A Michael Broad Blog
Do you want to know what the meow means in the English language? Here it is: “I require your immediate attention.” The meow is also spelled ‘miaow’. It always has the same basic message as stated. It is a general request. It normally means that the cat wants food as almost all cat caregivers …
Some observers are saying that this is remarkable but I don’t think that it is. It is very cute, however. And it is an example of how cats are good observational learners. They learn from watching their human caregivers and in this instance, this intelligent Maine Coon has decided to copy the words of …
Young caracals can make extraordinary sounds. There is an audio track and a video on this page. The first is from the Reddit.com website. The young caracal makes a laser beam sound. He reminds me of the dinosaur raptors in one of the Jurassic Park sequels. I guess laser beams don’t make sounds but …
The answer is that we don’t know but it’s worth discussing the topic as it illuminates certain aspects of feline behaviour. Lying is a big part of human behaviour. The first issue is whether lying has to be a verbal or written statement or whether it can be a form of communication made in …
If you compare the meow of the domestic cat’s wildcat ancestor to that of the domestic cat today you will notice a difference. Over 10,000 years of domestication the domestic cat meow has evolved to better communicate with human caregivers. And in response, humans have evolved as well in order to be more sensitive …
Yes, normally a domestic cat’s meow will change with age. We can expect it because anatomically speaking the domestic cat is very similar to humans and we know that the human voice changes in old age. I am of the firm belief that the same changes and the same reasons apply to domestic cats. …
The reason why some domestic cats meow silently is because it is a very close-range pseudo-vocalisation which has become a visual signal rather than a vocal one. You’ll find that in the cat world there is an understandable difference in the quality and volume of the sounds that they make depending on distance that …
Background Akvelon, whose motto is “We make BIG software happen”, are developing a computer program using artificial intelligence and machine learning which they claim will be able to translate a domestic cat’s vocalisations (sounds such as meows) for the benefit of their human caretakers. It’s the Holy Grail of the cat-to-human relationship. We do …
