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A group of international researchers has found that cats use hundreds of facial expressions and gestures during social interaction with each other.
In order to understand how Cats form social bonds, the scientists decided to study the rapid facial expressions of these animals (RFM) using a special program based on artificial intelligence. Rapid facial expressions are believed to be an involuntary social behavior in which an animal copies the facial expression of another animal. For example, a parent imitates the facial expressions of his or her young child to make him or her smile. Similarly, a chimpanzee opens its mouth playfully and immediately another chimpanzee does the same. This helps to strengthen social interaction and signals a friendly attitude.
According to previous studies, it was found that in addition to humans, monkeys, dogs, аs well as birds and horses, this behavior is also inherent in cats. Early studies have shown that cats can display 276 different facial expressions.
This time, however, the researchers decided to delve even deeper into this issue. It turned out that 37% of all facial expressions shown by cats are associated with aggression, while 45% — symbolize a friendly attitude.
Scientists decided to find out how a cat’s facial expression changes when interacting with another cat. The researchers studied how domestic cats interact with each other and recorded videos of such interactions in one of the cat cafes in Los Angeles. Then, using these videos, they trained an AI-based program.
The program was taught to closely analyze and track the cats’ facial expressions using 48 visual landmarks on their faces. The research was based on earlier work by Lauren Scott and Brittany Florkiewicz, who developed the Cat Facial Action Coding System called CatFACS.
The system resembles a similar version of human facial expression coding, only for cats. It divides pets’ facial expressions into separate movements, including ear twitching and lip curling.
Using CatFACS, the researchers analyzed 186 examples of social interaction between 53 cats at a Los Angeles animal shelter. The program detected 26 new facial movements, allowing researchers to discover hundreds of hitherto unknown facial gestures from cats.
When the AI categorized these variations, the researchers noticed that in about 22 cases out of 100, the cats copied each other’s facial expressions, especially during interactions such as grooming or play.
«In approximately 22% of cases, the cats copied each other, often for less than a second. Mirror expressions were barely noticeable, sometimes just a modest pressing of the ears combined with a small wrinkle on the nose or a tiny lift of the upper lip. But when this happened, the cats behaved in a friendly manner — playing together, licking each other, or walking together — in almost 60% of cases», — says one of the authors of the study Teddy Lazebnik.
One of the most intriguing discoveries was the role of ear movements in the display of rapid facial expressions. Animals often copied the position of each other’s ears by making turns with them or by pressing them down.
The study also showed that certain movements, such as lip parting or jaw dropping, are more likely to be imitated during playful interactions. These movements, which are often associated with «play patterns», can help cats coordinate their behavior and avoid misunderstandings that could escalate into conflict.
According to the researchers, the findings can help animal shelters analyze the facial expressions of cats to decide which of them is better to keep next to each other in order to prevent conflicts and unnecessary stress in animals.
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports
Source: ZME Science