Perceptual and Acoustic Evidence for Species-Level Differences in Meow Vocalizations by Domestic Cats (Felis catus} and African Wild Cats (Felis silvestris lybica).

Abstract

To test for possible anthropogenic selection effects on meows in domestic felids, vocalizations by domestic cats (Felis catus) were compared with cries by their closest wild relative, the African wild cat (Felis silvestris lybica). Comparisons included analysis of acoustic characteristics and perceptual studies with human (Homo sapiens) listeners. The perceptual studies obtained human listener ratings of call pleasantness. Both the acoustic and perceptual comparisons revealed clear species-level differences: The domestic cat meows were significantly shorter in mean duration than the wild cat meows, showed higher mean formant frequencies, and exhibited higher mean fundamental frequencies. Human listeners at all levels of experience and affinity for cats rated domestic cat meows as far more pleasant sounding than wild cat vocalizations. These results are consistent with a model of cat domestication that posits selective pressure on meows based on human perceptual biases.

Vocal Tract Morphology Determines Species-Specific Features in Vocal Signals of Lemurs (Eulemur)

“…We provide direct evidence that there is a basis for species-specific recognition in lemur nasal calls, also showing that prominent spectral features are the result of vocal tract filtering. Our findings demonstrate that vocal cues discriminate species, in agreement with previous studies on the oral "meows" of felids (Nicastro 2004). Indirectly, our data support the hypothesis that formants can be perceived spontaneously in Strepsirrhini, as demonstrated in macaques (Fitch and Fritz 2006).…”

Spectral characteristics of intense mew calls in cat species of the genus Felis (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae)

“…Measurements of F0m and F0h for meows of African wildcats published by Nicastro (2004) are considerably lower than those obtained here for intense mew calls of this subspecies (cf. Table 3).…”

“…For most of the recordings analyzed, the input level control was adjusted manually and was left in the same position (as much as possible) during the recording of one coherent call series; some recordings were made with ALC (automatic level control) (see Table 1). The study of meows of African wildcats (Nicastro 2004) was performed with different equipment, but it had largely the same technical specifications, making the results basically comparable.…”

Development and application of CatFACS: Are human cat adopters influenced by cat facial expressions?

“…Thus, Waller et al (2013) suggested that this particular facial expression explores, in some way, the sensory preferences of humans and consequently, drives the domestication process in this species. In cats, the neotenisation processes seem to be restricted to the vocalisations (Nicastro, 2004;Yeon et al, 2011) and do not seem to be present in facial expressions. Moreover, the current study was not able to identify any effect from facial expressions or vocalisations in human preferences when selecting a companion cat.…”

“…McComb et al (2009) proposed that specific types of purrs (with embedded meow sounds) exploit human sensory biases by mimicking human infant cries in order to solicit enhanced levels of attention and care. Thus, the origin of these vocalisations may be a process of neotenisation, as calls mostly produced in kittens (both wild and domestic species) have been retained in the adult domestic cat during domestication (Cameron-Beaumont, 1997;Nicastro, 2004;Yeon et al, 2011;Bradshaw, 2016). It was also shown that domestic cat meows are more pleasant to the human ear than wild cat calls (Cameron-Beaumont, 1997;Nicastro, 2004), which supports the idea that human senses have been exploited during the evolution of the domestic cat vocal signals (Bradshaw and Cameron-Beaumont, 2000).…”