--- title: "Scientists Discover That Cats Simply Do Not Give a Crap" description: "Hello? Every cat person has suspected that their cats are ignoring them — and now, researchers seem to have proven that they're right. As a new study published in the Animal Cognition journal details, feline researchers have demonstrated that cats absolutely do know when their owners are talking to them, but that sometimes, they choose […]" date: "2022-10-25" modified: "2022-10-25" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/cats-ignoring-humans-research" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "cats" - "feline" - "nonhuman language" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Discover That Cats Simply Do Not Give a Crap ![Every cat person has suspected that their cats are ignoring them — and now, researchers seem to have proven that they're right. ]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Meow Mix Every cat person has suspected that their cats are ignoring them — and now, new research seems to support that hunch. As a new study [published in the journal *Animal Cognition*]() details, feline researchers have demonstrated that cats do appear to know when their owners are talking to them, but that sometimes, they choose to ignore it. The researchers sat with 16 cat-people pairs who lived in studio apartments, and playing them recordings of the pair interacting, followed by recordings of the humans saying the same words they use when baby-talking their cats, but in a voice register similar to that which they'd use to speak to other humans. The researchers also played them recordings of other humans speaking to them as well, which the cats didn't respond much to at all. To the shock of no one who's ever tried repeatedly to get their cat's attention, the felines seemed to be able to differentiate between the tone of voice used when their humans were speaking to them versus that which humans use to speak to each other. In other words, cats seem to know who's talking to them and if they're being spoken to — even if they act like they don't. ## I Cat Even The most interesting — and funniest — finding in the study, which was conducted by researchers at the Paris Nanterre University, was that some of the cats only indicated that they'd heard their person speaking to them in the baby-talk register by twitching their ears and otherwise seeming completely disinterested in the recordings. In other instances, some of the cats would look towards the sound of their owner's kitten-babble and meow, pause its activities, or otherwise respond. "Our results highlight the importance of one-to-one relationships for indoor companion cats," the researchers wrote in the paper, "who do not seem to generalize the communication developed with one human to all human interlocutors." Translation: cats seem to know when their own people are talking to them — but that doesn't mean they care. **More on cats:** [*Can Cats Infect You With a Psychosis-Inducing Brain Parasite? The Answer Is Complicated*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()