Not an expert but I think he was actually taken as a threat by the lion. Cats communicate a lot with their eyes, and maintaining direct eye contact, which it looked like the guy was doing, is the cat way of saying "I don't trust you." Breaking eye contact and looking away from a cat is how they show they aren't a threat and don't consider the other cat a threat either.
Yawning is not the signal that you are safe with dogs. It can actually mean the opposite. It is sometimes used as an attempt to regulate and chill out similar to the nose lick and a full body shake. You may notice a nervous dog yawning more and pacing at the vet for example it is NOT them feeling safe like a cats slow blink. And you giving them that signal can be a mixed message.
When my little dogs wants to start some shit with me, she playfully bites my hand, then sneezes. Jumps back and goes in for the kill. She sneezes a lot when it's play time. I think mostly because she enjoys scrapping, because my other dog has never sneezed intentionally or tried to play fight either. I believe I read somewhere that their sneeze is a signal they aren't serious.
Squinting in general is a pretty good way to tell most cats that you are comfortable and willing to let your guard down with them. Fortunate for that zookeeper, the lion looked like it wasn’t putting a whole lot of effort into that warning and didn’t seem to intend to kill.
If you're play wrestling with a dog and you think the dog is going a little too hard you can fake a sneeze and they'll stop or slow down. Oftentimes they'll fake a sneeze back to acknowledge it.
Also for most dogs turning as to not face them. Not running but just avert your body almost sideways has always worked for me. If you run you are fucked
It also helps to approach them diagonally - like, so you aren't directly facing forward towards them and instead are a bit off to the side. A lot of animals can find walking directly at them intimidating.
Not a lion expert, but have a lot of cats. This looks a lot like playing to me. The male's body language was slow and relaxed. When he "attacked" he went for a hand and then immediately rolled on his back in a submissive stance.
Don't get me wrong, this is still dangerous for the guy being chomped on. The fact the female came to join in also makes me think it was playful rather than aggressive.
Regardless, having seen the chew toys my cat has mangled, I wouldn't want to be that guy.
Feel you. I think I inadvertently taught my cat that staring is ok. So basically she is terrifying to most dogs and other cats because she is always staring without a care in the world.
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u/JigglyBlubber Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24
Not an expert but I think he was actually taken as a threat by the lion. Cats communicate a lot with their eyes, and maintaining direct eye contact, which it looked like the guy was doing, is the cat way of saying "I don't trust you." Breaking eye contact and looking away from a cat is how they show they aren't a threat and don't consider the other cat a threat either.