Study Finds Cats Meow More Frequently To Male Caregivers Than Women

Turkish researchers discovered cats vocalize significantly more when greeting male owners compared to female caregivers. Scientists from Bilkent University monitored 31 volunteers interacting with their cats upon returning home. Male caregivers received an average of 4.3 meows during the first 100 seconds, while female owners heard only 1.8 meows. The study theorizes that men “require more explicit vocalizations to notice and respond to the needs of their cats.” Female participants demonstrated superior communication skills, talking to their cats more frequently and mimicking feline sounds. Women also appeared “more skilled at interpreting feline vocalizations” according to researchers. The sample size remains too limited for broad conclusions but believe their findings could establish groundwork for larger future research projects examining cat-human communication patterns. (Story URL)