Meows encode less individual information than purrs and show greater variability in domestic than in wild cats.

ABSTRACT: Domestication has shaped animal vocal behaviour, increasing flexibility and responsiveness to humans. In domestic cats (Felis catus), two vocalisations, meows and purrs, have distinct communicative roles. Meows are context-dependent signals primarily directed at humans; purrs are stereotyped, low-frequency sounds produced in affiliative contexts. Vocal individuality, key in mammalian communication, supports social recognition and interaction, but its presence across cats' call types remains poorly understood. We examined whether cats encode individual identity in meows and purrs, hypothesising that meows might show stronger signatures due to their human-directed nature. We analysed 276 meows from 14 cats and 557 purrs from 21 cats. Both call types carried sufficient individual information,

SUBMITTER: Russo D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12695941 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature