Since they were domesticated (as wolves), dogs have evolved physiologically to make puppy-dog eyes. I find that absolutely fascinating:
I’m sure in 15000 years cats will evolve to hack up two hairballs at once.
My cats have already evolved enough to choose the only room with off white carpeting for most of their hairball expulsion.
That is a definite feline trait: pick the spot that renders the hairball (or puke) most conspicuous, or failing that, harder to clean. Once the horking throes start, given a choice between bare floor and rug, I swear that every cat I have ever had went to the rug every time. Every time. I’ve even moved them pre-ejection to the bare floor, but no; they go right back to the rug/carpet. And yes, I can corroborate that light colors are preferred.
While it’s evident that cats are indeed becoming more domesticated in a real way, they seem to be doing it on their terms. I don’t think that behavioral selection is an option for cats in quite the same way as it is for dogs; personality-wise, cats are too widely divergent at one level, and at another they are too hidebound in certain traits: for proof of that, just make a tape circle on the floor, and there’s your cat trap. It’s as dependable as the day is long. If you can selectively breed cats to pull little wagons, then I’ll say you’re onto something. Maybe we could breed cats to puke on surfaces we prefer, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.
Their general personality makeup is also why I think they won’t develop extra eye muscles as dogs have (a fascinating development!): While both as pets can be emotionally dependent on us, dogs aim to please, and developing the ability to make ingratiating facial expressions to that end makes a lot of sense, because we do respond favorably to that; instead, for better or worse, cats negotiate, and for that, there isn’t a lot of need to expand their inventory of expressions.
Some dogs have the one-raised-eyebrow thing down:
“Now what?”