Source checked 12 November 2026. PawLine editorial team. Not professionally reviewed.
Educational information, not veterinary or individual behavior advice. A slow blink does not diagnose eye health or authorize touching. Do not hold, corner or provoke a cat for a response. Ask your veterinary team about health or behavior concerns.
The study uses specific movement terms
In the paper, a half-blink narrows the eyelids without fully closing them. A slow-blink sequence can include half-blinks followed by prolonged narrowing or closure. The researchers coded movements from video; a casual glance at home is not the same measurement method.
A label is not a diagnosis
Writing narrowed eyes describes an observation. Writing healthy eyes or only affection makes a conclusion the observation cannot support. This site does not determine why a cat is squinting or whether an eye needs care.
The sample excluded eye-related conditions
Cats with partial blindness, visual impairment or medical issues involving the eyes were not included in the experiments. That matters: the results cannot be used to classify eye symptoms as a harmless social signal.
Keep the veterinary question separate
If you have an eye-health concern, contact your veterinary team. Do not wait for a blink back, attempt a touch test or use a temporary note to decide whether care is needed. The note can preserve a question, not answer it clinically.
Sources and limits
Humphrey and colleagues: The role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat-human communication