Would you like to know what your cat is trying to tell you? A new technology translates cat meows.

Does your cat say “I love you” or does it say “I want food”? This new AI-powered app promises to interpret what cats are saying.

Sometimes, my cat , desires can be as clear as her meowing in front of an empty food bowl at dinner time, which means she is hungry, but sometimes her meows can seem mysterious and incomprehensible. Computer scientists ‘Sergei Dreizin’ and ‘Mark Boyes’ from Akvelon in Bellevue, Washington, designed the “MeowTalk” app to help cat owners better understand their pets’ needs.

Drezin says, “Cats have their own language, and you will be able to understand your cat better if you pay close attention to it.” The free app records cat meows and translates them into specific phrases, such as “I’m annoyed” or “I want food.” The app has been downloaded over 20 million times since its launch in November 2020, and Dreizin estimates that the program has analyzed more than a billion meows so far.

The app is part of a growing collection of technologies aimed at facilitating communication with our animal friends, including “FloentPet” technology, which trains pets to press buttons to express their needs. For example, a cat can learn to press a button that represents the word “play.” Charlotte de Mazon, a cat behavior and communication expert from the University of Paris Nanterre, expresses her doubts about the accuracy of these products, but she confirms that enhancing the relationship with your cat is a constant goal worth pursuing. She says, “If people use the ‘MeowTalk’ app, they might become more attentive to their cats.”

The meowing of cats

Domestic cats use their five senses to communicate, as the smell of urine and skin oils reveal their health status, gender, and readiness to mate. Their body language also expresses their mood; puffy fur and an arched back indicate fear, while tail movement signifies contentment and alertness. On the contrary, vocal communications among cats are often limited to hissing and growling to establish territories and resolve conflicts. It is noteworthy that adult cats do not meow at each other, as this sound is specifically for communicating with humans only.

Jennifer Funk, a psychologist at Oakland University in Michigan, says, “These sounds evolved for clear functional purposes, and we may not be as skilled at understanding their signals as they are at understanding ours.” A study conducted in 2023 by “De Mazon” and her colleagues showed that many owners cannot determine when their cat feels sad. For example, cats often purr when they are comfortable, but they may also make the same sound when they feel uncomfortable or are in pain.

An app driven by curiosity

During their search for data to develop the application, “Bois” and “Dreizin” found a study conducted in 2019 showing that cat meows have common characteristics. The authors of the study then developed a computer program that analyzes audio recordings of 21 adult cats meowing in three different situations: during grooming, waiting for food, and being alone in an unfamiliar environment. The analysis showed that each case produces a specific type of meow that can be classified by the program. A study conducted in 2021 showed that the application is capable of classifying nine “phrases” of cats with an accuracy of up to 90 percent.

I love you… I don’t love you?

Each scientist tested the app, but the results were varied. The app translated one of “De Mazon’s” cat’s meows to “I love you,” which she found inaccurate, as her cat was sitting next to its bowl, indicating it was asking for food. “Vonk” also expressed her doubts about “FluentPet,” pointing out that cats know how to express their needs to humans, and asking them to press buttons might complicate things. In the end, there will still be times when your cat’s meowing seems nonsensical, and that’s normal, says DeMouzon: “Communication is a learning process shared between every cat and its human family.”