New study suggests cats exhibit nearly 300 unique facial expressions

A recent study conducted at the University of California in Los Angeles has revealed that cats can exhibit up to 276 distinct facial expressions, with some of them overlapping with expressions observed in humans.

While humans have approximately 44 distinct facial movements, the total number of expressions in humans is not precisely quantified, making direct comparisons with cats challenging.

Interestingly, chimpanzees possess roughly 357 unique expressions, indicating a significant contrast with both humans and cats.

The research team also speculated that some of the facial expressions shared between cats and humans may have been acquired by cats over their 10,000-year history of cohabitation with humans. Approximately 45.7% of the coded expressions conveyed friendliness, whereas 37% exhibited aggressiveness.

Also watch: These videos of furry felines are here to make your day