This Free AI App Can Tell You What Your Cat’s Meows Mean—Supposedly

If you’re a cat parent, you’ve probably wondered what your cat is saying when they’re intensely meowing at the top of their lungs, or other less anxiety-inducing times. In this, the era of technology we didn’t ask for but is sometimes more cool than it is scary (read: sometimes), computer scientists at software engineering company Akvelon have made MeowTalk, a free app that can translate your cat’s meows into human phrases. So, when your cat comes up to you and appears to bloody-murder scream in your face, MeowTalk might tell you they’re just saying, “Feed me!”

How does MeowTalk work?

Sergei Dreizin and Mark Boyes are the masterminds behind MeowTalk, which records your cat’s vocalizations and then tells you what they’re trying to say. Their site reads: “Our mission is to help cat owners understand their cats’ needs better and make sure their pets live the longest and happiest life possible. We use science and artificial intelligence to give cat owners the best tools available for understanding their cat’s needs so that they can develop strong, meaningful bonds with their feline companions.”

“Cats have vocabulary,” Dreizin told National Geographic. “And you definitely will understand your cat better if you’re actually paying attention.” Users can then rate the accuracy of MeowTalk’s translations, which apparently only helps it get more accurate.

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MeowTalk, launched in 2020, is a result of a 2019 study that analyzed 21 cats’ meows when they were waiting for food, being groomed (brushed), or alone in a new place. The app then used this data to classify types of meows. A 2021 study found that the AI-powered pet translator, which has gotten big-spotlight coverage from places like The New York Times, has 90 percent accuracy. But Sanchez told Slate last year that the app’s average accuracy is at 70 percent (though he said “it’s at 99.9 percent” for purring).

You may think purring isn’t that hard to translate, but it actually can mean a lot of things. As behaviorist Karen B. London wrote for us, “a purr can be triggered by traumatic movements,  by injury, or by hunger. There are cats who purr when they are greeting a friend and cats who purr when they are about to be fed.” So, if this little app can give you some insight into your kitty’s little throaty rumble, why not give it a go?

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Is it a good way interact with your cat?

Whether this is an effective way to communicate with your cat is one thing, but as cat behaviorist and communication expert Charlotte de Mouzon told Nat Geo, it does ensure that cat parents are at least listening to their cats more and tuned into their needs. And some cats are just going to chatter more than others.

“Some cat breeds are known for being talkative — for example, Siamese,” Mikel Delgado, a certified applied animal behaviorist and cat behavior consultant at  Feline Minds, told us. “One person’s ‘excessive’ meowing is another person’s delightfully chatty.”

Whether this app is the key to your cat’s inner wants and needs or simply a way for you to give them more attention, which they desperately crave... until they don’t, it seems like a chill, free way to waste a few hours. Your cat’s going to scream at you anyway. You might as well have some fun with it.