In family life, the relationship between cats and their owners is often particularly special.

Research indicates that cats respond more significantly to their owners' voices compared to those of strangers.

This phenomenon reveals the deep bond between cats and their owners and highlights cats' unique social cognition and emotional communication skills.

An in-depth study on this phenomenon was conducted by Charlotte de Mouzon and her team at the University of Paris 10 in France. Their experiment involved 16 cats, including 9 males and 7 females.

The cats lived in small apartments, either alone with their female owners or with a heterosexual couple. The experiment aimed to investigate how cats respond to different sounds, specifically the differences between their owner’s voice and that of a stranger.

In the experiment, the research team first asked the owners to call their cats' names in a high-pitched tone and recorded their interactions with their cats in French.

These recordings included common questions from the owners, such as “Do you want to play?” and “Do you want to eat?” Additionally, owners interacted with their cats using normal tones, and recordings of friends or family members' voices were also made.

The research team then played these recordings to the cats. When the owner was present but not interacting with the cat, the cats displayed clear attention to the owner's voice.

They would stop their current activity, start looking around, wag their ears and tails, and sometimes become completely still. This behavior indicates that cats have strong recognition abilities and emotional responses to their owner’s voice.

In contrast, when strangers similarly communicated with the cats, the cats’ reactions were significantly weaker. Even if a stranger called the cat’s name in a caring tone and invited them to play or eat, the cat's reaction was still not as pronounced as it was to the owner's voice. This phenomenon might be related to the fact that cats generally have less contact with strangers.

Research demonstrates that cats have stronger emotional and cognitive responses to their owners' voices, reflecting their social cognition abilities.

During communication with their owners, cats can not only identify the source of sounds but also understand the emotional intentions behind these sounds. This skill helps cats perceive their owner’s emotional state and respond appropriately.

Charlotte de Mouzon pointed out that this behavior illustrates the uniqueness of cats in perception and communication. Cats can sense their owners through specific sounds and intonations, thereby forming a closer emotional connection.

This insight provides a basis for effective communication with cats. By using “baby talk” or a more caring tone when interacting with cats, owners can enhance their pets' perception and response to them, thereby improving the quality of their interactions.

The strong reactions of cats to their owners' voices not only reflect their close relationship with their owners but also underscore their capabilities in social cognition and emotional communication.

These findings offer strategies for building better relationships with cats and further reveal the significance of cats as family pets in emotional communication.