“Who has been good today? And what a beautiful cat you are.” Many owners are reluctant to admit this, but we often talk to our cats as if they were little children. Still, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, cats are well aware that we are addressing them directly. Plus, “baby talk” to your cat would actually strengthen your bond. This is according to a new study published in the journal Animal Cognition.
Most people automatically speak in a higher, singing tone when talking to animals and babies. This is considered so-called ‘baby talk’. Previous studies have shown that such ‘baby talk’ attracts the attention of dogs, but little was known about cats until now.
Cat behaviorist Charlotte de Mouzon and her colleagues from Paris Nanterre University examined how 16 cats responded to hearing pre-recorded phrases uttered by their owner or a stranger. They were phrases like: “Do you want to play” and “do you want a candy”. The study participants spoke these sentences twice: once as if they were speaking to their cat, the other time as if they were speaking to an adult individual.
Behavioral changes
The cats were then told the different phrases. The researchers closely monitored whether the animals showed other behaviors, such as moving their ears or tail, suddenly stopping what they were doing or dilating their pupils. The cats barely reacted to hearing the voice of a stranger calling their name or saying one of the sentences. When their owner did, ten of the sixteen cats showed higher alertness.
Cats are also more interested when they hear their owners say phrases in a high-pitched, singing tone. When a stranger uses that same tone or when their owner uses a different tone—as if he’s talking to another adult—the participating cats barely respond.
Not as indifferent as we think
The research shows that cats are aware when their owners are directly addressing them. “For a long time it was thought that cats are very independent creatures, that they only eat and want a cozy place to sleep. But the fact that they react immediately to their owner’s ‘baby talk’ and not to just anyone who speaks to them contributes to the idea that they are dependent and not indifferent,” says Mouzon. “So it’s important that people think of cats as sensitive and communicative individuals.”
According to Mouzon, cat owners should not be ashamed if they talk to their cats in a baby tone. “I also talk to my cats like they are children,” it reads. “People may be shy to admit this, but I think it can help strengthen the bond between cats and their owners. They really understand that we give them direct attention. Cats don’t behave the same towards everyone,” Mouzon said. “Everything depends on their relationship with that person.”
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