'Meow-Tastic Discovery': Cats Have 276 Different Facial Expressions, Says New Study

Ears flattened, constricted pupils, a lick of the lips¡ªthese subtle cues in your feline companions' expressions might not be as mysterious as they seem. A recent research study, published in the journal "Behavioural Processes" last month and conducted by two American scientists, has shed light on the intricacies of feline communication.

What did the study reveal?

Their findings revealed a surprising total of 276 distinct facial expressions exhibited by domesticated cats during their interactions.

Who led this research?

Brittany Florkiewicz, one of the study's co-authors and an evolutionary psychologist at Lyon College in Arkansas, shared with CNN on Wednesday that their research findings imply a profound influence of domestication on the evolution of facial communication in cats.

¡°Our study demonstrates that cat communication is more complex than previously assumed."

Florkiewicz elaborated that domesticated cats exhibit greater social tolerance than their wild counterparts, owing to their proximity to humans. Consequently, the researchers anticipated observing a spectrum of facial expressions in various social contexts, both positive and negative. However, they were taken aback when they surveyed 276 morphologically distinct facial expressions.¡±

Florkiewicz and lead author Lauren Scott, a medical student from the University of Kansas Medical Center who is also passionate about cats, conducted the study. They believed domesticated cats would exhibit more facial expressions due to increased social interactions.

How was the data collected?

To collect data, Scott recorded 186 feline interactions by filming 53 adult domestic shorthair cats of both sexes. These cats were all neutered or spayed. The observations were made at a local cat caf¨¦ in California, where both researchers were based between August 2021 and June 2022.
Both researchers used a specialized coding system called the Cat Facial Action Coding System to evaluate feline expressions. They examined the number and types of facial muscle movements, excluding movements related to natural processes like breathing and yawning.

What did the study conclude?

Although they couldn't assign specific meanings to each expression, the study discovered that 45.7% of the coded expressions were perceived as friendly, while 37% were categorized as aggressive.

In more detail, a friendly expression involved forward movement of the ears and whiskers along with closed eyes, while an aggressive cat displayed constricted pupils, ears flattened against the head, and a lip-licking motion.

¡°Our hope is to expand our sample size to include cats living in other locations, looking at the facial expressions of cats living in multi-cat homes, feral colonies,¡± and so on, Florkiewicz said.

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She mentioned that one of our future objectives is to carry out a follow-up study aimed at further deciphering the meanings behind additional feline expressions.

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