Scientific research: Cats' meowing is an attempt to communicate with humans

A new study conducted by the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil and published in the journal Animal Behaviour has proven that domestic cats use meowing as a specific communication tool directed at humans.

In experiments conducted on 38 domestic cats, it was observed that cats meowed to trigger human intervention when they encountered problems they could not solve on their own. Researchers placed the cats' favorite food in perforated boxes that they could not reach and compared their behavior when a human was present in the room versus when they were alone.

Statistical data showed that the probability of cats meowing increased more than 16 times when a human was present in the room. While the cats meowed 86 times when a human was present, they kept this number at 20 when left alone. It was also determined that the cats did not just make sounds, but also established eye contact by shifting their gaze between the food box and the human.

Scientists point out that adult cats in the wild rarely meow at each other, noting that domestic cats view humans as a source of solutions to meet their needs. This indicates that instead of emitting random sounds into the environment, cats engage in goal-oriented communication directed at those who can provide a solution.