What Does the Face Say?

Bossanova’s worried face is less about his place in the Single-Wide and more about whether anyone brought him chicken! KN

Cat-lovers quickly get used to reading feline body-language.

When Horatio first came to us, we saw a lot of both the angry and the fearful cat – PH

Happy tails say “Dinner time!” – TS

Some of it is very obvious – the raised back and puffy tail says “angry”; the erect tail and body rubbing against human ankles says “happy”; the hiss and fangs say “stay back!” – and there are many other subtleties in the way the body reacts. Actual vocalizing is a very small part of cat-communication – many visitors are surprised by how quiet the Sanctuary is.

Creamsicle – MW

But the actual feline face, for the most part, can best be described as “resting bitch-face” – not because that’s a mood that cats are in, but just that their mouths tend to turn downwards. For the majority of cats, life (from their faces) appears to be a serious business

Celine Dion – MW

If it’s not serious, sometimes it’s downright hard! Look at these sad faces (none of whom are really sad cats)

Cadbury – KN

Leland feels that life is tough – MW

But just occasionally there’s sunshine in the smile. Sometimes that’s because of the cat’s fur markings – a shading below the chin can have the effect of changing the mouth shape.