How to talk to a cat so that it understands you: zoopsychologists have revealed the main secret

In fact, this is not the case – results from various studies show that cats become attached to their owners and try to communicate with them using facial expressions and sign language. Alas, we humans leave a lot to be desired and continue to use words.

But it turns out that cats are quite perceptive – scientists recently found that they can understand when a person is talking to them, and not just make meaningless sounds instead of, say, a pleasant “going to eat.” and evident accompanied by the rustle of a bag of food.

Researchers from the University of Paris Ouest – Nanterre-la-Défense have discovered that one nuance is very important: the tone of voice. And if you were ashamed to cuddle your Bengal or Sphynx like a baby, then now you have every right to do so: it turns out that it’s the high-pitched voice that lets animals know the owner is talking to them. .

The team of scientists observed how the cats reacted to pre-recorded phrases spoken by their owners and strangers. The researchers recorded all behavioral changes – pupil dilation, tail or ear movements and any other gestures.

It turned out that 10 out of 16 cats recognized the voice of the owners. It also became apparent that the animals showed much more interest in the audio recording if the owners used the same high-pitched “lisp” tone – the animals paid much less attention to the usual “conversational” voice.

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“For a long time, cats were believed to be very independent creatures, not interested in people, but in the food and shelter they provided. But the fact that pets specifically respond to their owner, and not someone talking to them, clearly indicates otherwise,” says lead researcher Charlotte de Muzon.

Charlotte herself admits that she often talks to her two cats as if they were children, and they notice and “respond” to her.

“People can be embarrassed by this mode of communication, but I think they do it in vain. This helps to strengthen the bond between the animals and their owners, as the cats begin to notice that we are paying attention to them,” explains Charlotte.