The world around us is full of secrets and mysteries. The animal world is surprisingly wide, moreover, humanity has yet to uncover the intrigues of this unsurpassed magic of nature. And cats are one of these mysteries. But as with other animals, you should be very careful with cats. One of the topics discussed is why you can’t look a cat in the eye. In this article we will look at the mystical and scientific reasons why you should not look a cat in the eyes.
Is it possible to look a cat in the eyes?
Cats have been living next to humans for a long time, but they always remain a mystery to them. A huge number of signs and superstitions are associated with them. Some say that it is absolutely forbidden to look a cat in the eyes. Others, on the contrary, encourage eye contact with the animal.
In some countries, cats were considered divine creatures, an incomprehensible mystery, and in others, on the contrary, they were considered messengers of the afterlife, capable of bringing misfortune.
One of the beliefs is that it is forbidden to look its owner in the eye. Let's look at why.
Myths about the cat's gaze
Our ancestors considered cats to be everything: divine beings, accomplices of the devil, closest friends and associates of brownies, noble healers and oracles. It all started in Ancient Egypt, where, according to historians, cats were first domesticated. True, they themselves probably didn’t consider themselves as such (it’s just that no one thought to ask them), but graciously agreed to live next to the person. This was beneficial for them, since small rodents, their usual food, were found in abundance near the grain reserves. Catching these creatures in a field or forest is much more difficult, but next to a barn it is very easy, you just need to wait, and the stupid little animal will get into its paws on its own.
In the Egyptian pantheon, the cat goddess Bast (Bastet) occupied a prominent place. This was the daughter of Osiris and Isis, who was responsible neither more nor less for the connection between the human world and the other world. The Egyptians attributed the ability to exchange information with transcendental beings and dead ancestors, to freely and silently cross the boundaries between worlds in both directions to all earthly incarnations of the goddess. It also served as the basis for the emergence and development of the belief about the peculiarities of a cat’s gaze. Looking into the other world without urgent need is still dangerous.
There is another explanation for the fact that the myth that you should not look a cat in the eye was born in Ancient Egypt. Bast was a highly revered goddess, in some regions she was considered the head of the pantheon. And you can only look straight into the eyes of an equal being. Raising one's gaze to the deity was considered unacceptable and blasphemous. The gods could seriously punish such behavior.
From Egypt, cats spread to Europe, and there their lives were initially happy: peasants quickly appreciated their hunting potential. Then came the dark Middle Ages, and life-hating Christians recorded cats as enemies of the human race. They were accused of having connections with the devil and were burned in batches at the stake. Often together with housewives, whom the sickly followers of Comrade Torquemada recognized as witches. Of course, it is dangerous to look into the eyes of the devil’s servants: what kind of damage can this creature cause, what kind of troubles does visual contact threaten - all these questions worried the people of that time. The inhabitants did not seek to find out the answers to them on their own skin. The myth about the inadmissibility of looking a cat straight in the eye has only become stronger in these sad times.
TOP 5 tips on why you shouldn’t look cats in the eyes
- Cats and magic are inseparable. They know the past and the future. Therefore, it is believed that their eyes are a mirror of fate. If you look at them for a long time, you can change future events. But in what direction they will change is unknown to man. Therefore, it is better to avoid such views.
- There is a superstition that you should especially beware of the eyes of a black cat. Demons can inhabit them. A close look will allow demons to move into a person, damage household members, or lead to loss of money.
- According to another myth, a cat sees a brownie in the dark and loves to play with it at night. You can’t disturb her, because the game makes the brownie kinder.
- According to another sign, you should not look a cat in the eyes, as you may make enemies. The animal experiences discomfort and, defending itself, can cause trouble.
- In the Middle Ages, it was believed that making eye contact and kissing an animal drained its life force. This can be explained by the fact that in those days there were big problems with hygiene, and diseases were transmitted through a kiss and a person became worse. And people attached mystical significance to this.
Opinion from the scientific approach
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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> So why can’t you look into a cat’s eyes for a long time ? The scientific view regarding the issue of looking into the eyes of cats gives the following interpretation: predators do not like it when people look closely into their eyes - this is a direct signal of threat and danger. The pupil narrows, the cat is stressed. From time immemorial, cats in their natural habitat have made eye contact before fighting. If a person does not want his pet to perceive him with aggression, then he should submit to nature and not try to penetrate the cat’s soul with his gaze.
Let's say a person ignores a warning. Then the cat may consider him ready for a fight and scratch his face. If the animal is a domestic animal that loves its owner, then it is much more difficult for it: instincts scream about the threat of a fight, but touching its owner with claws can be fraught with consequences. The psychology of cats is such that if you look into the eyes of a wild animal, there will be no consequences. It’s quite mysterious, but the answer is simple: tailed strays have nothing to share with humans, but it’s quite possible to get a treat, so why show aggression?
There is also a simple explanation: the structure of the human eye allows you to switch from peripheral vision to direct vision by moving your gaze to an object. The cat's eye is structured differently - there is no clear line between the two types of vision. Her gaze does not focus on something specific, but sees the whole picture at once, which requires considerable concentration. The animal does not catch what exactly the person is looking at, so it can react unpredictably.
The cat, which is believed to have nine lives, is a mysterious creature according to legends and fairy tales of many peoples. Even if your pet has lived nearby all her life, you should not force her instincts to show aggression with direct gaze. Isn't it better to show respect and kindness to your four-legged pet by making life in your home comfortable?
Opinion of parapsychologists
Parapsychology today has also paid attention to the peculiarities of the cat's gaze. Parapsychologists do not believe that a demon can penetrate you through it. Or the gaze of this small animal can bewitch you. However, it is not recommended to play staring contest with a cat. After this, you may feel some low mood or fatigue. This can be explained by the effort it takes for a person to concentrate in order to play such “games”.
Parapsychologists do not recommend looking cats closely in the eyes
Main features of a cat's eyes
The cat's gaze itself is unusual for a person and raises many questions in him. It is difficult to determine his expression and understand where exactly he is directed so closely. This gives people strange feelings and makes the cat's gaze mysterious to humans.
A cat's gaze is unusual for humans
This is due to the structural features of the visual apparatus. It seems as if cats are looking through you and at the same time at everything around them at once. In addition, some are concerned about the ability of her eyes to glow brightly in the dark. They are especially frightened when the pupil glows red, which only enhances the mystical feeling. This is typical for cats with any eye color: both blue-eyed and green-eyed.
All these strange looks are simply explained from the point of view of physiology and have nothing to do with magic and the other world.
Cats' pupils dilate in the dark, which has given rise to various superstitions.
Physiological features of the visual apparatus of cats:
- Large eyes relative to their body;
- The eyes have no eyelashes;
- Large viewing angle – 185 degrees;
- A cat does not have a clear boundary between peripheral and direct vision, like a human. Her gaze does not focus on anything specific.
- Up close, the cat sees nothing and navigates by smell;
- In bright light she sees worse and her pupils become smaller;
- Sees well into the distance - can see a small object at a distance of 60 meters.
Mystical look of a cat
Take a closer look at these enchanting, mesmerizing cat eyes! Bottomless green, blue, blue, amber pools, sparkling with the mystical fire of the night! The cat's hypnotic gaze attracts and bewitches.
There is a feeling that a cat, looking somewhere, sees something beyond the control of human gaze. Maybe the furry pet actually has phenomenal abilities and “goes” into the portal of otherworldly entities?
The solution to magic is simple. It's about the structure of a cat's eyes. Thanks to developed peripheral vision, felines see the whole picture at once. They do not need to translate or focus their gaze from one point to another in order to appreciate the whole picture. This is what we humans do. And cats immediately cover everything visible in their field of vision. Therefore, there is a feeling of mysticism that the fluffy is looking into “nowhere” with a hypnotic gaze.
Adding a mysterious note is the ability of a cat’s pupil to contract. A cat's pupil changes width depending on the level of light. On a bright afternoon, with the lamps on, the tailed animals narrow the pupil, turning it into a narrow slit. And at dusk, the pupils dilate, opening as much as possible at night.
Interesting fact.
In ancient times, people determined daytime by the size of a cat's pupil. When the first cameras were invented, photographers took cats with them. The animals served as an exposure meter (a device for determining exposure time and aperture number).
The mood of the animal is determined by the cat's gaze. If the tailed animal’s eyes are open and the pupils are dilated, the animal does not trust and is wary of those present. Fluffy's eyes open wide at the sight of delicious food, but dilated pupils during the day are a sign of the animal's aggressiveness. With half-closed eyes, the cat is resting and in a relaxed state.
Why do you dream of a cat's eyes?
In different dream books, the dream about cat's eyes is interpreted differently.
In Miller's dream book, seeing a cat and looking into its eyes at the same time means that failures and even troubles await you in the future. You need to be careful when starting new things.
In Vanga’s dream book, seeing the eyes of a cat in a dream means that quarrels with family and friends await you, even to the point of breaking family ties. If in a dream you try to catch a cat that looked at you, then this action will attract an enemy into your life who will destroy your life.
Dream books interpret the meaning of cat's eyes differently
In Tsvetkov’s dream book, a cat’s gaze calls you to actions that will solve accumulated problems.
In the Muslim (Islamic) dream book, a cat is one of the most complex symbols. The meaning of the dream depends on who saw the dream. For a woman, the look of a cat seen in a dream promises harmony in close relationships. For a man - a pleasant and unexpected acquaintance in an unusual place.
In Freud's dream book, a dream about a cat's gaze speaks of emotional excitement and anticipation of a love date.
Prohibition from a biological point of view
Human vision is different from that of cats. People do not have peripheral vision; in order to see something, they need to move their eyes to this object. If he does not do this, the object will remain unclear to him. A cat, on the contrary, sees everything with peripheral vision and does not need to look into a person’s eyes to see where he is looking.
From a cat's point of view, staring exudes aggressive energy.
Therefore, you should not look your pets in the eye. This look can cause them stress. He sees you perfectly well anyway.
The main reasons not to look a cat in the eyes for too long in terms of anatomy
The cat does not like to be looked at closely in the eyes. And this is explained by anatomical and physiological reasons. Human and cat eyes differ in their ability to see the central region and the peripheral region.
Human vision is central, that is, focused on a specific object. Objects located on the periphery of focus are seen indistinctly and blurry. In order to see it, a person must shift the focus from the center to the periphery, which, in turn, becomes the center, and everything else goes to the periphery.
With a cat everything is different. She sees at once the entire picture of the area available to her. It has a unique feature, inaccessible to humans - to see everything “out of the corner of the eye.”
Both sections of vision, central and peripheral, are not separated, they practically merge. Therefore, she sees all objects within a viewing angle of 185 degrees. The cat does not need to concentrate its attention on any specific object, because it already sees them clearly, including the owner’s gaze. If it seems to you that the animal is looking into the distance and not noticing anything, then it only seems. It sees everything that happens within a radius of 185 degrees and reacts to everything that happens in this area.
Do you think your cat can't see you? Take a closer look! :)
These anatomical features explain why a cat can suddenly react aggressively to an unexpected gaze. It is incomprehensible to her and can be perceived as a danger and a challenge to defensive or aggressive actions.
Features of vision explain why a cat’s gaze seems unusual, magical or even mystical to people.
A few simple rules of conduct when making eye contact with cats
Considering the peculiarities of a cat's vision, experts do not recommend looking closely into the eyes of these little descendants of lions. Knowing the characteristics of a furry pet, the owner will not strive to establish eye contact with it.
A domestic cat also loves its owner. He licks him, recognizing him as a friend, and looks away without showing aggression. But at the same time she experiences discomfort, since the gaze is unpleasant to her. Knowledge of the psychology of a loving creature will help owners maintain good relationships with their pets.
You need to communicate with pets without making eye contact. It is better not to look at them closely, so as not to irritate the animal.
Sensing danger, street cats prefer to simply run away. But sometimes they can attack, deciding that they need to defend themselves
With outdoor cats, remember that direct eye contact means a challenge. Cats with a fighting character can attack. Although they usually understand whose side is strong. But the hopelessness of the situation, for example, there is nowhere to retreat, can cause aggressive behavior.
Old Russian justification for the view
In ancient Rus' there was also an ambiguous attitude towards cats. Some people, true believers, assumed that the cat was the work of the devil, the spawn of demons, devilry, and the like. Since this is “not a pure being,” it means that it is bad, carries evil and otherworldly energy. Anyone who is careless and looks a cat straight in the eye will be hypnotized and will also lose his soul and mind. Therefore, ancient Russian residents did not keep cats in their houses and tried to avoid them.
How to look at a cat correctly: the opinion of veterinarians
According to veterinarians, it is better not to make eye contact with a stray cat. To prevent her from perceiving direct gaze as a threat, you should blink slowly and slowly look away. Everyone saw how rival street cats looked at each other for a long time with an unblinking gaze, emitting a guttural howl. If an opponent who is unsure of himself lowers his gaze, it means the animal is not ready for a fight, but this does not mean that there will be no fight.
The animal immediately sees the entire available picture of the area. It has a unique feature, inaccessible to humans - to see everything “out of the corner of the eye.”
If you feel that your gaze has aroused anger in the yard cat, do not immediately look away. First, blink, sneeze, look to the side. Or demonstratively turn away and pick up an object. By doing this, you will make it clear that you do not want to enter into conflict.
The science
Scientists explain that looking into a cat's eyes is acceptable, but only for a short time. Eye contact with a person causes hostility and discomfort in the cat. She is overcome by fear of danger.
Despite the fact that prolonged eye contact with a person is unpleasant for a cat, she herself can look into human eyes. This happens when an animal wants to lure out a treat or catch a person’s mood.
Prohibition from a biological point of view
In the past, the cat family had to endure a lot of hardships. The cats fought for food, shelter and their own safety. Prolonged eye contact infuriates the animal, and deep-seated survival instincts become more acute. The feeling of danger is due to the fact that the animal is afraid of losing its sleeping place or daily food.
You may notice that before a fight, cats first look intently at each other, making aggressive sounds, and their fur rises up. And if none of the participants takes their eyes off, the battle will take place and the cat will defend its territory.
Anatomical rationale
Cat eyes are different from human vision. The human eye sees only what it purposefully focuses on. But the cat clearly distinguishes all surrounding objects and simply may not understand what a person’s gaze means and what he wants. And therefore, a direct, prolonged gaze from a person can cause aggression and misunderstanding in a cat.
REFERENCE. A person can make visual contact with an animal, but only for a short time. It would be better to just blink at the cat, so he will understand that there is nothing to fear, and the owner is friendly.
About street cats
Outdoor cats are less prone to aggression when making eye contact with a person. The fact is that animals from the street need attention and care, as well as food. And they simply do not have the motivation to have a negative attitude towards a person’s eyes. They are ready to do anything for a treat or just affection from a person.
What if your cat looks into your eyes?
As previously said, looking closely into a cat’s eyes instinctively causes discomfort and nervous stress in him, which is incomprehensible to humans. But sometimes the tailed pet itself tries to look into the eyes of a person. He does this when he expects to get food or a treat.
If a cat looks into your eyes, then it wants something from you: food, affection, or it’s just interesting to watch what you’re doing.
How cats are treated in other countries
In ancient Egypt, the goddess Bastet was revered, who had two incarnations: a woman with the head of a cat and a woman with the head of a lion. They supposedly exist on the border of two worlds: the human world and the afterlife. The good incarnation is the patroness of love, the hearth, and a symbol of fertility. And a woman with the head of a lion is an evil and aggressive embodiment that can destroy a person.
Goddess Bastet in the form of a cat
The ancient Egyptians considered the cat to be the earth's equivalent of the moon. And if you look closely into the eyes of the goddess Bastet, this will be a sign of extreme disrespect for the moon and the sacred gods. Because of this, an unwary person can end up in the afterlife and remain there forever.
Goddess Bastet in the guise of a lioness
Cats are very curious creatures. Being in the apartment for a long time, they watch their household for a long time, happily accepting affection and kind attitude. Ancient signs do not mean that they are associated with evil.
Modern science explains in detail the features of their vision, which were incomprehensible to ancient people and frightened them. These sciences help owners find the right approach to their pets: shaggy Persians, long-haired Maine Coons, hairless Sphynxes.
According to scientists, there are about 400 million domestic cats living on the planet. Americans have the most of these animals. But Australia ranks first in the number of tailed households. In this country, every 10 people keep 9 cats.
Among Asian countries, Indonesia ranks first. There are more than 30 million cats in this country for 270 million inhabitants.
For a long time, cats had a hard time in Vietnam, where these animals were eaten. However, when countless mice bred in this country, destroying grain and rice, the country's president ordered the closure of restaurants serving cat meat.
France is also cruel to cats. In France there is a law according to which a kitten that has not been purchased within a month is of no use to anyone and is euthanized. In Belgium, on the contrary, there is a special holiday for pets. On this day, carnivals, dances are held, and performances featuring black cats and puss in boots are shown.
The Muslim religion does not like dogs, but respects cats. The prophet Magomed himself adored them. He even added the title of father of cats to his many titles.
Egyptian legends
According to ancient Egyptian legends, all cats are descendants of the goddess Bastet , who was revered as the mother of life. Being the daughter of Osiris and Isis, she also personified the light of the moon and the sun. They asked her for the blessings of life and health. Offending a cat was the same as cursing oneself, so they treated it with deep respect, and bowed their heads when they met.
The Egyptians believed that these animals could speak to the souls of the dead, so they brought them offerings of meat and asked them to convey the message to their deceased relatives. However, at the same time, they carefully avoided their gaze, since they believed that it was he who broke the line between the world of the living and the dead.
A little history
The cat was domesticated by humans about 10,000 years ago. At this time, the transition from nomadic to sedentary life began. A small animal was ideal for living in one place. It was of great benefit in exterminating small rodents in the house. The skeleton of an ancient cat was found in a Cypriot burial dating back to 7500 BC.
This is evidence of the domestication of the animal at this time and in this place. Around this time, the cat entered the service of humans, helped preserve the harvest, and fought with birds and rodents. At the same time, its small size did not require a large amount of food. Often there was enough food obtained by hunting in the house, in barns, in the barnyard.
There are different points of view regarding the domestication of cats. Some believe that man persistently and consistently tamed her ancestors to live together. He derived practical benefit from this. The cat helped preserve the harvest and at the same time was an easy and undemanding companion, affectionate and pleasant to talk to.
Other researchers believe that the process of bringing cats closer to humans was due to its intelligence. The animal understood that a human home would protect it from the wild and provide comfort to its offspring. And at the same time, it is convenient for hunting small rodents.
