Fussy little furry friends who are super unpredictable in nature, cats are unique. And what if this friend winks at you for no reason apparently?
All felines are different, including their habits of winking.
For example, some start with the eyes open wide and then close them halfway as they contact the eye.
In short, cats are quirky, and this quirkiness can leave the owner perplexed and wondering why a cat did what it did?
Should you be worried about it? Let’s find out!
Why Do Cats Wink?
Though it’s peculiar, cats can wink if their second eyelid is dry or if they’re suffering from eye infections and ailments. Otherwise, a winking cat can simply mean it’s sleepy or it is its way of showing affection to its fur parent.
Cats and What Their Winking Means
Here are the following reasons why cats might wink at you:
Palpebra Tertia’s Dry
Palpebra Tertia, or also known as the nictitating membrane, is like a cat’s second eyelid that protects the cornea from any damage.
A cat’s eyelid may blink instead of palpebra tertia in case the membrane becomes dry.
The eyelid blinks in place of the membrane to give it more time to restore hydration. This is what may seem like “winking” to the cat owner.
The blinking of the eyelid is temporary and stops when the membrane is properly moistened.
Eye Infections and Ailments
Eye infections are common in cats. These infections cause irritation in the eye and make it hard to see for the cat.
A common eye infection that cats can experience is pink eye.
Pink eye is a condition where the feline’s eye membrane is infected by bacteria. It’s one of the reasons your cat might be blinking all day.
The blinking of a cat must be misunderstood by winking in this case.
Another eye condition that can mistake a cat for winking is corneal ulcers.
Corneal ulcers cause difficulty in the vision of cats. These ulcers create a cloudy, blurry vision for our feline friends, hence prompting them to squint.
Sleepy cat
It simply implies that your cat needs to sleep or is in an extremely relaxed mood if it is slightly opening its eyes right after blinking.
This also indicates that your cat trusts you a lot in that specific environment.
Ensuring Trust
Apart from infections, cats really do wink at their owner. This is their way to show gestures for gratitude, trust, and loyalty to the owner.
If you engage with your cat often, play with them and stroke their back, they might blink at you soon (with one eye or both eyes) as a gesture of affection.
Other Interesting Cat Behaviors
Now that we’ve debunked the reason behind a cat’s winking, let’s dive deeper and learn more about other peculiar habits and behaviors felines have.
- Cats snooze up to 16 hours daily.
- According to experts, a very slow wink from a cat is a sign or gesture of gratitude, contentment, and trust in the owner. This is called a “kitty kiss”.
- Surprisingly, many cats are lactose intolerant and cannot digest milk besides their mother’s.
- Cat’s purring might be a gesture that they are happy and relieved.
- According to veterinarians, cats are crepuscular, meaning they’re more active at dawn and during dusk.
Spending all your free time with your cat and you will still be unaware of many interesting cat facts.
For instance, according to Layla Morgan Wilde, “a cat behavior expert, a house cat’s genome is 95.6 percent tiger.”
For example, the habit of “bunting” that is discussed later on in the article, is associated with bigger feline cats like lions and tigers.
But still, it won’t be wrong to say that nobody knows cats better than the cat owners themselves.
Kitty antics aren’t a new story, but if you are a new pet owner and your first pet is a cat, then might witness many weird cat behaviors that may leave you confused.
Spending all your free time with your cat and you will still be unaware of many interesting cat facts.
Some of the most peculiar habits cats have are:
Eating non-food items
Cats can sometimes habitually eat non-food items such as:
- Wool
- Cloth
- Inedible plastic
- Metal
This condition is known as pica, which is “a compulsive eating disorder of eating non-food items”.
The reason for cats having such a condition is still unknown. However, there can be other reasons such as:
- Mineral deficiencies
- Anemia
- Hyperthyroidism
- Genetics
- Boredom
- Stress.
Some of the possible treatments for pica in cats are:
- Social interaction
- Playing interactive games
- Multiple small meals instead of having two large meals in a day
- Use of bitterants
Bunting
To mark their territory, cats run their head on other things, including their owner.
This habit of cats arises from the day they are born and kneading and rubbing their mother. Bunting can also be categorized as a variation of scent rubbing.
Knocking things for no reason
You might have witnessed your cat smacking your stuff off the surface.
According to experts, this is because cats are inherently hunters.
If you see your cat throwing your cup off the table, you now know that it is nothing but cats projecting their own instinct on random things that are in the house.
Chattering at birds
Ever noticed your cat chattering to a bird sitting on a tree bark?
Behaviorists still aren’t sure of why cats make a weird clicking sound whenever they see a bird outside.
Experts speculate that this is due to their hunting instincts. The cats are probably frustrated that they do not get to hunt and are stuck in one place.
Conclusion
There are only a few specific reasons why your cat might wink at you. So it will not be hard for you to identify the cause and do something about it.
If it’s due to the cat’s relaxed mood or just a gesture of affection, then well and good.
And if the cat is consistent in blinking its eye, considering visiting a veterinarian and tell them your cat’s medical history so that they can truly help the cat with the winking problem.
Cats are precious animals and need extra care due to their peculiar defensive nature. Make sure you love your feline pals a little more.