Is Your Cat Acting Aloof? Do This, And You’ll Be Best Buds In No Time
Stop struggling to bribe, pet, and (cat) nip your way into the hearts of frigid felines once and for all.

Let’s face it; we all feel judged by cats.
You know how it is.
You start a new relationship, they have a cat, and casually mention that they judge people based on how the cat takes to them. (Cut to jerky cat acting repulsed by you.)
Or you go to your friend’s house for the millionth time, and the cat still acts like they don’t know you.

Or maybe it’s your cat.
You saved that poor creature from a cruel life on the streets only to have them take you for granted and treat you like dirt. Like some common snuggle whore and meal ticket.
Stop struggling to bribe, stroke, and (cat) nip your way into the heart of these frigid felines once and for all. Science says the solution might be easier than you think.
A new study in the Nature journal Scientific Reports shows that it is possible to make a cat like you more.

You can instantly win over that cranky creature if you do this one thing.
The discovery of this secret bonding signal happened through a combination of experiments.
The first showed that cats give their owners this signal if their owners give it to them first. It also demonstrated that it’s not something the cats usually do if they’re not interacting with anyone.
Next, a researcher from the psychology team found the cats were more likely to approach their outstretched hand after giving the cat “the signal,” compared to when they hadn’t.
Data collected in the combined studies was proof that cats and people can bond over positive communication.
So how exactly does one manifest this magic, you ask?
It’s a slow blink.
Yes, a slow…blink!
You can have a better relationship with your cat by using an eye narrowing technique with them.
It’s called a “cat smile,” and it makes people more appealing to cats.

Here’s how you do it:
Narrow your eyes like you would in a relaxed smile, then close your eyes for a couple of seconds.
That’s all there is to it.

(Full disclosure, I tried this with my cat, who already likes me, and I couldn’t get her to look me in the eye, so I don’t know if I was able to make her like me more.)
But maybe if you came across a feral cat, this might make them more comfortable around you, or if a friend has a cat that always treats you like sh*t, you could try it on them and see if they loosen up a bit.
In any case, here are a few more things we know about cats:
- “Solicitation Purring” is the manipulative purring cats use to get and keep our attention.
- Cat’s know their names.
- Your cat knows when you’re sad and will try to make you feel better by rubbing up against you. (I’ve experienced this myself.)

So if you want to impress your local neighborhood cat lady, remember the slow blink when you get invited over for tea.
If you do, she and her fur babies will be friends for life.
Thanks for reading!😊
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