Do you know what your cat is saying when it meows at you? Researchers in Sweden are trying to give us a better idea by identifying melodic patterns in cat meows: Is your cat hungry or really hungry? Additionally, the way you talk to your cat may influence how your cat talks back. By comparing cat speech in two regions in Sweden where people speak separate dialects, researchers will determine whether cats in different regions also have different cat “dialects.” With the number of cats living as pets worldwide estimated in the hundreds of millions, the research may help cats and humans communicate better.
Q&A with Swedish cat lover and phonetics researcher Suzanne Schötz: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160328-cats-communication-animals-pets-science/
Click here to read more about cats: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/domestic-cat/
VIDEO: Jed Winer, Edythe McNamee, Angeli Gabriel, Annalea Embree
SPECIAL THANKS
Washington Humane Society: http://support.washhumane.org/site/PageServer
Washington Animal Rescue League: http://www.warl.org/
Crumbs & Whiskers Cat Cafe: http://www.crumbsandcanines.com/