What Is A Cat Whisperer?
December 22, 2020
Some people are so in tune with their pets, they know exactly what they’re thinking just by looking at their body language. Are these people the true cat whisperers?
According to a recent study from the University of Guelph’s Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, published in the November issue of the journal Animal Welfare, a true cat whisperer is someone who can interpret a cat’s mood solely from their facial expressions.
The study, led by Behavioral Biologist Georgia Mason, took 6,329 volunteers from 85 different countries and showed them 40 short videos of cats – 20 videos of grumpy cats and 20 videos of happy cats, each 4 seconds or less in length.
The video had to show the cat’s face clearly in order to qualify for the study. Obvious facial expressions like hissing were discounted, as the researchers wanted to focus on unfamiliar signs of communication.
The researchers determined what the cats' facial expressions were from the narrative accompanying the videos. Those cats about to take a trip to the vet’s were obviously showing signs of distress, whereas more relaxed cats were either in mid-play or about to receive one of their favourite treats.
The videos were further categorized and divided into separate groups depending on active and resting cats. The researchers didn’t want to influence the participants’ results by adding body language to the test. The key to the study was being able to interpret facial expressions only.
At the end of the study, which was broadcast over social media, the researchers found that people are better adept at interpreting happy cats over grumpy cats. More than 85% of the participants correctly guessed that Mason’s cat was in a good mood from the video.
The study showed that women were better than men at interpreting the correct emotion on the cats’ faces, and younger women were better than older women. In addition, those who worked with animals, especially in the veterinary field, even if they didn’t own a cat were definitely better at interpreting feline facial expressions and could class themselves true cat whisperers.
The study confirms our human ability to discern information from mere facial expressions and proves how important face-to-face communication really is.
Why is this study helpful? Very little is known about cat language and not many studies exist trying to solve this mystery. But more importantly, this study may help to improve animal welfare by improving how we communicate with our pets.
If you fancy yourself as a cat whisperer, take the Cat Faces Quiz.
Source:
Animal Welfare, November 2019, DOI: 10.7120/09627286.28.4.519