A new scientific study has found that pet cats tend to meow more often—and more loudly—when greeting men than women. But this doesn’t mean they prefer male family members. Instead, researchers say it’s likely because men talk less to cats, so the cats have to “speak up” to get their attention.
The study, led by Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas from Ankara University in Turkey, looked at how 31 cats behaved when their owners came home. Each cat wore a small camera so scientists could see exactly how they acted during those first moments of reunion.
On average, cats gave 4.3 meows when greeting male owners, compared to just 1.8 meows for female owners. The cats also purred and chirped more often when men walked in the door.
Researchers believe this is because women are usually more chatty and attentive with their pets, so cats don’t need to try as hard to be noticed. With men, the cats might feel they need to “talk” more to get the attention they want.
The cats also showed signs of both affection and relief, showing they were happy and comforted by their humans’ return—no matter their gender.
Although this study only involved a small number of cats in Turkey, scientists hope to do more research in other countries to see if cats behave the same way around the world.
