691
πŸ₯ΊπŸ€¬πŸ˜Ύ (thelemmy.club)
submitted 4 months ago by to c/cat@lemmy.world
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[–] 81 points 4 months ago (6 children)

I have to ruin the joke but this is not really accurate.

Cat's are not thinking about "killing" when they have this look. It's the "play & snack mode" a very positive feeling for the cat. They don't have the idea that they might hurt or kill another living being in the process.

The real "kill mode" is when having a dispute with other cats (or cat like animals) that they identity not as a snack but as a cat like thing. And this look is much closer to the left picture.

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  • [–] 47 points 4 months ago (1 child)

    The second move is for target acquisition and often precedes a pounce. The wide pupils let in more light, enabling a more precise pounce.

    Why the cat's body is preparing to pounce is entirely situational. Maybe it's a hunt, maybe it's play, maybe it's just because the cat is being a little overenergetic derp. When you spend time living with a cat you usually learn to identify them pretty reliably. Especially the last one.

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  • [–] 25 points 4 months ago (2 children)

    Fight mode is usually ears back, low to the ground, fur on end, tense muscles and accompanied by hissing/bapping. Tail tucked in or fully raised dependent on cat and whether they feel cornered or aggressive.

    Eyes half squinted, ears generally relaxed/lightly twitching with occasional tail swish is chill mode.

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