Key Points

THE HIGH-PITCHED MEOWS OF A CAT is often regarded as something random, a small squeak that the small animal utters as a way to demand or complain — about food usually — or seen as a sign of boredom. Prior research has shown that cat meows are an adaptive tactic that the clever animals have adopted to catch human attention. Moreover, cats may adapt the tone and tenor of their meows depending upon who approaches them. That being said, yet another research has revealed that cats tend to meow more at men than they do at women — both in frequency and in tone.

The study found that pet cats may change their meows depending on who has just walked into their house. When a male owner entered the house, cats reported to have a noticeable increase in vocal effort, and generally become more chatty with incessant purrs, chirps, and meows.

Don't worry, this doesn't mean that cats prefer men over women. They're cats, after all, and their allegiance is biologically wired towards napping and eating food. The reason for this supposed preference is that as male cat owners are generally less attentive to their cats and tend to talk less frequently with them, cats have to work harder to get their love and attention, hence the more meowing.

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The study, published in the journal Ethology in 2025, aimed to have a better understanding of interaction between cats and their owners. Instead of just relying on testimonies given by owners describing their cats’ behavior, the researchers took their study a step further. Researcher Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas from Ankara University, Turkiye, led a team of scientists who studied 31 cats and the people who look after them. A chest-mounted camera was positioned onto the pet owners, via which researchers could see their pet cats’ reaction and analyze how they behave in the first few moments after their owners return home. 

Despite all the cats they analyzed — differing in many aspects such as age, breed or sex — one thing was constant: cats greeting their male owners via mews, chirps, and purrs was more in frequency when compared to female owners. On average, the cats produced 4.3 meows in the first 100 seconds when it came to greeting men, compared to just 1.8 meows with women.

See also: Human Catfight Over Kittens Go Viral; Netizens React to Bengaluru Police Intervention, asking, “Did the officials check with the female cat about consent? If yes, what was the reply—meow or neow?”

Yasemin Salgirli, the study’s lead author, attributed this difference to male owners’ less interactions with their cats. Researchers also think that women tend to talk more to their cats, mimic their sounds, and generally display feline vibes better than men. “Male caregivers might engage less frequently in verbal behaviors compared to female caregivers. This difference could prompt cats to use vocal signals more actively to elicit responses from male caregivers,” Yasemin noted. 

In addition to this “meowing frequency,” the study also revealed that cats display a variety of behaviors, such as friendly, social, and stress-management related behavior, when greeting their owners. This shows in addition to having a desire for connection, cats also show relief that their owner has returned, meaning they do care about you!

Even though this study was conducted in Turkey with a small sample size, the findings of the study may not be universally applicable to all the cats worldwide. Then again, cats are fascinating creatures displaying wide-ranging quirks and behavior. This study has given some insights into the world and mind of cats. And hey, it's a fun study to read about.

[Edited by: Harsh Pandey]

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