OC: A cat with an accent sounds like a character in a whimsical children’s tale, but Swedish scientists are trying to figure out if domestic cats actually do have differing ‘dialects’ based on their geographical location. They also want to understand if the owner’s voice might have a role to play in the way cats’ meow. If they’re successful, the team of scientists from Lund University hope to put together a ‘dictionary’ of cat sounds. more
Let me guess: the study is funded by a govt grant?
I was traveling in Germany and met a man with an extremely well trained dog that would obediently respond to any of his commands. Funny thing was the dog wouldn’t do one damn thing I commanded.
You’d think Sweden would have more pressing issues to worry about.
I was eating chicken stir-fry tonight when a sneeze came on. I reached for a napkin but knocked it on the floor. Massively sneezed right in the boy cat’s face. (he was waiting for chicken bites)
I would judge his accent, but he’s not speaking to me right now.
My cat has an English accent and calls me “coolie”. My dog has a Hindu accent and calls my Sahib.
Go figure.
Le mew? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CC0akNhkn8k.
Just beware if your Persian cat starts meowing with a middle-eastern accent….hide the knifes.
That’s easy. My cat from Brampton, Ontario always says meow, eh.
A few speak a foreign language. Wowowowowowow right before upchucking a hairball. Must be Martian.
Zoe rarely meowed until we lost Ivan a few years ago. They used to play in the bathroom (Zoe on the toilet lid trying to bat at Ivan while he was on the counter with one paw on her head to keep her from getting in a good swipe).
The week he was gone and she missed him, she started this guttural “Rrrrrrooooowwwwww” quite loudly as she walks out of the bathroom. Still does it to this day.
Weirdly, I have cat that thinks she speaks English (Texas). She goes outside and clearly says out. I ask if she’s hungary and she clearly vocalizes her own yes. Hildie has always been smarter than the average cat. We communicate quite well.
I wonder if my yellow tabby Finn speaks with a Finnish accent? Or more than likely a Huckleberry Finnish Missouri twang. And what does he speak when he talks to his golden retriever buddy and fellow house mate Indie?
They should get cats from the mid-west for a base line because everybody knows people from Michigan have no accents.