Their enigmatic – and some would argue, even aloof – qualities are what lend cats their air of mystery.
And whether they’re meowing, hissing or purring, it’s often impossible to know exactly what your feline is thinking.
But a new ‘cat translator’ app could help owners decipher what their pets are trying to tell them.
MeowTalk founders say they have found a formula that is able to identify a cat’s meows and translate them into human languages.
It has gone viral since being launched in Japan, with 17million downloads and 250million meows recorded.
There is even an Alexa-style function that can pick up on cat noises automatically, sending owners a translation on their phone when detected.
The app works by identifying a cat sound and linking it to one of 13 pre-set vocalisations, and then producing the equivalent meaning in human language.
Phrases include ‘Feed me’, ‘I’m angry’, ‘Leave me alone’ and the one most cat owners want to hear – ‘I’m in love’.
Its description reads: ‘Eat cat has their own unique vocabulary that they use to communicate with their owners consistently in the same context.
This is not necessarily a language… but we can use Machine Learning to interpret an individual’s meows and translate this into a human readable language.’
One review reads: ‘Only used for a few hours but the results seem accurate. It translated the cat being chilled and wanting strokes…but then translated when she’d had enough.
‘Her dinnertime chat seemed especially spot on – as I was dishing it out she loved me, but when I took too long to give it to her she was demanding.
‘Good to know we understand each other.’
What do you think about this? We are definitely going to give it a try! Let us know your thoughts in the comments
What is the name of the app? Does it cost any money?