Although cats and dogs cannot talk, they do They tell us a lot with their eyes or some of their movements. Especially when we spend time with them, we can understand a little better what they need or how they are feeling. However, it is a mystery whether they have such an ability or not.

So, what are the reasons behind the behavior of cats and dogs as if to comfort us? Can he understand whether we are really sad or happy?

Let’s start with dogs first.

Researchers from the University of London discovered that 12 years ago, dogs were more likely to approach a crying person He found it was higher than someone who talks or mumbles. However, such a situation obviously does not mean that dogs fully understand our emotions.

For example, the fact that dogs distinguish between howling and humming shows that their response to howling is not just a matter of curiosity. Cry more, has greater emotional significance for dogs and causes them to respond more strongly than humming or speaking.

Although research shows that dogs are successful at communicating with people, scientists have not yet found definitive proof that dogs can empathize with or truly understand another person’s pain.

In a 2006 study, researchers tested whether dogs would respond empathetically to crying. He put 18 dogs and their owners to the test. This test took place in the dogs’ homes, and their owners pretended to howl and purr.

Of the 18 dogs that participated in the study 15 who approaches the owner crying, only 3 showed a response while humming. In fact, this may indicate that what motivates dogs are emotional feelings and not curiosity.

In the same way, when these dogs see a person they don’t know howling, By curling their tails and tilting their heads, they tended to approach those people. So it could be possible to say that dogs respond to the emotions of the other party, and not to their own needs.

So can cats discern our emotional states?

Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly what cats think or feel, but they do uses different cues to shape their behavior We know they are curious creatures. The first of these clues is smells.

According to research, cats try to empathize with us. can use our scent as a signal and adjust their behavior accordingly. In addition to smells, visual signals are also effective.

For example cats They are creatures that are sensitive to looking where their owners’ eyes are looking. and they use it to judge their owner’s mood or intentions. Moreover, according to various studies, cats are also sensitive to auditory signals.

These creatures Can tell by the tone of his voice whether owners are happy or sad and their own emotional state can change in the same way as that of the owner.

Every cat owner has witnessed their cat staring at them while crying and even snuggling up to their face.

In fact, with these movements, cats He tries to give meaning to what he sees and hears. Every cat wants to make eye contact, even if it doesn’t understand that its owner is crying. Because in this way he collects as many clues as possible and uses them to adjust his behavior.

Of course, all these researches and studies It is not valid for all cats and dogs. Although there is a lot of evidence that these creatures comfort their owners when they are sad, it can be said that research in this area continues. However, the owners’ experiences show that they understand that we are sad and want to comfort us (for example, my dog ​​is among the leading dogs in this regard).

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