I get along with cats more then people or dogs. 😻😼
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.
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.
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.
Exactly my stand is, that cat’s don’t differentiate much between play and hunt.
It’s a joyful experience for them (most times), not a stress situation.
The left picture is also very close to a cat smile, a little more squinty-ness and that’s a smile.
The first is the judgement and planning phase.
The second is when demonic behavior might leak out.…“might”? A decision has already been made behind those eyes.
In the first photo it looks like it just smoked a joint.
In the second photo it looks like it just snorted five lines and is ready to go scarface.
So yeah, it tracks.
There is a whole horror short story in those 2 faces if you are a creature that is smaller than them.
“yawn, that little creature is so boring an unimpressive…I should go break its leg and bite it to see if that makes it do anything interesting.”
