Cats can tell when owners are speaking to them by their tone of voice, study suggests

A new study indicates that feline pets change their behaviour upon hearing their owner’s voice – but not when they are speaking to other humans, reports Andy Gregory

Cats appear to be able to tell when their owner is using a tone of voice typically directed to them (Pixabay)

Cats are able to tell when their owner is talking directly to them by their tone of voice, new research suggests.

Domesticated felines were found to change their behaviour upon hearing their owner’s voice talking in a tone directed to them – but not when hearing a stranger speak or their owner talking to another person.

The small study of 16 cats adds to evidence that cats may form strong bonds with their owner, and the authors suggest that their findings bring a new dimension to cat-human relationships – with cat communication potentially relying on experience of their owner’s voice.