How to speak cat without treats? Try this simple science-backed trick

For five years, I’ve tried to get my mother-in-law’s cat Ziggy to at least tolerate my presence, forget about loving me. She prowls away and sometimes has even given me a sharp thwack, if I try holding her. She loves everyone else nevertheless, clearly they’re doing something right.

But I might finally win Ziggy over with a…blink? Or so, research says.  This week, a new study in Nature revealed that the way to a cat’s heart might just be… a blink. Psychologists in the United Kingdom studied dozens of cats with healthy eyesight to see how they react to ‘slow blinks.’ What’s a slow blink? Think a series of half-blinks followed by a gentle narrowing of the eyes—or even a full, relaxed eye closure.

The results: Cats were much more likely to return the favor when their owners slow-blinked at them. Even more surprisingly, when strangers tried the same technique, previously wary felines were more likely to approach.

In other words, slow blinking works wonders whether you’re a familiar face or a total stranger. Researchers think this proves that cats interpret slow blinks from humans as a friendly, positive signal.

Here’s how the experiments went:

So if you’ve ever wondered how to bond with your cat, try a relaxed, slow blink—it’s basically cat-language for “I like you.” And while researchers caution that the study’s small sample means more research is needed to fully understand feline feelings, it’s hard not to have fun practicing this at home.

It’s almost as fun as figuring out whether your cat is right- or left-pawed.

I’ve got new things to try with Ziggy.