Housecats and wild cats speak different languages? You gotta be KITTEN me!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
It’s no secret our pet cats have distinct purrrr-sonalities. But how do they differ from wild cats, like cheetahs or tigers?
Enter Danilo Russo and team from Berlin’s Natural History Museum.
They examined the purrs and meows of domestic and wild cats in search of answers. The study analyzed cats’ vocal frequencies, or pitch, to quantify information from their noises.
They found that domestic cats modify their meows to communicate with humans! They have more ‘voices’ than wild cats. These vocal variations were expressed especially when asking for food or attention from humans.
Talk about getting cat-called!