I had a conversation recently with a friend about a superstition that exists. It\u2019s said, looking into a cats eyes will send you to hell. I\u2019d heard of other myths along similar lines; that looking into a cats eyes causes you bad luck or sends you to another dimension, so I reflected a little on stories I\u2019ve heard surrounding the subject and why they exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s actually a very simple behavioural reason people shouldn\u2019t directly stare at a cat and certainly not make prolonged eye contact. And that reason is that to cats, as a general rule, that interaction is viewed as hostility. A series of long, slow blinks when they\u2019re confronted with another one cat. And studies indicate that they indicate human counterparts as in effect larger, clumsier cats. So it would stand to reason the easiest way to set a cat at ease is to use the physical communication technique they use with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below is a link showing a well known cat behaviourist illustrating the slow blink technique:<\/p>\n\n\n\n