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New Study: Cats Have 276 Facial Expressions
Cats have 276 distinct facial expressions, a discovery that turns on its head. A new joint study by the School of Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas, and Department of Psychology, Lyon College, Arkansas, U.S.A. looks at how cats interact with each other, and with us. The joint analysis revealed 26 unique muscle movements that, in various combinations, created 276 facial expressions. The results categorized 46 percent of expressions as friendly, while 37 were unfriendly, and 17 fell into both categories. Most previous research on facial signaling in cats has focused on interactions between cats and humans or assessing when a cat is in pain. The new study takes that a step further by analyzing how cats interact with one another. A domestic cat walks along the cornice of a house next to a forest, and a Night-flowering Jasmine flower falls on the cornice from a nearby tree at Tehatta, West Bengal, India on 10/11/2023. (Photo by Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto)
Photo Details
| Photo ID | #10773489 |
|---|---|
| Date Taken | |
| Location | N/A |
| Photographer | Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto |
| Category | Human Interest |
| Copyright | © 2026 NurPhoto - Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto |
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NurPhoto
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