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Fun research about cats

Fun scientific findings about cats, told briefly, with charts and a link to the original paper.

How cats conquered the world – by hitching rides with tradersAncient DNA shows domestic cats spread in two waves: from the Near East in the Neolithic, then from Egypt along trade routes.Nature Ecology & Evolution · 2017
Your cat knows when you’re talking to itCats can tell when their owner is using ‘cat-directed’ baby talk versus speaking to an adult – but not with a stranger.Animal Cognition · 2023
Cats talk to each other with their facesIn a cat café, cats used different combinations of facial movements for friendly versus unfriendly encounters.Behavioural Processes · 2023
Owning a cat doesn’t make kids more prone to psychosisIn thousands of UK children, cat ownership in pregnancy or childhood wasn’t linked to psychotic symptoms.Psychological Medicine · 2017
Cats are lefties and righties tooMost cats have a preferred paw – and males lean left while females lean right.Animal Behaviour · 2018
Cats rolling in catnip may be applying bug sprayWhen cats rub and roll on silver vine, the chemical nepetalactol coats their fur and helps repel mosquitoes.Science Advances · 2021
Cats bond with their owners much like babies doAbout two-thirds of kittens and adult cats are ‘securely attached’ to their owners – similar to human infants.Current Biology · 2019
Why cats don’t care about sweetsThe cat gene for the sweet-taste receptor is broken, so cats can’t really taste sugar.PLoS Genetics · 2005
Say “Whiskers” – and your cat knows it’s themPet cats tell their own name apart from similar-sounding words, even when a stranger says it.Scientific Reports · 2019
Cats mentally map where you are from your voiceCats were surprised when their owner’s voice seemed to ‘teleport’ – a sign they picture where the owner is.PLOS ONE · 2021
The cry hidden inside the purrWhen asking for food, cats embed a high, cry-like sound in their purr that makes people feel it’s more urgent.Current Biology · 2009
If I fits I sits – even in an imaginary squareCats seemed to sit in an illusory square (just four corners) about as often as in a real one.Applied Animal Behaviour Science · 2021
People, food, toys or scent – what do cats pick?Given a free choice, most cats picked human interaction – with food a close second.Behavioural Processes · 2017
A cat’s larynx can purr with no signal from the brainExcised cat larynges vibrated at purring frequencies (25–30 Hz) with just airflow – no nerves needed.Current Biology · 2023
A rattle means there’s something inside – cats get itCats use sound to infer a hidden object in a container – and look surprised when physics seems broken.Animal Cognition · 2016
The slow blink: a cat’s version of a smileNarrowing your eyes and blinking slowly at a cat makes it blink back – and more likely to approach you.Scientific Reports · 2020