New research shows cat guardians struggle to predict feline conflict
If you have ever watched two cats interact and wondered whether they are playing or about to fight, you are not alone. A new study, conducted by a US research team and Companion Animals NZ, found that even experienced cat guardians struggle to accurately predict whether cat interactions will be friendly or aggressive based solely on facial cues.
Researchers surveyed nearly 600 New Zealanders, showing them video clips of cats at the beginning of ten social interactions. Yes, that’s right – watching cat videos contributed to science!
Participants were asked to predict whether each interaction would turn out friendly (affiliative) or unfriendly (non-affiliative) based solely on the facial signals of the cat initiating the interaction. They were then shown the full video clip, capturing the entire interaction from beginning to end.
The results revealed that participants were able to identify friendly interactions, but predicting aggressive or defensive encounters was trickier.
The challenge with reading their signals
Predicting conflict from facial signals alone proved to be the greatest challenge for participants. Most people were able to correctly revise their responses after watching the full interaction unfold, and this suggests the difficulty is specific to interpreting early facial cues – rather than a general inability to understand cat behaviour.
Much of the confusion appears to stem from the subtle similarities between signals of rough play and those indicating genuine aggression. This distinction is difficult to make from a cat's face alone. Participants also emerged from the study with notably less confidence in their ability to read the body language and predict the behaviour of unfamiliar cats, suggesting that watching the videos made them more aware of the limits of their own knowledge.
Professional experience makes a difference
The study found that people with professional animal experience (people who had worked directly with animals within the last 5 years) performed better at identifying non-affiliative facial signals compared to those without such experience.
Surprisingly, simply owning cats, whether currently or in childhood, didn't improve participants' ability to predict interactions. Even frequent childhood exposure to cats didn't enhance predictive accuracy. This challenges the assumption that living with cats automatically teaches us to read their signals correctly and points to the value of quality interactions with them. In other words, the more time you spend engaging with cats, the better you become at understanding what they’re communicating.
Why this matters for multi-cat households
Given that 36% of New Zealand’s pet cats live in a multi-cat household¹, understanding feline social signals is of significant importance. Conflicts between cats are a major source of stress for guardians and can impact the health and welfare of the cats themselves. Being able to recognise early warning signs of conflict could help guardians:
Intervene before situations escalate
Reduce long term stress in multi-cat environments
Make better decisions about new cat introductions and handling group dynamics
Spotting early signs of tension: what to look for
While this study focused on how people interpret feline facial expressions (rather than testing advice), there are some commonly recognised facial cues that can help guardians spot early signs of stress or potential aggression. Learning to notice these subtle changes may help you step in earlier:
Ears: Positioned backward or flattened to the sides/back of the head (not forward and upright)
Mouth/lips: Lip licking or tongue visible (at a time when the cat is not grooming itself), sometimes mouth open with exposure of the upper teeth
Whiskers: Pulled back rather than forward
Want to learn more? Read the full research paper: Paws and Predictions: Interpreting Intraspecific Cat Social Interactions through Facial Signals
About the Research: This study was conducted by researchers from Lyon College, University of Kansas Medical Center, Companion Animals New Zealand, and EthicoNZ, using video footage from CatCafé Lounge in Los Angeles and survey responses from 598 New Zealanders.
Companion Animals New Zealand (2025). Companion Animals in New Zealand - NZ Pet Data Report 2024. Available at: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d1bf13a3f8e880001289eeb/t/67c5362c18b9881a1fec4b5d/1740977787548/CANZ+2024+Pet+Data+Report-compressed.pdf