Domestic cats can mentally map their owner鈥檚 location simply from the sound of their voice.
Previous studies of cats (Felis catus) have revealed they are able to track objects that move out of sight 鈥� showcasing a level of what is known as 鈥渙bject permanence鈥�, the recognition that an object continues to exist even if it can no longer be seen. But few studies have tested how cats use their other senses to track objects and individuals.
at Kyoto University in Japan and her colleagues put cats鈥� hearing to the test by investigating how they responded to their owner鈥檚 voice.
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To do so, they studied 50 domestic cats 鈥� 27 of which live at 鈥渃at cafes鈥� where people can pay to watch and play with cats, while the remaining 23 were house cats.
The team placed each cat alone in a test room with two doors and a window. They placed a speaker outside the room near one door and a second speaker outside near the second door or the window. The two speakers were at least 4 metres apart. To observe the cats, the team set up five video cameras in the room.
During each test, the researchers used the speakers to play recordings of the cat鈥檚 owner 鈥� whether a cafe owner or a member of the household 鈥� or a stranger calling the cat鈥檚 name. The voice was played twice, 2.5 seconds apart, and could come from either the same speaker both times or once from each speaker.
Eight people then evaluated each cat鈥檚 response by carefully analysing the video footage.
The results suggest that cats show little surprise 鈥� indicated by moving their ears or changing head direction 鈥� when their owner鈥檚 voice was played twice from the same speaker, or when the stranger鈥檚 voice was played either twice from the same speaker or once from each speaker.
But if the familiar voice of the cat鈥檚 owner was played from first one and then the second speaker 4 metres away just a few seconds later, the cats did show signs of surprise.
The authors suggest that cats can mentally track their owner鈥檚 location using their voice, and thus exhibit surprise when their owners suddenly seem to 鈥渢eleport鈥� to a new place. The results indicate a previously unknown socio-spatial awareness in cats.
鈥淐ats may have a mind that is more profound than we think,鈥� says Takagi.
at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy, says: 鈥淭he understanding of cats鈥� socio-cognitive abilities to perceive their emotions is crucial for improving the quality of human-cat and cat-cat relationships, as well as cat welfare in the domestic environment.鈥�
PLoS One
