Those who have one or more hairballs at home know how difficult it can be to get their attention. Cats are known to like to keep their distance and be independent. That doesn’t mean they don’t crave human attention and bond with their family, though. The situation becomes even more complicated when it comes to attracting the attention of an unknown feline. How to call a cat that doesn’t know you and is probably suspicious?
In France, researchers from the University of Paris-Nanterre studied the behavior of felines in a cat café. The study’s author, Charlotte de Mouzon, has herself been studying the interactions between cats and humans for several years. The cat is man’s oldest companion, but we still have trouble deciphering it on a daily basis. Hence the importance of studying the behavior of domestic cats.
The cat prefers visual signs in addition to vocal signs
In their study, the researchers tried different approaches to try to get the attention of cats they didn’t know. The approaches were as follows: call the cat without making a gesture, make a gesture without speaking, call the cat and make a gesture and do nothing at all. Other researchers have also recently succeeded in creating hypoallergenic cats thanks to CRISPR.
Researchers have discovered that the most effective way to attract the attention of an unfamiliar cat is to walk the talk. Cats even prefer visual signs to vocal signs. So the next time you see a friendly feline on the street, saying “kitty, kitty” or even “psst, psst” probably won’t be the most effective way to communicate with that pet. On this subject, the researchers also confirmed in their study that the French do not call cats in the same way as in other countries. The “kitty, kitty” is indeed a 100% French expression.
Cats don’t like it if you stand still without making noise
Unsurprisingly, the cats completely ignored the searchers who did nothing, no noise and no movement. However, the researchers noticed an interesting detail. Indeed, the cats seemed more stressed in the presence of people who did not move or speak. Felines wagged their tails more often. It is usually a sign of discomfort and stress in cats. We can therefore think that cats do not know how to react to a mute and motionless person in the same room as them.
This study therefore demonstrates that cats are more receptive to visual signals than to vocal signals from humans. Put the odds on your side to succeed in calling an unknown cat by making calm gestures and speaking softly.
>> Read also: Here is the caracal, an unknown feline with many superpowers
