In 2012 a photo of a small cat with a spectacular frown appeared online, and the internet lost its mind. Her name was Tardar Sauce, but the world knew her as Grumpy Cat. Within a couple of years she had a bestselling book, a film, merchandise, a wax figure and more fans than most pop stars.
Here is the twist: she wasn't grumpy at all. Her expression came from feline dwarfism and an underbite. Her family described her as calm and easygoing. She spent her career being photographed looking furious while feeling, presumably, fine.
The science of the cat face
Cats are famously hard to read, and this isn't your fault. Researchers have found that most people are pretty bad at telling how a cat feels from its face alone. Cats show feelings with subtle signals: ear angle, whisker position, the speed of a blink, the tip of the tail.
A slow blink, for example, is widely considered a sign of trust. Scientists have even found that cats are more likely to slow-blink back at people who slow-blink at them first. Try it now. Your cat may return the gesture. It may also ignore you entirely, which is also a form of communication.
A field guide to common expressions
| Expression | What it looks like | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Slow blink | Eyes close gently, then open | "I trust you. Now fetch the treats." |
| The stare | Unbroken eye contact at 5 a.m. | "Breakfast is late. This is your final warning." |
| Ears sideways | Airplane ears | "I am considering knocking that over." |
| Resting grump face | A frown, but relaxed | Absolutely nothing. That's just the face. |
| Loaf | Paws tucked, eyes half-closed | Peak contentment. Do not disturb the loaf. |
The verdict
Grumpy Cat taught the world an important lesson: you can't judge a cat by its face. A cat that looks furious may be perfectly happy. A cat that looks adorable may be planning to bite your ankle. A cat that looks asleep is definitely listening to the treat bag.
In our illustration we put a grumpy cat in a party hat in front of a rainbow. She is not upset. She is simply having the face she was born with, at a party, and that is her right.