Why Do Cats and Dogs Stare at Us when We're Naked?

I've grown up with cats and dogs and have seen my share of stares over the years. Some are serious and meant to intimidate where others seem to serve no purpose whatsoever. Does your cat stare out the window for hours at a time? My cats are nosy and can tell you everything going on in the neighborhood much better than I can. Does your dog stare at you when he wants to go outside or when he's hungry? We understand what some stares mean, but sometimes those intense pet stares make you want to wrap a towel around yourself. Why do cats and dogs stare at us when we're naked?

In a dog's world, a stare is interpreted as a direct challenge. You've seen two dogs staring at each other until one finally backs down and submits to the other one by rolling over on his back and averting his eyes from the more dominant dog. For them, the eyes say it all. Cats also use direct eye contact to intimidate other cats and when neither one gives in, you end up with a rolling ball of flying hair, growls, spits and yowls that sound like they're ripping the face off each other. All because of one little stare.

Dogs and cats don't appreciate stares from us, but they have no problem staring at us when they want something. They have the "You gonna share that sandwich?" stare down perfect. Only the most harden and seasoned pet owner can resist their cute, bright, begging eyes pleading for just one bite. Yeah, like they'd stop with one bite! You can almost see the little tears forming in their eyes with each bite you take. Some will even add a little drool just to prove to you how starved they are.

When it comes to pets, there's no telling when, where or why a stare happens. Why do cats stare at the floor? I'm always walking into a room and seeing one of my cats staring at a spot directly in front of them so intently, I expect to see a monster suddenly burst up through the floor. My theory is cats do this on purpose just to give themselves something to do when they're bored or to see what we will do. What's fascinating about seeing a cat sitting so still and staring at the floor is curiosity will usually cause us to stare down at the same spot. Now there's two sets of eyes staring at who knows what!

Why do cats and dogs stare at other pets when the one they're staring at is asleep? Do they want that particular spot or is the sleeping pet snoring too loud? Perhaps they're thinking this would be a good time to practice a new stealth attacking technique they saw on Animal Planet. One of my cats will sit and stare at the dogs when they're snoozing. After a few minutes, he'll walk over and smack one on the nose, then turn and huff out of the room, tail swooshing back and forth. The dog is blinking at him with sleepy eyes and I'm sure he's thinking, "Try that when I'm awake, Fleabag!".

Cats and dogs stare at the ceiling or wall all the time. What on earth are they watching so intently? You can see their head and eyes moving as if they're following something, but what? If there are spirits hanging out up there, I sure can't see them, but I hope they're friendly ones. Sometimes I'll see a fly or spider making its way upside down along the ceiling and after studying the corner, find a finely spun cobweb I missed the last time I evicted the spider population. But, when I look from the same vantage point as my pet and see nothing, either I'm blind or my pet is daffy. I suppose it's possible both of us are daffy. Just like the spot on the floor, now there's two sets of eyes glued on the ceiling. Until the cat feels like I've invaded his space. Now he's staring at me wondering what I'm staring at and with a flick of his tail, he waddles away like I'm the crazy one!

Does your dog sit outside staring up at the sky? You look up and see no birds, no planes, no clouds - nothing. Perhaps they're pondering some deep mystery of life. More likely, they're trying to figure out how to crack the mystery of opening the cabinet where their treats are kept. Maybe they've nothing better to do or we're so blind we missed what they saw. One of my dogs will cock her head as she gazes into the wild blue yonder and I'm standing there searching for some tiny UFO that I can't see.

Sometimes when cats and dogs stare, you can almost see the wheels turning inside their head. I have a cat who jumps on my shoulder every chance he gets. I'm on to him now, but it took several misses and claws digging into my shoulder before I began to recognize "The Stare". The problem is now he knows that I know he's going to jump, so he's changed his tactics and waits for me to turn my back. I've been thinking a nice chain mail T-shirt would be a useful summer addition to my wardrobe.

For the most part, it doesn't bother me why cats and dogs stare, although I have to admit it's kind of creepy to wake up in the morning to your pet sitting on the pillow staring down at you. I don't mind when they follow me into the bathroom or sit and wait for me to get out of the shower, but why do cats and dogs stare at us so intently when we're naked? It's one thing for them to want to be near their human, but it's another thing to have those beady little eyes on you as you climb out of the shower and while you dress. As far as I know, none of them signed up for a correspondence course on human anatomy, so why the intense stare? I have no idea. Maybe pets stare because it's their way of letting us know they want to be near us and how much we mean to them; with or without clothes on. Or, they could be laughing at us!

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, What Your Body Language Say to Your Dog, PetPlace.com

Cat Body Language, Best Cat Art

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, What is Your Cat Saying? Reading Your Cat's Body Language, PetPlace.com