Yesterday on the street, returning from a meeting, I noticed a very cute cat. Of course, I tried to approach carefully, using a secret technique, but it did not work. At first he stood still, and then, when I almost got my way, he suddenly jumped back and ran away. I was so upset :(
No no no. You have to ignore the cat. Then, it won’t leave you alone.
No way, what do you mean? Isn’t this only a problem for dogs?
It’s serious. Looking at a cat is interpreted as threatening. To be non-threatening, you have to look away and even close your eyes. By ignoring the cat you show that you aren’t a threat.
That’s why cats always approach the person who doesn’t like them. That’s the only person looking away, so it’s the only person who is signaling that they aren’t a threat.
You can look at a cat and do the Slow Blink a few times to say “I’m not threatening you, nor threatened by you.” Which is the closest cats get to “let’s be friends.”