Researchers have found that a domestic cat's purr provides a more reliable indicator of its individual identity than its meow. While meows vary greatly depending on context, purrs remain consistent. This discovery highlights how domestication has shaped feline communication.
A study conducted by scientists from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the University of Naples Federico II analyzed cat vocalizations to understand their role in identity and communication. Using automatic speech recognition techniques on recordings from the Animal Sound Archive at the Berlin Natural History Museum, the team examined sounds from both domestic cats and five wild species: African wildcat, European wildcat, jungle cat, cheetah, and cougar.
The research showed that purrs are stable and uniquely identifiable, making them a dependable marker for distinguishing one cat from another. In contrast, meows exhibit dramatic changes based on situations, with domestic cats displaying even greater variability than their wild counterparts. This flexibility in meowing appears to have evolved as cats adapted to living with humans.
"People pay most attention to meowing because cats mainly use these vocalizations toward us," said Danilo Russo, the study's first author. "But once we examined the acoustic structure closely, the even, rhythmic purr turned out to be the better cue for identifying individual cats."
Co-author Anja Schild noted, "Every cat in our study had its own characteristic purr." Purrs often occur in relaxed settings, such as during petting or between mothers and kittens shortly after birth. Meows, however, serve versatile purposes, including requests for food, attention, or expressing discomfort.
Senior author Mirjam Knörnschild explained, "Living with humans -- who differ greatly in their routines, expectations, and responses -- likely favored cats that could flexibly adjust their meows. Our results support the idea that meows have evolved into a highly adaptable tool for negotiating life in a human-dominated world."
Purrs, being low-frequency and consistent, function as identity signals in close social interactions. Meows, meanwhile, allow cats to convey a broad range of needs and emotions to humans. The findings, published in Scientific Reports in 2025, underscore how domestication has influenced the modern cat's vocal repertoire, preserving the purr as a steady personal signature while enhancing meow adaptability.