Research overview: cat vocalization in shelter versus home settings

The environment shapes how and how much cats vocalize, with implications for welfare assessment. This overview surveys research comparing vocal behaviour of cats in shelters, catteries and homes, where confinement, novelty and social stress can elevate calling, including distress-related yowling and increased meowing. It examines how vocalization rates and types serve as indicators of stress or of attempts to solicit attention and escape, and how they change as cats acclimate or are rehomed. The survey connects this to broader welfare science that uses behaviour, including vocal output, to gauge how cats cope with confinement, and it discusses the practical value of monitoring vocalization for identifying animals in distress and evaluating the effects of housing and enrichment interventions in shelters.