On the other hand, these works show that if this same language is used by a stranger, the cat’s interest will decrease.
Talking to your cat works, and it’s now scientifically proven. According to a study conducted by Charlotte de Mouzon, ethologist at the Cognition and Development Ethology Laboratory (University of Nanterre), whose conclusions were published last week in a journal of the group Naturewould felines be more receptive to what their masters say, especially if they use a more childish tone.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers gathered 16 students from the Maisons-Alfort Veterinary School in Val-de-Marne to observe the behavior of their pets. The felines were initially confronted with recordings of strangers addressing themselves in a “traditional” manner, then recordings of their owners addressing them directly, with a more childlike, even “silly” tone.
Snubbed strangers
The results of this experiment are striking. The cats were more demonstrative in the second case. Scientists have actually found that they turn their ears and have more dilated pupils in this specific case. Some even stopped their care and turned to their masters.
On the other hand, this phenomenon does not occur when strangers themselves use this more childish language. “Of the 16 cats in the study, 10 showed decreasing interest when it was a voice other than their owner’s”, estimates the columns in FigaroCharlotte de Mouzon.
“special link”
If at first glance it may seem ridiculous to talk to your cat, Charlotte de Mouzon, still in the columns of the daily newspaper, believes that it is important to communicate with your cat.
“Like dogs, cats seem to have a special bond with the people who care for them on a daily basis,” she concludes.
This work complements the conclusions of a 2019 study published in the journal Current Biology. The three researchers from the University of Oregon who are behind it had thus updated cats’ ability to bond with people, at least as much as dogs can.