It is no accident that cats are adorable: we selectively breed them over the generations for maximum cuteness. But this creation has a disadvantage: it left some of our feline friends with permanent frowning faces that cannot show emotions.
In particular, new research published in December in the journal Frontiers of veterinary science, suggests that selected playback because the type of “brachycephalic” or flat face – think of the Persians and the Himalayas – has atrophied the ability of these cats to accurately communicate fear, anxiety or pain. These flat-faced races have faces stuck in a permanent grimace that suggests pain, even when they are in no pain at all.
“This result was a real revelation for me. I did not expect to discover that brachycephalic faces would have expressions of pain,” said the study’s lead author, Lauren Finka, a postdoctoral researcher at Nottingham Trent University in England.
Related: Photos: see the world with the eyes of a cat
Permanent faces
These permanent grimaces could mean that cat owners won’t be able to tell when their feline companions are really in pain, Finka told Live Science.
Thanks to the selective breeding of humans, the faces of cats have changed their physical characteristics to the maximum. However, despite the importance of faces for non-verbal communication in animals, little research has studied how this creation changed the facial expressions of cats.
To answer that question, Finka and his colleagues used a computer algorithm to analyze facial data from more than 2,000 cat pictures and assign each one a neutral score to a complete grimace.
By comparing the neutral facial expressions of various cat breeds with the straight facial expressions of domestic short-haired cats recovering from routine surgery, Finka and colleagues found that, although cats are not terribly expressive to begin with, face cats boring seem to show “pain-like” facial expressions even when completely relaxed. One race in particular, Scottish Fold, scored even more for facial expressions of pain than shorthaired cats that actually felt pain.
Forever Young
So, why do we prefer cats that seem to be in pain? One theory is that we raise animals to stay in a childlike state longer, a process called neotenization. And babies and children cry a lot. “We probably have an innate preference for pain-like characteristics, because they probably exploit our desire to nourish,” said Finka. “We feel 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 come with a range of illnesses, from narrow airways to excessive skin folds and breathing and vision problems. And all of this is due to our tendency to downcast faces.
“Unfortunately, what it means for our pets is that we can continue to prefer – and even encourage – the existence of breeds with serious health problems that may also have difficulty communicating with us and potentially with other animals,” wrote Finka in The conversation.
That’s right. Smashed faces, however cute they may be, can interfere with the way cats communicate with their owners, meaning that owners may not notice when their cats are really in pain.
“If you’re buying a cat, do some research,” said Finka. “It is important to consider the communication skills of our animals.”
Originally published on Live Science.