Do you look animals in the eye?

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I look at my cats and dog in the eyes. They don't seem to mind. My dog seems to enjoy looking at mine. But as fare as people. I only seem to have problems with eye contact when I like someone, or I dislike them. But as fare as maintaining contact in a long conversation I find difficult with anyone.

Never cats but sometimes dogs.

I've never managed to stare a goldfish out, but then I've never tried.

No--it's rude.

But dogs are an exception. It's odd--they seem to be okay with you looking straight at them. If they trust you anyway.

Yes, much more so than people. I should also add I make more effort with animals because, not being a-holes, they tend to be worth it. From watching Jackson Galaxy on My Cat From Hell I've learned how to do the slow blink to let my cats now I'm calm and that they can be too.

Staring into any animal's eyes = fine.
Staring into my own eyes in a mirror (wait what?!) = fine.
Other people - I can do it if I force myself, but I can't maintain it for long.

Tee-hee. Agreed. It's the 'blink' part cats like (from behind closed eyelids). When I stare too much, they hate it and or/I am just messing with them!

No. Not when I'm talking to them or petting them or when they're looking at me.
But they like me anyway.

Making eye contact with a Grey Heron and just a matter of weeks later a Tawny Owl were profoundly moving experiences. Getting close enough to these wild birds to see actual eye movement without them immediately fleeing is a privilege in its self but it taught me a lot about my sense of self how it relates to the natural world. Very humbling but these days i walk about with a husky who wild animals are rightfully scared of though we did sneak up on a baby rabbit basking in the Good Friday sunshine (i honestly thought it was dead) that did not run off till i was literally looking down on it. And today she was in a small brook drinking when a kingfisher flew past, just inches away from her head and feet away from me, the brightest, most colourful, striking thing you could ever wish to see in nature and it's almost right on my doorstep.

As for as domestic animals are concerned i don't know how you can't make eye contact with them. When i bought my dog i had originally paid a deposit for a different dog but one of the pups had heterochromia and when i went to pick her up i changed my mind and took home the one with one blue eye and one brown eye. She often just sits and stares at me occasionally winking, i often wonder what's going through her head when she does this, though she is probably thinking, what the hell are you looking at?

You have a Husky w/one blue eye and one brown eye? Cooool! She must be very stealthy.