Yeah I know all of these things, but it just made me wonder... people always make it out to be of a dominance or aggression issues.

My cats never try to assert their dominance in my house hold, I never have to stare them down. When we look at eachother we just lovelingly gaze into eachothers eyes while we relax, most of the time we are on our way to la la land (sleep)
Like I said most of MY cats have done this, it almost seems like a comfort thing for them.

This morning... Tage climbed up on my sholder laid down with his head only a couple inches from my face and stared into my eyes again like he always does (this cat always watches me even from a far) I wasn't totally awake yet, so my eye twiched and forced itself to blink a couple times... and then Tage blinked one of his eyes at me a couple times.
I flaired my nostrils at him a few times, and then he flaired his little nose muscles, lol.

It really seems to be more of an issue with dogs, I rarely look at them in the eyes unless I know them very well, other wise I just look at their feet or butt, I knew a dog I recently had to have put to sleep, she had so many mental issues, if you even looked in her general direction she though you were looking at her and she would FREAK OUT. I never smile around strange dogs either.


I just... don't feel it's the case that it's bad for me to be staring my cats in the eyes, i feel no threats or hostility between us from this ever. I suppose I'm just curious if it's possible for cats to ignore their behavoral instincts and like I said... feel this staring habit as a relaxing comfort, bonding process for them.