Research overview: sensitivity to ostensive and eye-contact cues in cats

Ostensive signals such as eye contact and directed speech can mark communication as relevant, and research asks whether cats are sensitive to them. This overview surveys studies on cats' responses to human eye contact, including the slow-blink exchange interpreted as positive signalling, and to addressing cues that may heighten attention. It discusses how eye contact functions in cat-human and cat-cat interaction, where a direct stare can be threatening, and how context determines whether gaze is affiliative or agonistic. It connects to broader work on attention sensitivity. The topic explores how cats read and use eye and ostensive cues in social exchanges with humans and conspecifics.