Do Cats Help Create a Relaxed Atmosphere at Home? The Mysterious Relationship Between “Cats and Humans”

In recent years, the relationship between cats and humans has undergone a major transformation, ushering in a new era.

In this series, “Nekolabo News,” members of “Neko Lab Tokyo” (hereinafter “Nekolabo”)—a cat-specialized innovation team launched within Dentsu Inc.’s creative R&D organization, “Dentsu Lab Tokyo”—will take turns contributing articles. We’ll be bringing you the latest cat-related projects and unique research and development initiatives that blend technology and creativity.

This fourth installment is being published ahead of “Cat Day” on February 22. In this episode, focusing on the theme of “Parenting and Cats,” Atsushi Otaki, Creative Director and Creative Technologist, spoke with Associate Professor Chiko Saito of the Faculty of Integrated Human Sciences at Sophia University, who is known for her research on cats.

Cat Research That Began with the Idea, “Cats Must Understand Humans, Too!”

Otaki: I grew up with cats from childhood. As twins, my sister and I were constantly fighting, but there were many times when a cat would suddenly come over and help ease the tension. I feel that this had some kind of influence on the formation of my own personality.

Based on those experiences, I’ve come to reflect on the exquisite sense of distance cats maintain with humans, the communication skills humans can learn from them, and—as a dad currently raising a daughter who’s now a year and a half old—the relationship between “parenting” and cats.

Today, I’d like to hear from Professor Saito and discuss topics related to cats and parenting.

First, please tell us a little about yourself, Professor Saito! You conduct research on the relationship between cats and humans, as well as on human child-rearing—what sparked your interest in this field?

Saito: I started researching cats when I was an undergraduate. I joined a lab that explored animal evolution through behavior—focusing on fields like “behavioral ecology” and “evolutionary psychology”—and as I studied, I became interested in “comparative cognitive science” (*).

When I was thinking about what to focus on, I realized I’d spent a lot of time around cats—at my parents’ house, my aunt’s house, and other familiar environments—so I started conducting experiments with cats. However, there wasn’t much research on cats back then, and after entering graduate school, I actually ended up studying monkeys.

Meanwhile, research on dogs was booming at the time. Study results claiming that “dogs deeply understand humans” were being published one after another. But as a cat person, I couldn’t help but think, “Wait, aren’t cats smart enough too?” (laughs). I decided this was the area I should be researching, so I got started in earnest.

I’m also conducting research on human child-rearing. Actually, I used to really struggle with human babies. After I had my own child, I started to find them cute, but the question, “Cats are so cute—why can’t I find human babies just as cute?” was what prompted me to start researching this topic.

*Comparative Cognitive Science: A field of study that analyzes and compares the intelligence and minds of various animal species to elucidate how “cognitive functions”—including those of humans—have evolved.

Otaki: So research on cats was that rare, was it? Why was there so little of it?

Saito: A major factor is that cats don’t always behave the way you want them to. In other words, dogs tend to act relatively naturally even when brought into an experimental setting, which makes them easier to study. Cats, on the other hand, are creatures that are highly susceptible to stress from going out or changes in their environment, so simply bringing them into an experimental setting can be difficult.

In recent years, experiments have been conducted through home visits or at cat cafes, but many cats get upset just by the presence of strangers, so it’s difficult to collect samples. I think those are the challenges involved in cat research.

Otaki: As you’ve probably seen on social media lately, it’s become possible to attach cameras to cats to observe their daily lives. Has this technological advancement allowed us to better understand cats, which used to be difficult to handle in research?

Saito: Yes. With cameras—such as smartphone cameras—becoming readily available, people are now able to film their cats at home and share the footage with us. This has also made it easier to conduct “citizen science”-style research with the cooperation of the general public.

Otaki: As the Nekaboro Team, whose focus is on technology, we’re very happy that cat research has become easier to conduct! It looks like we’ll be learning more and more about cats as time goes on.

Why Do We Find Cats “Cute”?

Otaki: From the perspective of comparative cognitive science, are there really significant differences in the way cats, monkeys, and humans perceive and process the world?

Saito: They’re completely different. For example, with monkeys—since we humans are phylogenetically close—there are some commonalities, but humans and cats are indeed very different. However, since humans and cats have a long history of coexistence, it’s said that cats may have evolved to be more easily accepted by humans over time.

For example, research comparing the Libyan wildcat—considered the ancestor of cats—with modern domestic cats suggests that the meows of domestic cats are perceived as more pleasant to humans. It’s thought that, in the process of coexisting with humans, individuals that meowed in a cuter way were more likely to be fed and thus had a better chance of survival, leading them to evolve these characteristics.

Otaki: So even in the process of evolution, the “cuteness” factor is important! Speaking of cats and their vocalizations, I was wondering if the “purring” sound cats make also plays an important role in communication.

Saito: That’s right. It’s said that the purring sound differs depending on whether the cat is trying to show affection or convey a request. Research has shown that the purring sound used to make a request contains frequencies similar to a baby’s cry. Just as a baby’s cry makes humans feel a sense of urgency and compels them to want to “do something to help,” a cat’s purring also seems to be effective at attracting human attention.

Otaki: They’ve acquired those characteristics precisely through the process of evolution, haven’t they? Or perhaps humans have evolved to be able to perceive cats’ requests?

Saito: That might be part of it, too (laughs). When you think about it that way, you could say that cats are skillfully taking advantage of those human traits.

Speaking of similarities between babies and cats, there’s a facial feature known as the “baby schema.” Characteristics like large eyes, a small mouth and nose, and a large head tend to give many people the impression that something is “cute.” These facial features may also be one reason why humans find cats cute.

Otaki: So that’s the reasoning behind why we find babies and cats “cute.” By the way, you mentioned earlier that you “couldn’t find human babies cute.” On the other hand, considering that you only truly felt that “cuteness” once you became a parent yourself, I think there might be factors at play that can’t be fully explained by that theory alone.

Saito: Of course, I think there are people who find babies and cats “cute” based solely on their appearance or voices, but I believe internal factors—such as hormonal changes in the body—as well as experiences interacting with babies and cats also play a role in shaping that feeling of “cuteness.”

Otaki: There are people who start keeping cats and switch from being dog people to cat people—that change might also stem from their experience interacting with cats. I’d like to uncover the mechanism behind that shift as well.

Do cats ever mediate disputes between people?

Otaki: I sometimes feel that cats have a mysterious presence. As I mentioned briefly at the beginning, I used to fight a lot with my twin brother when I was a child, but there were many times when the presence of a cat softened the atmosphere. I think the cat’s presence acted as a kind of lubricant. I feel that cats might have the power to smooth out relationships between people.

Saito: I feel that way too. My oldest child is going through adolescence, and we sometimes get into arguments, but it’s always at those exact moments that the cat comes over and meows. Even the cat we had at my parents’ house would come close and meow—almost as if to step in—whenever my parents started arguing. That would distract us both, and before we knew it, the argument would die down.

Otaki: So that really does happen. Watching my own parents, I think there were times when, if they’d focused solely on raising their children, they would have inevitably hit a wall in their parenting within that closed-off world. At moments like that, a cat would suddenly appear as an impartial third party just when the atmosphere became tense. I think the presence of a cat like that had a positive effect on family relationships.

Saito: Actually, there have been several research reports suggesting that “cats seem to understand human emotions to a certain extent.” For example, in a study where cat owners were surveyed about their moods and psychological states before their cats’ behavior was observed, it was reported that cats exhibited more rubbing behavior toward owners who were depressed.

When you think about it that way, isn’t it entirely possible that cats sense human emotions in some way and adjust their behavior accordingly? As a result, cats might be acting as a “cushion” that helps smooth out interpersonal relationships.

Otaki: Hearing this makes me realize once again just how significant cats are. And perhaps this “just-right distance” that cats maintain could be applied to human parenting as well. As a parent myself, I know I need to maintain a certain distance to help my child become independent, but I can’t help feeling anxious and end up helping with everything… I’m wondering if I can apply the cat’s approach—staying close while maintaining a moderate distance—to raising my own child.

Can a cat-shaped robot replicate a cat’s “fluidity”?

Otaki: Since Nekobora is a team focused on creativity and technology related to cats, I’d like to ask you about cats and technology. Earlier, you mentioned that while researching cat behavior used to be difficult, advancements in technology—such as cameras and smartphones—have made it easier to collect data. Do you have any ideas about how you’d like to see this technology develop?

Saito: I’d have to say AI, wouldn’t I? In recent years, research has been advancing that uses AI to infer a cat’s psychological state from images and videos. Some studies suggest that it’s surprisingly difficult for humans to accurately judge a cat’s emotions, so if AI could assist with such judgments, it would likely expand the scope of our research.

In the future, technologies that can detect early signs of illness or monitor a cat’s emotional state via camera while the owner is away might become a reality.

Otaki: In addition to data collection becoming easier than before, the dramatic evolution of AI means that the field of cats and AI is definitely worth exploring right now. It’s true—if systems develop that can capture emotions through a camera and analyze a cat’s “current emotional state,” there seem to be many benefits.

If we can tell when a cat is “hungry,” we could remotely feed it at the right time and in the right amount. If we can tell it’s bored, we could activate a pet toy that provides fun exercise right in the house. Being able to accurately understand a cat’s emotions will likely lead to the development of solutions tailored to those emotions, so it’s something to look forward to.

Saito: Also, for households where cats and babies live together, it might be nice to have monitoring tools. In an environment with just a baby and a cat, there’s a rare possibility of accidents happening, so I think it would be great to have a tool that lets you keep an eye on their interactions even when you’re away.

Otaki: Another thought I had is that, as technology advances, I wonder if AI-powered “cat-shaped robots” will eventually become more sophisticated. Right now, cat-shaped robots aren’t as widespread as dog-shaped ones, are they? I think there are hardware challenges involved—it’s quite difficult to create a robot with the same flexibility as a cat. But I also suspect that, compared to dog-shaped robots that obey human commands, there’s no single “correct” way for a cat-shaped robot to behave, so designing the software has been difficult up until now.

The key question is whether AI can actually learn and reproduce those exquisite behaviors—like sensing something and distracting us, or making us instinctively think, “That’s cute”—that cats exhibit. Professor, are there any specific elements you think would make a robot seem more cat-like?

Saito: The fact that their reactions aren’t always predictable might be one of the things that makes them cat-like. To recreate a cat’s capriciousness, it might be a good idea to make their reactions somewhat random.

Otaki: It’s interesting that while there’s a feature where they come over when you call them, they don’t always respond. If I may be a bit picky, it would be even better if, instead of feeling ignored, they had that aloof, cat-like expression (laughs). In that sense, researching cats’ eyes and facial expressions is also important.

Personally, I think it would be particularly interesting if we could incorporate the characteristic movements of a cat’s “tail.” While there are robots that focus specifically on tails, I get the impression there aren’t many examples that delve deeply into tail movements in a way that’s integrated with overall motion and emotions. Even with the cat robot I mentioned earlier that ignores humans, if only its tail were reacting—say, by twitching rapidly when it’s annoyed—it might suggest, “Is it just irritated right now and not responding?” This would help deepen the sense of communication without creating a sense of disconnection.

Saito: Cats do express their emotions with their tails, after all. When they’re angry, they flap them vigorously, or they raise their tails straight up to greet you. It would be cute if cat-shaped robots had a feature where they raised their tails when approaching you.

Otaki: Also, if we could reproduce their fluffy fur, warmth, and softness, they’d feel even more like real cats. When they spot someone who looks scary or an unfamiliar cat, their emotions might get the better of them and their fur might stand on end—would that be considered “cat-like”? Including scenes like that, it seems like advancements in hardware will open up even more possibilities.

Saito: Though people sometimes say “cats are like liquid,” how would we go about recreating that unique softness they have? It would be fascinating if technology could make that a reality!

Otaki: Exactly. As materials that combine softness and strength continue to advance, we’ll likely see robots with bodies that look even more cat-like. Or perhaps, driven by a deep love for cats, technology in this field will advance even further.

As you mentioned at the beginning, it’s precisely because there’s still so much about cats that remains unexplained that they’re worth exploring, and I’ve been reminded once again that this is a field where our expertise in creativity and technology complement each other well. Building on our discussion with the professor, I hope we can use this to develop even more innovative initiatives for NekoNabo.

Illustration: Momoko Negishi (Neko Lab Tokyo)

Inquiries: neko-lab-tokyo@dentsu.co.jp