Vocal signals produced by the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus) in highly motivating contexts.

Motivation influences essential behaviors for survival and well-being, driven by internal and external factors. By observing behaviors, we can understand motivational needs, decision-making processes, and preferences. Food acquisition is a survival motivator that covers a great part of daily activities, in contrast, play behavior shares a common basis with predation and social interactions. In the domestic cat, vocalizations, particularly the meow, are an acoustic signal expressing motivational and emotional states and are correlated to specific contexts, especially in cat-human interactions. This study investigated how contexts influenced meowing under two motivational conditions: feeding and play. Employing the synchronous citizen science approach, 48 guardians interacted with their cats as the researcher remotely recorded procedures involving presenting a feeder or toy and restricting access for 60 s. During the restriction periods, the cats could see and smell but not reach the stimulus. The condition influenced the frequency of meowing: they meowed significantly more in the feeding condition than in the play condition, suggesting a link between meowing frequency and the motivational context of eating, a crucial survival context. The food presentation likely influenced their motivation to vocalize. During feeding restriction, cats exhibited a significantly higher gazing at the guardian and gazing while meowing, suggesting the potential use of bimodal signals (visual and vocal) to enhance communication. In the play restriction condition, higher contact behaviors indicated a physical response to regain access, highlighting the play's social and motivational aspects. These findings help clarify contexts that motivate cats' vocalizations, aiding our understanding of their vocal communication. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).