can influence why a cat is staring at us is when they’re in a crouched position, wiggling their lower body.
This implies that your cat is about to pounce, as we’ve all seen throughout their lives.
This change in body posture means that they’re either feeling playful or they’re on the hunt.
Of course, more often than not, your cat would never want to hurt you.
This is usually a simple playing exercise, despite the fact, your kitty may use this technique when out looking for food like mice and birds.
You can usually tell by the cat’s dilated pupils what their intentions are and what they’re aiming for. You might want to hide your toes!
On top of this, you can also see what your cat wants by how relaxed its body language is.
If your feline looks a bit tenser then they may be a bit stressed and want some urgent attention.
However, if your cat has relaxed body language then your pet may be content and showing affection, rather than trying to have a staring contest with you.
Sign Of Affection
Any pet parent knows that we love our little companions, with cats being especially loving if the feelings are reciprocated and returned properly.
Common cat behaviors to show affection include rubbing their bodies up against us, especially around our legs when we’re trying to do something, like cooking.
However, this feline behavior is nothing compared to the feeling when a cat rubs their head up against us and licks us as a form of affection.
This cat communication is the highest compliment and will leave any cat owner feeling like a proper parent.
It’s strange, isn’t it?
That this intense eye contact can be seen as a way to show their owner that they’ll be showing some affection in the next few moments.
However, if they have a stiffer body then there may be something wrong, like feeling some sort of anxiety or animosity.
Usually, it’s just making sure that their favorite person knows they’re loved.
They Want To Play!
Playing is one of the best times in a cat’s day.
Felines are incredibly social creatures and may produce some sort of awkward staring or may show some curious behavior when they want to entice us into playing with them.
When holding out a toy fishing rod or playing with a ball of some sort, they may experience some pupil dilation and will start to bounce around.
Because cats lack the same sort of levels of facial expression as humans, you can usually tell when cats are having fun because they will purr and make squeaks and small noises.
This indicates that they may hurt you by accident with their teeth and claws, but they don’t mean it!
Feeding
Often, when a cat shows this sort of behavior, like staring at us, they’re hungry and they want to eat their dinner!
When this happens, you know that your cat would be the first to meow and try and talk to us.
On top of the nonverbal communication like staring at us and making physical contact, they know they’ll get what they want.
Sometimes our cats will go and stand by their food bowl and make noises so that when we enter the room, they stare at us and we know exactly what they want.
This further proves that cats staring isn’t always a sign of aggression and can mean something completely different.
Intense eye contact may mean that they’re fed up with waiting and they’re extremely hungry!
Sign Of Sight Loss
Cat owners are always first to know when something is wrong with their feline companion.
The smallest changes in behavior are often noticed and will sometimes leave us stressed, wondering what it can be.
As we all know, as cats get older, they can become a bit frailer and may start to lose their eyesight.
This can be associated with staring because the cat is staring to try and see, which can also be noticed if your cat’s eyes become cloudy or strained.
Cats are some of the most balanced creatures on the planet, so if your feline starts to misjudge some of their jumps or hits obstacles, then it could be time to take them to the vet.
Alternatively, it’s common knowledge that cats have been known to hide signs of illness and pain as best they can.
This is because they know that weak or sick animals are an easy target, due to their instincts. Because of this, your feline may start to look withdrawn or quieter than usual.
Final Thoughts
When cats are staring at us, it can mean a wide variety of different meanings, however, a lot of these can be spotted by our feline’s body language.
An increase in blood pressure, along with dilated pupils, and an eagerness to pounce can imply that they’re ready for playtime and will want some attention.
However, if they act a lot slower and start to show signs of affection, then it’s just our pets telling us they love us.
Because of cats’ inability to speak human languages, they may start to meow and paw at us to get our attention.
When our pets stare at us, there may be something wrong, but for the most part, it’s just our cats trying to communicate.
If you do feel like your cat has a sudden behavior change then we recommend calling a vet, just to be safe.
I’m Courtney Trent and I hope that I can answer some burning questions that you have about cats, as well as some questions that you’d never have thought to ask before.
I am aiming to shed new light on these amazing pets and hopefully change some people’s opinions on them. Also, let’s talk about wild cats - they’re just as awesome as domestic cats!
So, stay a while and learn more about domestic and wild cats from Windhaven Ocicats.
