Can Cats Really Communicate With Their Owners?

12/20/2011 10:05 am ET | Updated Feb 19, 2012

Dr. Dennis Turner, a leading expert on the feline-human bond, explains why he likes cats:

"I appreciate the fact that they're very sensitive. They are very independent thinkers and independent actors and they're very elegant and beautiful to watch. I could watch cats for hours."

Do Humans and Cats Communicate with Each Other?

Dr. Turner has used Information Theory, a complex mathematical system employed in computer science to determine whether two entities are communicating, to suggest that kitties and their people transfer information back and forth.

According to Dr. Turner, each feline-human pair has an individual way of communicating, due in part to the wide variety of behaviors cats use to "talk" to their human family.



Many kitties vocalize as a way to communicate. Some scratch the floor or stand on hind legs and reach for you with their front paws.

Why Felines May Be the Perfect Pets

Dr. Turner's research shows that unlike dogs, cats follow their owner's lead when it comes to how much involvement they have with each other.

Some cat owners prefer a lot of interaction with their pet; others don't have much time to devote or simply prefer less interaction. Kitties are quite adaptable to their humans' needs and fall into step easily with the pace the owner sets. They do this without complaint, and their independent self-sufficient nature helps them get along without a need for the same level of interaction their canine counterparts demand.

Even more amazing is Dr. Turner's discovery that cats seem to understand the need for balance in their relationship with their humans. "What we found was the more the owner complies with the cat's wishes to interact, the more the cat complies with the owners wishes, at other times. They go up together, or they go down together. If the person doesn't comply with the cats wish to interact then the cat doesn't comply with the persons' wishes. It's a fantastic give and take partnership. It's a true social relationship between owners and cats," said Dr. Turner.

Having a Cat Around Makes You Both Feel Better

Dr. Turner's research has revealed that when a cat interacts with her depressed human, she can discern whether her owner is sad or anxious. She then reacts by increasing her communication signals -- perhaps rubbing against the owner more aggressively or meowing loudly.

In a Dr. Turner study of couples with cats, it was shown that kitties can alleviate the bad moods of their human owners. This research indicates that while our partners are the ones who make our good moods better, our cats are as capable as our partners are of helping us through feelings of anxiety, depression and fear.

"Both the cat's presence and their interactions can reduce bad moods. This wasn't in any sort of clinically-ill population or people with psychological problems, this was with average cat owners," said Dr. Turner.

5 More Reasons Cats are Great Pets

1. Housebreaking takes about a minute. Just tuck a litter box with clean litter in an out-of-the-way spot in your home, and voila! Fluffy is fully housetrained!

2. You don't have to give up being a clean freak. No need to worry about a dirty, smelly kitty rolling around on your carpet or your furniture. Healthy felines keep themselves clean from head to toe.

3. No guilt trips. Unlike your dog, who might drop his tail and look at you with a forlorn expression when you can't stop what you're doing to play with him, if you need to put your kitty off for a bit, she'll wander away, not seeming to mind. You'll find her later stretched out contentedly in her favorite napping spot.

4. Have carrier, will travel. Most kitties don't relish trips in the car or visits to the vet, but if you have a cat carrier, it's a whole lot easier to move an unwilling, anxious 12-pound cat than an uncooperative 50- or 60-pound pooch.

5. You can stay warm, even in the dead of winter. As most folks owned by cats can attest, there's nothing that compares to the coziness of a kitty curled up in your lap... or wrapped around your neck... or perched atop your head as you recline in your favorite easy chair... or stretched out down the length of your legs as you fall asleep in bed at night.


