The meow is probably the most familiar sound associated with cats and it comes in many forms. Read more about how even though they're not using real language, cat talk is used to manipulate unsuspecting humans! Likewise the cat sounds that were more pleasant (and less demanding) were shorter, with more equal treatment of the high and low frequencies, such as "MEE-ow."īasically, the study showed that domestic cats are able to manipulate us into giving them what they want! These sounds tended to be longer with more emphasis on the lower frequencies, such as "Mee-O-O-O-O-O-W!" urgent meows.Īfter the data was analyzed, what they found was that the sounds that were unpleasant and the sounds that were more urgent had characteristics in common. The cat calls were then analyzed against the responses to see which qualities were present in pleasant vs. The second group was asked to evaluate the same 100 cat sounds, but this time they were asked to rate how "urgent and demanding" the sounds were. how many sounds can a cat make? But I digress.Įach participant (the people, not the cats) in the first group were asked to evaluate each sound for "pleasantness and appeal" on a scale of 1 to 7. What's really interesting is that apparently, these 100 sounds were only a sub-set of the total number of vocalizations recorded. The answer might lie in a psychology study at Cornell University, where researcher Nicholas Nicastro played a collection of over 100 cat sounds from 12 cats to 2 groups of people. Why then, are cat sounds, such as the meow, generally directed toward humans more than other cats? Cat talk consists mostly of body language (although most humans don't understand this cat body language very well). Research into cat sounds and the effect they have on humans has revealed some interesting points, including how cats get what they want from people by using vocalizations. In fact, they have often been described as sounding like birds. Many members of the large Maine Coon cat breed, for example, generally have a soft meow voice. Sometimes the voice doesn't seem to match the cat, at least in physical size and appearance. These cats are talking up a storm (with some crazy snoring in the background)!Īt times, some cats sound like other animals when they meow, and some even sound almost like people. People have described the various vocalizations their cats make in many ways, including sounding like a baby, birds, or even monkeys. Some sing a smooth song like George Michael, and others are more raspy like Janis Joplin. Some have high pitched voices and some have low pitched voices. We're all familiar with the standard meow, but each cat is obviously unique. What about you? Are you domesticated? Are you regularly manipulated by the cat sounds flowing from the furry wizards in your house? Share your story about you and your cat. My own experience living with three cats for many years has given me a unique opportunity to observe many different cat sounds (or cat calls) under various behavioral circumstances.Įach of my cats has their own way of manipulating me with their unique blend of chirps, chortles, purrs, and full out meows. Nicholas Nicastro, Cat Person and Researcher "Cats are domesticated animals that have learned what levers to push, what sounds to make to manage our emotions, and when we respond, we too are domesticated animals."
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