Cats vocalize significantly more toward male owners than female owners, according to new research—possibly because men tend to be more reserved in how they give attention to their pets.
Led by a team from Ankara University in Türkiye, the study analyzed video footage recorded by 31 cat owners. Each participant filmed their cat’s reaction upon returning home, following instructions to behave as naturally as possible.
According to reporting by The New York Times, male owners received an average of 4.3 vocalizations—such as meows, purrs, or chirps—during the first 100 seconds after entering their home. Female owners, by comparison, received an average of 1.8 vocalizations. The difference was substantial and was not influenced by the cat’s age, sex, or breed.
“Our results showed that cats vocalized more frequently toward male caregivers, while no other demographic factor had a discernible effect on the frequency or duration of greetings,” the researchers write in their published paper.
Tracking Cat Behavior
The researchers analyzed 22 distinct types of cat behavior during greetings, including yawning (often associated with stress) and food-related behaviors such as approaching the food bowl. Vocalizations were the only behavior that varied depending on the owner’s sex.
Two main clusters of behaviors tended to occur together:
Social behaviors, such as tail-up postures and rubbing against owners
Displacement behaviors, including body shaking and self-scratching
According to the researchers, this suggests that cats send multiple, overlapping signals when greeting humans.
Interestingly, vocalizations did not strongly correlate with either behavioral group. This indicates that vocal behavior may be regulated independently and not directly tied to factors like hunger or separation from the owner.
Why the Difference?
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