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It is no coincidence that cats are adorable – we have selectively bred them through the generations for maximum cuteness. But this breeding has a downside – it left some of our feline friends with permanent faces that can’t show their emotions.
In particular, new research published in December in the journal Frontiers of veterinary science suggests that selective breeding for the “brachycephalic” or flattened face type – think of the Persians and the Himalayas – delayed the ability of these cats to accurately communicate fear, anxiety, or pain.
These flat-faced breeds have faces stuck in a permanent grimace that suggests pain, even when not in pain at all.
“This result was a real eye-opener for me. I didn’t exactly expect to find that brachycephalic faces would have painful expressions,” said study lead author Lauren Finka, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Nottingham Trent in England.
Permanent grimaces
Those permanent grimaces could mean cat owners won’t be able to tell when their cat companions are actually in pain, Finka told Live Science.
Through the selective breeding of humans, cats’ faces have changed most of their physical characteristics. Yet despite the importance of faces for non-verbal communication in animals, little research has investigated how this breeding has changed facial expressions in felines.
To answer this question, Finka and her colleagues used a computer algorithm to analyze facial data from more than 2,000 cat photos and give each a score ranging from a neutral grin to a full grin.
Comparing the neutral facial expressions of various breeds of cats to the grimacing facial expressions of domestic shorthair cats recovering from routine surgeries, Finka and her colleagues found that while cats were not very expressive to begin with, cats with flat faces appeared to exhibit “pain-like” facial expressions even when completely relaxed. One particular breed, the Scottish Fold, scored even higher for painful facial expressions than short-haired cats who were really in pain.
forever Young
So why do we prefer cats that seem to be in pain? One theory is that we breed animals to stay in an infantile state longer, a process called neotenization. And babies and young people cry a lot.
“We probably have an innate preference for the painful characteristics because they probably tap into our willingness to nourish ourselves,” Finka said. “We are sorry for them.”
Our preference for baby faces can end up hurting our furry companions. Previous research has shown that extreme facial changes in cats are accompanied by many conditions, from constricted airways and excessive folding of the skin to problems with breathing and vision. And this is all due to our penchant for smooshed faces.
“Unfortunately, what this means for our pets is that we can continue to prefer – and even encourage – the existence of breeds with serious health issues that may also have difficulty communicating with us and potentially with other animals, ”Finka wrote in The Conversation.
It is true. Crushed faces, as cute as they are, could interfere with the way cats communicate with their owners, meaning cat owners could miss when their cats are actually in pain.
“If you are buying a cat, be sure to do your research,” Finka said. “It is important that we consider the abilities of our animals to communicate.”
This article was originally published by Live Science. Read the original article here.
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