sticking a finger out for them to sniff and rub against is another good one. hypothesis is that it's not dissimilar from the way cats bump noses and rub their scent off on each other

I also like making myself small and crouching and being as still as possible. I've befriended many skittish feline this way

I really like cats :)

I do all that plus I growl, hiss, rub my nose/cheeks against theirs, lick and groom their neck and forehead area just like cats. I imitate a dozen more cat behaviours.

I'm blessed with a lot of stray cats and slow-blinking alone helped me become friends with the most feral and aggressive tomcats here.

Toxoplasmosis

Original comment got deleted so I assume it was about parasitic/bacterial infection? Not something I lose sleep over because my risk appetite is pretty high. The actual danger is physical. A muscular alpha male cat can overpower my hands for a couple of seconds and that's all it takes to get bitten or scratched deep. I've had some fairly significant injuries to my face over the years.

I do wash wounds thoroughly though because that part can go bad fast e.g. a finger bite killed this man: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-11538087/Man-killed-p...

My apartment bans all pets. The agent even told me I can't keep fish. I really wish I could fall asleep next to a cat. Their purring is absolutely mesmerizing.

Do saltwater aquariums fall under pets? Technically they're animals, but maybe they're not defined as such in your contract.

Just an idea if you want some kind of animal hobby :)

> Do saltwater aquariums fall under pets? Technically they're animals, but maybe they're not defined as such in your contract.

I don't see how an aquarium is an animal??? It's just glass/maybe plastic and framing.

Anyway, probably a saltwater acquarium is ok, unless you fill it or have something living in it. Acquariums with water are often specifically prohibited because of the posibility of failure and subsequent water damage.

Just experienced this with one of the reclining mountain lions at the San Diego Zoo; the same two short blinks followed by an extended slow blink in response to my own. There were others nearby but we alone seemed to be “sharing that moment”.

Anyone tried this with a stray cat? Wonder if it works before they get used to people.

It worked for me. I've tried it with feral cats who had essentially zero human interaction history, and I made great progress without involving food or other trust-making processes.

It's not a magic bullet but more of an amplifier. Cats probably use far many data points alongside to assess safety.

Growing up with cats I feel like I just learned this naturally.

Me, too. Conversely, my wife seems to have little intuition for what cats or dogs are feeling. She grew up without any animals. It's probably like human language - fluency is more likely to be achieved in childhood.

Another cat one is that i’m pretty about is that sitting or sleeping in another's usual spot is in no way a sign of dominance.

My cats do this to each other and it’s clearly taken as an invitation for affection by the other cat. They’ll sit in my chair and be happy when i gently wiggle in with them too.

It leads to a lot of stolen dog beds due to the interspecies communication barrier but i’m absolutely convinced it’s not the assholery it’s perceived to be. Merely a miscommunication.

Now a double-blind scientific study must be performed to evaluate the effectiveness of pspsps.

This is common knowledge among cat owners. Slow blink is the closest signal to "I love you".

> I trust you so much I choose to momentarily close my eyes in your presence. I know you won't rip me apart with your claws, although you have the capacity to do so as a predator.

I didn't realize they kept their eyes half open, though. Will try that next time I meet a cat.

I’ve been slow blinking at every cat I meet for years, I swear by it haha

slow blink?, didnt hear this one before!

try locking eyes and NOT blinking, you will need to channel every last bit of malevolent evil you got, but the hissy fit is worth it!

or in exceptionaly high stress situations looking AT the cat(wild, ferral,10lb tom trapped in the porch), but not focusing on it's eyes, untill it tucks its head, step OVER it and open the outside door, and it bolts so fast it leaves a cartoon puff of hair.

the search for intelligent life in the universe should be looking around, not up.

My mum calls them cat kisses, and we do it with other cats too, lol!

The other movement—weirdly more prevalent among American than European cats?—is looking away after the slow blink.

It also seems to work on nervous small dogs.

Yes, sometimes when your cat is looking at you like it’s half asleep, it’s really expressing its comfort with you.

Ooh now I miss my kitty