Your Cat’s Purr May Say More Than Its Meow, Study Finds

February 12, 2026
I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter

If you’ve ever thought your cat’s meow sounded different depending on the situation, you’re not imagining it.

New research suggests that while a cat’s meow changes based on mood or need, its purr stays surprisingly consistent and may be the key to telling one cat from another.

In a new study, researchers from the Museum of Natural History Berlin in Germany and the University of Naples Federico II in Italy analyzed recordings of cat sounds to learn how cats communicate.

They found that a cat’s purr is much more stable than its meow and can act like a "vocal fingerprint" that helps identify individual cats.

For their analysis, scientists used computer programs similar to speech-recognition tools used to study human voices.

They tested whether a computer could match a sound to the correct cat based on the sound alone.

The answer was clear: Purrs worked better than meows.

"People pay most attention to meowing because cats mainly use these vocalizations toward us," said study author Danilo Russo, a professor of ecology at the University of Naples.

"But once we examined the acoustic structure closely, the even, rhythmic purr turned out to be the better cue for identifying individual cats," he added.

Researchers found that each cat had a one-of-a-kind purr that stayed mostly the same across situations. Purring often happens during calm moments — for instance, when the cat is being petted or resting with a familiar person. It’s also used between mother cats and kittens early in life.

Meows told a different story.

Cats used them in many ways, such as to ask for food, get attention or express frustration, and the sound often changed depending on the situation.

That versatility showed up in the research, too. The same cat produced meows that sounded very different from one moment to the next.

"Every cat in our study had its own characteristic purr," said co-author Anja Schild of the Museum of Natural History Berlin.

"Purring often occurs in relaxed situations, such as during petting or close contact with a familiar person," Schild said in a news release. "It also is used for communication between the mother and her kittens shortly after birth. Meowing, on the other hand, is famous for its versatility."

The researchers also compared domestic cats to five wild cat species: African wildcat, European wildcat, jungle cat, cheetah and cougar.

Domestic cats stood out for how much their meows varied.

"Living with humans — who differ greatly in their routines, expectations and responses — likely favored cats that could flexibly adjust their meows," said senior author Mirjam Knörnschild of the Museum of Natural History Berlin. "Our results support the idea that meows have evolved into a highly adaptable tool for negotiating life in a human-dominated world."

The results illustrate how domestication helped turn the modern cat into an effective communicator.

The findings were recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.

More information

Science.org has more on how cats purr.

SOURCE: Museum of Natural History Berlin, news release, Feb. 11, 2026