YES, YOUR CAT REALLY IS TALKING TO YOU: NEW STUDY CRACKS WHY CATS MEOW AT HUMANS
If you have ever been woken at dawn by a cat demanding breakfast, you already suspected it, and now science agrees: cats meow at us on purpose.
A new study from the University of São Paulo in Brazil found that cats meow far more when a person is in the room, and they often look straight at that person while doing it.
The research was published online this month in the journal Animal Behaviour and has been making headlines around the world since November 12.
How the cats meow test worked
The team, including researcher Naila Fukimoto, worked with 38 pet cats whose owners said they often meowed around food.
Each cat was shown a favourite treat sealed inside a small plastic container with holes in it.
The cats could see and smell the snack, but no amount of pawing would get them inside.
Each cat was then watched for one minute with an attentive person in the room, and for one minute completely alone.
It is the feline version of a locked biscuit tin, and the results were very telling.
What the researchers discovered
According to reports of the study in ThePrint, the cats meowed more than four times as often when a human was present.
In total, the cats meowed 86 times with a person in the room, compared with 20 times when they were on their own.
The odds of a cat meowing at all were more than 16 times higher when someone was there.
Many of the cats also switched their gaze back and forth between the person and the treat, a behaviour scientists call gaze alternation.
When they were alone, they mostly stood still and stared at the door, as if waiting for help to arrive.
The researchers described this as "recipient-specific signalling", which simply means the meows were aimed at a particular someone.
So why do cats meow at us?
It is a question cat owners have asked for generations, and this study offers a neat answer.
The study suggests that, for our pets, the meow works like a tool for getting human attention when they want something.
As bdnews24 put it, meowing appears to be an audience-directed signal rather than an involuntary reaction.
There are some caveats, of course.
The study was small, and it only included cats already known to be chatty around food, so quieter cats may behave differently.
The researchers also say the findings do not prove that cats consciously understand that humans can solve their problems.
Future research could look at whether cats use different kinds of meows depending on what they want.
What it means for cat lovers
For anyone who has ever felt "managed" by a cat, this study will feel very familiar.
The good news is that it suggests your cat sees you as a trusted helper, someone worth talking to.
Here are a few gentle ways to respond to all that chatter.
Notice the patterns, because a meow at the pantry, at the door and at bedtime may all mean different things.
Try not to reward every demand straight away, especially at 5am, or you may be training a very persistent alarm clock.
Set regular meal times so your cat knows when food is coming.
Offer play and enrichment, such as puzzle feeders, so mealtimes take a little effort and attention is shared out through the day.
And keep an eye out for changes.
If your cat suddenly becomes much more vocal, or starts meowing at night when it never used to, it is worth booking a check-up with your vet, just to rule out anything that needs attention.
The last word
It turns out that all those pointed stares and plaintive cries at the treat cupboard are not random at all.
Your cat is talking to you, and it knows exactly who it is asking.
