A recent study by Japanese researchers has revealed that while cats can recognize their owners’ voices, they often choose to ignore them.
The research, conducted with 20 house cats, aimed to understand feline behavior by playing recorded voices of their owners speaking in a cute, cat-talk tone, as well as recordings of three strangers calling to the cats using the same words.
As the cats listened to the recordings, researchers observed their physical reactions, such as head and ear movements, paw twitches, tail motions, and pupil dilation.
The results showed that cats responded more noticeably when their owners called their names compared to when strangers did.
However, despite recognizing their owners’ voices, the cats typically did not bother to get up or take further action.
The researchers attribute this behavior to cats’ evolutionary history, which spans over 9,000 years.
Unlike dogs, which were domesticated to follow human orders, cats evolved alongside early societies without the need to obey commands. As a result, they never developed the same responsiveness to human instructions.
While cats may be dismissive, their owners’ affection remains unwavering. Despite their aloofness, cats continue to charm and endear themselves to their human companions.
