How Often Do Cats Blink. It is said that the average adult human blinks just under 18 times per minute and a cat’s rate of blinking can range from 20-40x per minute.
How Often Do Cats Blink
Cats have a special membrane on their eyes called a nictating membrane that helps to protect the cats’ eyes while they are hunting, as it acts as a third eyelid. Cats still prefer to remove debris with their paw instead of using this more evolved method.
Anatomy Of Cat’s Eyes
In order to better understand why dear kitty has a tendency of not blinking often, it is helpful to know how his eyes function.
Cats rarely blink in the conventional sense. They will rarely shut their eyelids when their eyeballs are rolled upward, and instead, they squint letting light pass through their pupils for an extended time.
The reason for this may be not just because cats have evolved this way, but also because cats’ eyes work differently than ours do.
Just like how humans automatically blink when we perceive something is about to enter our eyes, cats squint instead.
Their eyes also come equipped with a third eyelid called the nictitating membrane that facilitates varying amounts of light passing through.
How Frequently Do Cats Blink
Unlike most animals, cats do not need to blink their eyelids on a routine basis because they are able to secrete an oily substance through special glands around their eyes.
This type of fluid makes it easier for them to scoop out dust from their eyes. If a cat is at rest or hunting, it will keep its eyes open.
However, if he is feeling comfortable with another human or feline companion, he may squint his eyes.
Squinting is usually a sign of affection and can help cats communicate with their fellow animals in the wild or their owners in the house regarding how relaxed they feel when in close proximity.
How Many Times Does a Cat Blink Per Minute?
Cats don’t really follow a specific routine when it comes to blinking. They are more apt to blink at any given moment, in random intervals.
When your cat does exhibit this behavior, she’s acknowledging your presence and is trying to show you that she has no intentions of fighting with you.
This behavior is slightly different from an open mouth yawn because the two tend to be mutually exclusive in fact, open mouth yawns most often occur when your cat wants something from you like food, attention, or affection.
How Long Can Cats Not Blink For?
While everyone knows that cats have the expressive “cat eye”, it is often overlooked that cats take their time in revealing all of their secrets with just a blink.
They don’t quickly open and close their eyes like humans do but instead blink them slowly, even after a second of being opened.
Whether looking off into the distance or at something very close up, an open cat eye will give you the opportunity to learn more about your feline friend than simply asking them questions.
Why Doesn’t My Cat Blink?
When we blink, it helps with maintaining the moist surface of our cornea. This is achieved by moving tears over the eye’s surface.
Cats however sweat on their eyes to remove particles and don’t require any sort of eyelid movement.
Keeping in mind that they are not entirely evaporative like us humans are, cats only close their eyes when threatened or during periods of overly stressful situations.
When a Cat Is Close To Death?
Cats can show many changes to their behavior when they’re dying, some of which can be difficult to understand as human beings without medical or veterinary knowledge.
A vet will always be able to tell if your cat is dying by looking over and examining it.
But you should also be on the lookout for behavioral changes such as if your cat refuses food, starts drinking a lot more than usual, sleeps a lot more, has difficulty breathing or moving, becomes aggressive, or fights back when touched.