Due to their anatomical features, cats have a piercing gaze. Since ancient times, people have attached mystical significance to both the cat itself and its eyes. But why were they afraid of such a look? There are two explanations: from the point of view of signs and scientifically. Let's try to figure it out.
Cats and magic are inseparable, but there is a scientific explanation
Is it possible to look a cat in the eyes?
Cats have been living next to humans for a long time, but they always remain a mystery to them. A huge number of signs and superstitions are associated with them. Some say that it is absolutely forbidden to look a cat in the eyes. Others, on the contrary, encourage eye contact with the animal.
In some countries, cats were considered divine creatures, an incomprehensible mystery, and in others, on the contrary, they were considered messengers of the afterlife, capable of bringing misfortune.
One of the beliefs is that it is forbidden to look its owner in the eye. Let's look at why.
The history of the sign with cat eyes
It is always important to start with the origins of any topic, and in this case, signs. Of course, this sign is associated not only with mysticism, but also with the habits of the cat family. This can be dangerous for both the cat and the owner.
As we all know, throughout their lives cats have been compared to mythical creatures, and in some countries they are elevated to the level of Gods. It has been proven that they can perceive the energy of a person and his environment. In the Middle Ages, some thought that witches could turn into cats and cast magic from behind the scenes.
TOP 5 tips on why you shouldn’t look cats in the eyes
- Cats and magic are inseparable. They know the past and the future. Therefore, it is believed that their eyes are a mirror of fate. If you look at them for a long time, you can change future events. But in what direction they will change is unknown to man. Therefore, it is better to avoid such views.
- There is a superstition that you should especially beware of the eyes of a black cat. Demons can inhabit them. A close look will allow demons to move into a person, damage household members, or lead to loss of money.
- According to another myth, a cat sees a brownie in the dark and loves to play with it at night. You can’t disturb her, because the game makes the brownie kinder.
- According to another sign, you should not look a cat in the eyes, as you may make enemies. The animal experiences discomfort and, defending itself, can cause trouble.
- In the Middle Ages, it was believed that making eye contact and kissing an animal drained its life force. This can be explained by the fact that in those days there were big problems with hygiene, and diseases were transmitted through a kiss and a person became worse. And people attached mystical significance to this.
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Other superstitions
Cats are very sensitive animals, capable of transmitting information to other worlds. The body itself is a kind of transmitter. Based on their mystical history, there are many superstitions and legends surrounding these cute pets.
It is believed that a cat should never be kissed on the face. It is believed that when human lips touch a cat's nose, some of the person's energy is transferred to the animal. The pet, without even wanting to, takes away the person’s life force, which is sent to parallel worlds. And science does not approve of kissing; through it you can become infected with unpleasant diseases.
Opinion of parapsychologists
Parapsychology today has also paid attention to the peculiarities of the cat's gaze. Parapsychologists do not believe that a demon can penetrate you through it. Or the gaze of this small animal can bewitch you. However, it is not recommended to play staring contest with a cat. After this, you may feel some low mood or fatigue. This can be explained by the effort it takes for a person to concentrate in order to play such “games”.
Parapsychologists do not recommend looking cats closely in the eyes
It's all about body language
Context is key when trying to understand why your cat is looking at you. The same expression will likely mean one thing if your cat is happy and something completely different if your cat is angry or upset.
As a result, you can't view a cat's views in a vacuum. They are just a piece of their behavioral puzzle, and you will need to look at all the pieces together to try to understand what your pet is thinking.
Image Credit: Thomas Bormann, Unsplash
However, it's not surprising that your cat will stare at you no matter how she's feeling. Cats are visual creatures and rely on their eyes to hunt. You really can't turn off this behavior.
Does this mean your cat is hunting you? Not necessarily - but they've probably thought about it once or twice. However, there are probably other reasons why they are watching, so let's look at those first.
Main features of a cat's eyes
The cat's gaze itself is unusual for a person and raises many questions in him. It is difficult to determine his expression and understand where exactly he is directed so closely. This gives people strange feelings and makes the cat's gaze mysterious to humans.
A cat's gaze is unusual for humans
This is due to the structural features of the visual apparatus. It seems as if cats are looking through you and at the same time at everything around them at once. In addition, some are concerned about the ability of her eyes to glow brightly in the dark. They are especially frightened when the pupil glows red, which only enhances the mystical feeling. This is typical for cats with any eye color: both blue-eyed and green-eyed.
All these strange looks are simply explained from the point of view of physiology and have nothing to do with magic and the other world.
Cats' pupils dilate in the dark, which has given rise to various superstitions.
Physiological features of the visual apparatus of cats:
- Large eyes relative to their body;
- The eyes have no eyelashes;
- Large viewing angle – 185 degrees;
- A cat does not have a clear boundary between peripheral and direct vision, like a human. Her gaze does not focus on anything specific.
- Up close, the cat sees nothing and navigates by smell;
- In bright light she sees worse and her pupils become smaller;
- Sees well into the distance - can see a small object at a distance of 60 meters.
The other side of the coin
Cats were not always or everywhere associated with evil. For example, in Ancient Egypt they were especially revered animals. The Egyptians loved these graceful and independent creatures. Each pharaoh had a pair of cats. They were cared for and worshiped. The most ancient rock paintings eloquently testify to this.
Japanese emperors also treated cats with special reverence. In China there is a saying that every merchant has his own pet. If it is not there, it is a bad trader.
There is an opinion that a cat has some kind of connection with the other world, which a person cannot see. Using a special channel, the animal receives information. Agree, it’s not very pleasant to know that your pet chats in the evenings with someone you can’t see. However, there is no scientific confirmation of this.
Why do you dream of a cat's eyes?
In different dream books, the dream about cat's eyes is interpreted differently.
In Miller's dream book, seeing a cat and looking into its eyes at the same time means that failures and even troubles await you in the future. You need to be careful when starting new things.
In Vanga’s dream book, seeing the eyes of a cat in a dream means that quarrels with family and friends await you, even to the point of breaking family ties. If in a dream you try to catch a cat that looked at you, then this action will attract an enemy into your life who will destroy your life.
Dream books interpret the meaning of cat's eyes differently
In Tsvetkov’s dream book, a cat’s gaze calls you to actions that will solve accumulated problems.
In the Muslim (Islamic) dream book, a cat is one of the most complex symbols. The meaning of the dream depends on who saw the dream. For a woman, the look of a cat seen in a dream promises harmony in close relationships. For a man - a pleasant and unexpected acquaintance in an unusual place.
In Freud's dream book, a dream about a cat's gaze speaks of emotional excitement and anticipation of a love date.
What to do
If your cat's staring is bothering you, the only way to stop it is to find out what's causing it. Once you understand what's behind the behavior, you can give your cat what she wants and end the problem once and for all.
Of course, there may not be a single reason. One day your cat may be looking at you for one reason and the next day looking at you for a completely different reason. You'll just need to use context clues to figure out what your kitty wants.
Either that, or you can live being stared at like a regular celebrity. It's your choice.
Posted by Christian Adams An American expat living in Metro Manila, Philippines for over a decade, Christian is a lifelong cat lover and the proud father of two rescue cats, Trixie and Chloe. Both girls used to be among the crowds of homeless people who roam the cities and countryside. Three-year-old Trixie was rescued from a litter found under a neighbor's porch, and two-year-old Chloe was brought home by Christian's young son, Henry, who discovered the crying kitten in the parking lot.
Prohibition from a biological point of view
Human vision is different from that of cats. People do not have peripheral vision; in order to see something, they need to move their eyes to this object. If he does not do this, the object will remain unclear to him. A cat, on the contrary, sees everything with peripheral vision and does not need to look into a person’s eyes to see where he is looking.
From a cat's point of view, staring exudes aggressive energy.
Therefore, you should not look your pets in the eye. This look can cause them stress. He sees you perfectly well anyway.
Features of cat vision
The animal we love looks at 295 degrees at once. This means he notices twice or three times more than what people notice. Therefore, their gaze constantly jumps from one thing to another, lingering longer only on an object that evokes some strong associations. Hope, danger, too sudden movement (here is the hunting instinct, which persists even among the lazy). Equipped with “headlight eyes,” the animal is attracted to dark places (mice hide there).
Information about the image comes from both cat's eyes at once. A direct glance provides very little information. And the cat is instinctively afraid that it will miss something important. At the same time, the human “persistent” eye begins to distract her from the usual observation “of everything at once” (read section 1). As a result, some irritation and stress sets in. We have to change the disposition. The cat, wagging its tail contemptuously, runs away into another room, protecting itself from a possible attack (all this is suggested to it not by an analysis of the situation, but by an innate instinct).
The main reasons not to look a cat in the eyes for too long in terms of anatomy
The cat does not like to be looked at closely in the eyes. And this is explained by anatomical and physiological reasons. Human and cat eyes differ in their ability to see the central region and the peripheral region.
Human vision is central, that is, focused on a specific object. Objects located on the periphery of focus are seen indistinctly and blurry. In order to see it, a person must shift the focus from the center to the periphery, which, in turn, becomes the center, and everything else goes to the periphery.
With a cat everything is different. She sees at once the entire picture of the area available to her. It has a unique feature, inaccessible to humans - to see everything “out of the corner of the eye.”
Both sections of vision, central and peripheral, are not separated, they practically merge. Therefore, she sees all objects within a viewing angle of 185 degrees. The cat does not need to concentrate its attention on any specific object, because it already sees them clearly, including the owner’s gaze. If it seems to you that the animal is looking into the distance and not noticing anything, then it only seems. It sees everything that happens within a radius of 185 degrees and reacts to everything that happens in this area.
Do you think your cat can't see you? Take a closer look! :)
These anatomical features explain why a cat can suddenly react aggressively to an unexpected gaze. It is incomprehensible to her and can be perceived as a danger and a challenge to defensive or aggressive actions.
Features of vision explain why a cat’s gaze seems unusual, magical or even mystical to people.
Causes
- The cat is curious . This is one of the most common reasons why cats stare at people. Let's face it, you must seem especially strange to your cat. No wonder they want to stare at you from time to time. If you're doing something you don't normally do, your cat probably just wants to know what's going on.
- The cat wants something . The cat may be trying to tell you that it wants something from you, such as attention or food. They may also wave or meow in an attempt to get your attention. This may be a learned behavior rather than an innate one - which is a good way of saying that your cat thinks you're an easy target.
- The cat is bored . If your cat lacks stimulation, she may ask you to provide it. The good news is that staring at you is preferable to other ways your cat may cope with boredom, such as shredding your couch.
- A cat needs confidence . Cats feel sad and anxious just like people—and like people, they seek external sources of comfort. However, your cat has no other options to find a sympathetic shoulder, so she will turn to you. If there have been big changes and upheavals in your home recently, your cat may be feeling stressed, causing her to look at you more often.
- The cat is worried about the owner . Despite your already established weirdness, you represent your cat's entire world. They understand that they rely on you for food, shelter, entertainment and much more, and sometimes they are afraid of losing you. After all, you regularly leave them for hours at a time—what if you don't come back? They may stare at you to gauge your presence while you're around. Cats also tend to reflect your emotional state, so if you are calm and confident, your cat will eventually be the same.
- The cat is sleeping . We don't want to burst your bubble, but maybe you're not as interesting as you think. Some cats sleep with their eyes partially open, so they can catch multiple z's while pointing in your general direction.
- The cat is injured . With some injuries, the cat's eyes stare blankly straight ahead. These injuries can be caused by a variety of things, but the most likely cause is high blood pressure. Take a look at your cat's pupils. If they are dilated, you may want to take your cat to the vet for a check.
Image Credit: Caleb Woods, Unsplash
A few simple rules of conduct when making eye contact with cats
Considering the peculiarities of a cat's vision, experts do not recommend looking closely into the eyes of these little descendants of lions. Knowing the characteristics of a furry pet, the owner will not strive to establish eye contact with it.
A domestic cat also loves its owner. He licks him, recognizing him as a friend, and looks away without showing aggression. But at the same time she experiences discomfort, since the gaze is unpleasant to her. Knowledge of the psychology of a loving creature will help owners maintain good relationships with their pets.
You need to communicate with pets without making eye contact. It is better not to look at them closely, so as not to irritate the animal.
Sensing danger, street cats prefer to simply run away. But sometimes they can attack, deciding that they need to defend themselves
With outdoor cats, remember that direct eye contact means a challenge. Cats with a fighting character can attack. Although they usually understand whose side is strong. But the hopelessness of the situation, for example, there is nowhere to retreat, can cause aggressive behavior.
Myths about the cat's gaze
Its origins date back to Ancient Egypt. And this was associated with the cat goddess Bast, who was believed to hold the connection between the human world and the other world, silently overcoming these boundaries. This is where the belief came from that, by looking into her eyes, a person looks into the underworld. And only her equals could look into the clear eyes of the goddess. All others who allowed themselves to raise their gaze to the deity faced a terrible punishment.
Egyptian cat goddess Bast
Over time, cats spread from Ancient Egypt to Ancient Rome and further to Europe, where each family rejoiced in its hunter. But the dark Middle Ages came, when cats, as servants of the devil, often with their mistresses, who were assigned the regalia of witches, were burned at the stake by the Inquisition. It was then that the myth about the inadmissibility of looking a cat directly in the eyes was finally strengthened. So that the unclean does not enter a person and drag him into a noose or into a river.
Myths were born one after another. If you kiss a cat on the face, your energy will go away. I saw cat’s eyes in a dream, according to the dream book - this is a warning about grief, misfortune, failure. Be careful. Beware of evil spirits. The appearance of the photograph also did not spare the cat. Even an animal accidentally caught in the frame promised terrible troubles or death. Not to mention taking a special photo with your tailed pet, who will look at the people in the photograph with his own eyes. Then troubles certainly cannot be avoided.
One cannot help but recall fairy tales about witches who always had black cats with glowing eyes, which served them as an attribute of witchcraft. After all, this color has always been associated with the devil and mysticism.
In ancient, pagan Rus', cats were also not held in high esteem. She was considered a dark force that could not be allowed into the bathhouse. Because it was very hot there, this place was associated with hell. And the animals, acquiring their true appearance there, could begin to speak in a human voice. And, having met the gaze of such a werewolf, those nearby went crazy or died immediately.
How to look at a cat correctly: the opinion of veterinarians
According to veterinarians, it is better not to make eye contact with a stray cat. To prevent her from perceiving direct gaze as a threat, you should blink slowly and slowly look away. Everyone saw how rival street cats looked at each other for a long time with an unblinking gaze, emitting a guttural howl. If an opponent who is unsure of himself lowers his gaze, it means the animal is not ready for a fight, but this does not mean that there will be no fight.
The animal immediately sees the entire available picture of the area. It has a unique feature, inaccessible to humans - to see everything “out of the corner of the eye.”
If you feel that your gaze has aroused anger in the yard cat, do not immediately look away. First, blink, sneeze, look to the side. Or demonstratively turn away and pick up an object. By doing this, you will make it clear that you do not want to enter into conflict.
What if your cat looks into your eyes?
As previously said, looking closely into a cat’s eyes instinctively causes discomfort and nervous stress in him, which is incomprehensible to humans. But sometimes the tailed pet itself tries to look into the eyes of a person. He does this when he expects to get food or a treat.
If a cat looks into your eyes, then it wants something from you: food, affection, or it’s just interesting to watch what you’re doing.
Narrow pupils
If your pet's pupils suddenly and sharply constrict, this is a sign of extreme arousal. It can be caused by many reasons. You can understand the one that currently caused the effect by “additional indicators”, such as the position of the tail, ears, and body.
- Most often, constricted pupils show emotions such as anger and anger. The animal is in a bad mood. At the same time, the ears are tense and turned back. The mustache, on the contrary, is directed forward. The muscles are tense, the fur is raised. Often, the cat makes threatening sounds;
- but this is not the only reason. Constriction of the pupils can be caused, for example, by the smell of your favorite food or the appearance of another feline in the house;
- if the pupils are narrow, but the animal slightly closes its eyelids, purrs blissfully and lies calmly on your lap, it is blissful;
- Of course, we cannot fail to mention that bright light always leads to constriction of the pupils, and not only in cats.
How cats are treated in other countries
In ancient Egypt, the goddess Bastet was revered, who had two incarnations: a woman with the head of a cat and a woman with the head of a lion. They supposedly exist on the border of two worlds: the human world and the afterlife. The good incarnation is the patroness of love, the hearth, and a symbol of fertility. And a woman with the head of a lion is an evil and aggressive embodiment that can destroy a person.
Goddess Bastet in the form of a cat
The ancient Egyptians considered the cat to be the earth's equivalent of the moon. And if you look closely into the eyes of the goddess Bastet, this will be a sign of extreme disrespect for the moon and the sacred gods. Because of this, an unwary person can end up in the afterlife and remain there forever.
Goddess Bastet in the guise of a lioness
Cats are very curious creatures. Being in the apartment for a long time, they watch their household for a long time, happily accepting affection and kind attitude. Ancient signs do not mean that they are associated with evil.
Modern science explains in detail the features of their vision, which were incomprehensible to ancient people and frightened them. These sciences help owners find the right approach to their pets: shaggy Persians, long-haired Maine Coons, hairless Sphynxes.
According to scientists, there are about 400 million domestic cats living on the planet. Americans have the most of these animals. But Australia ranks first in the number of tailed households. In this country, every 10 people keep 9 cats.
Among Asian countries, Indonesia ranks first. There are more than 30 million cats in this country for 270 million inhabitants.
For a long time, cats had a hard time in Vietnam, where these animals were eaten. However, when countless mice bred in this country, destroying grain and rice, the country's president ordered the closure of restaurants serving cat meat.
France is also cruel to cats. In France there is a law according to which a kitten that has not been purchased within a month is of no use to anyone and is euthanized. In Belgium, on the contrary, there is a special holiday for pets. On this day, carnivals, dances are held, and performances featuring black cats and puss in boots are shown.
The Muslim religion does not like dogs, but respects cats. The prophet Magomed himself adored them. He even added the title of father of cats to his many titles.
A little history
The cat was domesticated by humans about 10,000 years ago. At this time, the transition from nomadic to sedentary life began. A small animal was ideal for living in one place. It was of great benefit in exterminating small rodents in the house. The skeleton of an ancient cat was found in a Cypriot burial dating back to 7500 BC.
This is evidence of the domestication of the animal at this time and in this place. Around this time, the cat entered the service of humans, helped preserve the harvest, and fought with birds and rodents. At the same time, its small size did not require a large amount of food. Often there was enough food obtained by hunting in the house, in barns, in the barnyard.
There are different points of view regarding the domestication of cats. Some believe that man persistently and consistently tamed her ancestors to live together. He derived practical benefit from this. The cat helped preserve the harvest and at the same time was an easy and undemanding companion, affectionate and pleasant to talk to.
Other researchers believe that the process of bringing cats closer to humans was due to its intelligence. The animal understood that a human home would protect it from the wild and provide comfort to its offspring. And at the same time, it is convenient for hunting small rodents.
The mysticism of a cat's gaze
Many mystical properties are attributed to the cat's gaze - it seems that the tailed ones, looking at people or staring at an object for a long time, see something otherworldly.
In ancient times, people determined the time of day by the size of their pet’s pupil, and many years later, when photography was invented, many carried cats with them and used them as an exposure meter.
By and large, the mystical look of a cat is just a feature of the construction of the pupil, which changes width depending on the amount of sunlight entering it. So, for example, at bright noon the tailed pupil will be maximally constricted, and at midnight it will be maximally dilated, which allows the animal to “shine with its eyes” and see in the dark.
By the look of an animal you can determine what mood it is in today...
- If the tailed cat's eyes are wide open and the pupils are dilated, it means that the cat does not trust those present.
- If the eyes are slightly closed, the animal is completely relaxed.
- Also, the animal will open its eyes wide in anticipation of a tasty meal, and dilated pupils may indicate anxiety and aggressiveness.
