CATS HAVE «HUMANIZED»: they mourn loss, smile, and are learning to speak
Vasyl Kovach. RigeJopchick, 2021 / Facebook, «Sil-Sol»
Cats have lived alongside humans for thousands of years. It is logical to assume that, during this time, the two biological species would have developed ways to communicate with each other. This explains the scientific interest in feline intelligence and «language», about which discoveries are constantly being made.
«HUMANIZATION»
Scientists believe that cats are capable of displaying complex emotions, such as feeling shame or love. The variety of expressions on their faces — or «muzzles», as cat lovers might prefer to call them — is astounding. As many as 276 different expressions have been identified, though there are likely even more. If we learn to recognize them, we can better understand our beloved pets.
Another approach is to teach cats human language. There have been experiments where cats were taught to «speak» using buttons that play words. For instance, a domestic cat named Billy from Florida could use up to 50 words with the «button-word» system. Of course, this doesn’t compare to the achievements of chimpanzees, who can learn around 700 signs of sign language.
Nevertheless, it’s hard to call a cat a speechless creature. Domestic cats are clearly «humanizing», using their natural potential to the fullest.
TALK TO ME, CAT!
By nature, cats are solitary creatures, but they possess remarkably developed abilities for audio contact. They make sounds for various reasons — when attracting a mate, sensing a threat, or preparing to use the litter box. However, like humans, many of their sounds are often motivated by nothing more than their mood.
We don’t find it strange when people shout in excitement or hum a tune while walking, do we? Similarly, domestic cats are «talkative» to the extent their owners are. The more you talk to your cat, narrating your actions involving them, the more they will «talk» back to you. However, if an owner doesn’t communicate with the cat, over time, the cat will also stop engaging in conversation.
BRILLIANT IMITATORS
Cats can mimic nuances of the human voice. By adopting melodic patterns typical of their owners, cats enhance communication, attract attention, or ask for something. This genius «director’s trick» is employed by these tailed mimics even in the wild.
Often, when cats see birds, they start chattering — mimicking bird chirping. This helps lull their prey into a false sense of security. In domestic cats, this ability has evolved into a way of «adapting» to their owners.
Laboratory experiments show that our pets carefully observe us, quickly learn, and eventually develop the ability to «mirror» our behavior.
CATS’ LIKES AND DISLIKES
It’s hard to say whether cats learned to make facial expressions from humans or if they’ve always had this ability. In any case, something akin to human empathy, affection, or dislike is undoubtedly familiar to domestic cats. Scientists from Lyon College and Kansas State University published an article in Behavioural Processes, debunking the myth that cats «walk alone». Domesticated cats certainly don’t.
Over a year, specialists observed visitors at a cat café in Los Angeles and discovered that they were not dealing with antisocial, hardened individualists. Domestic cats are far from indifferent to those around them and are capable of experiencing complex social emotions.
Of the visitors, 45% exhibited signs of friendliness, 37% showed aggression, and only 18% maintained emotional neutrality.
TRIGGER — ANYTHING UNUSUAL
Combining collected data with AI capabilities, the experiment’s authors plan to create an app that will help cat owners better interpret their pets’ emotions. Understanding them can sometimes be challenging. Take, for example, a cat howling.
If there are no health issues, several reasons could explain this behavior: simple hunger, boredom, or a bid for attention. Howling can also be triggered by changes in the cat’s familiar world.
For instance, the arrival of a new family member — such as a child or spouse — renovations, rearranging furniture, or even something unusual happening outside the window.
CATS MOURN THE LOSS OF LOVED ONES
A recent study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science confirms that cats are familiar with the psychological experience of loss. A survey of 412 cat guardians revealed that their pets could experience profound grief, especially mourning the death of another living being.
When losing a companion animal they were attached to, cats became more fearful, struggled with sleep and eating, and showed indifference to play. Some sought solitude or searched for their lost friends. Others, on the contrary, tried to compensate for the loss by demanding more attention from humans.
However, scientists acknowledge that during the surveys, cat owners might have projected their own emotions onto their pets’ behavior. Further research is needed to clarify the extent to which this projection influences scientific findings.
COMPARATIVE THANATOLOGY
The study of feline grief will undoubtedly contribute to the development of comparative thanatology (from Ancient Greek θάνατος — death and λόγος — study), which examines the behavioral and psychological reactions of animals to death, as first noted by Darwin. Scientists have already explored such reactions in elephants, magpies, jays, whales, dolphins, and primates.
This has led to the hypothesis of grief’s adaptive function, which helps maintain group cohesion in social species after a loss. The twist is that domestic cats descended from asocial wild cats. This means that living among humans has not only made their emotional sphere more flexible but also altered their social structure.
A surprising fact: feral domestic cats often form colonies, something their initially wild relatives generally do not. This offers a new perspective on the evolutionary history of group living and its connection to the psychological experience of death.
SMILE THE «CAT WAY» PROPERLY!
However, along with your pets, you can not only grieve but also rejoice. Karen McComb, a psychologist from the University of Sussex, claims that one of the most effective ways to communicate with cats is through smiling. The catch is that now you’ll need to adapt to your pet to learn how to smile the «cat way».
When you bare your teeth, you might display a threatening grin rather than friendliness. To mimic a cat’s smile, all you need to do is narrow your eyes and slowly, very slowly, blink. Watch your furry friend: if they do the same, it means you’ve certainly earned their affectionate response.
YOUR FURRY CHILD
Experiments have shown that cats when smiled at by humans beforehand, are more willing to engage in further physical contact. Admit it, this behavior is not so different from that of humans. Scientists suggest that by domesticating cats, humans have infantilized them. Unintentionally, we’ve trained them to knead with their paws, meow in a particular way, and purr.
In the wild, cats display such behaviors only during infancy while they are with their littermates and mothers. Adult wild cats do not typically behave this way. When cats beg for food or attention, they are essentially communicating with you as though you were a large mother cat.
In essence, your domestic cat retains kitten-like behavior throughout its life. And people often tend to view their pets as their own «children». If your cat kneads you with its paws or «smiles», it’s a sign that they are happy and content with their relationship with you.
In this case, it’s safe to say that the feeling is mutual.
Original research:
- Feline faces: Unraveling the social function of domestic cat facial signals
- Is companion animal loss cat-astrophic? Responses of domestic cats to the loss of another companion animal
