Research overview: vocal individuality and owner interpretation of meows

Cats develop individually distinctive meows, and owners gradually learn to interpret their own cat's calls better than strangers do. This overview surveys research on acoustic individuality in cat vocalisations, the context-dependence of meows, and evidence that interpretation accuracy depends on familiarity with the specific cat rather than universal acoustic rules. It discusses how this supports the view of cat-human vocal communication as a privately negotiated code refined within each relationship. It connects to broader findings on the human-directed nature of meowing. The topic explains why people often understand their own cat's requests while finding another cat's calls opaque.