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Studies have found that baby talk, officially called “parentese,” improves a human baby’s speech and language development. In addition, babies have an innate preference for the slow, sing-songy, higher-pitched intonations that are the hallmark of baby talk.
It turns out cats prefer baby talk as well—so long as it’s from their owner. Studies show your cat is more likely to respond to your voice when high-pitched, a vocal style called “pet-directed speech” in the research world. So, if you baby talk to your cat, no shame. It actually elicits a better response. But if you babytalk to someone else’s cat? Not so much.
It turns out cats prefer baby talk as well—so long as it’s from their owner.
Baby Talk and Cats: Study Results
A 2022 study published in Animal Cognition found that “cats can discriminate between speech that is specifically addressed just to them by their owner from their speech addressed to other humans,” says Charlotte de Mouzon, first author of the paper and an animal behaviour researcher at Paris Nanterre University in France.
The study involved 16 cats aged between eight months and two years of age belonging to students at the National Veterinary School in Alfort, France.
The researchers recorded the cat owners speaking phrases such as, “Do you want a treat?” and Do you want to play?” both in pet-directed speech and in their normal speaking voice. 16 women unknown to the cats recorded the same phrases.
The cats were then played the recordings in their own home. The researchers gauged the cats’ reactions—noting dilated pupils, turning of ears, ceasing of activity or moving toward the voice—on a scale from zero to 20.
Generally, the cats’ responsiveness decreased as each recording of their owner’s adult-directed speech played, but their attention rebounded significantly with their owner’s pet-directed speech, says Science. It dropped again when their owner’s adult-directed speech played.
When the experiment was repeated with the voice of a stranger, the cats again became gradually less interested— and, notably, remained disengaged even when the pet-directed speech played, according to Science.
“I am fascinated,” says Certified Cat Behavior Consultant Amanda Caron, who did not contribute to this research. “Studies like this teach us that cats pay attention to every detail.”
This article originally appeared in the award-winning Modern Cat magazine. Subscribe today!