We’ve likely all seen the hilarious videos of cats interrupting online conference calls or interviews. It’s as if the second a human begins to speak, any cat within earshot thinks it’s their time to shine. And they do so by meowing loudly into the phone or computer screen. But just why do they do this? It’s not like WE even want to be included in some calls. Yet the most timidly squeaky cat who usually whisper meows, turns the volume all the way up. So why is it that this seems to be a very common cat, and dog, action?
Scary Noises Coming From the Phone
One occurrence that you may not think of, is that your cat may be trying to protect you. They are warning you that they can hear something “off”. And that’s because our cats sense of hearing is so strong. They may simply be picking up on very quiet human voices but see no one talking. Many humans hear disembodied voices and begin to freak out too. So if we can imagine our feline friends are just trying to protect us, maybe it won’t be so irritating the next time they ‘save’ you.
Marmalade to the rescue!
Fear Free Happy Homes explained it wonderfully. “A cat’s acute sense of hearing allows him to hear subtle sounds, including a weird disembodied voice coming from your cell phone. While Kitty might recognize some voices, it’s not likely she’ll understand the concept of long-distance communication. It’s much more likely that your attention to the phone, and the sounds it generates, prompts curiosity. For cats who react with aggression, the sounds might cause fear or even a predatory reaction.”
Why Aren’t You Talking to Me?!
You must remember that while your cat may not be your whole world, you ARE theirs. So you may be the only human they ‘talk’ to. And when you are home fulfilling your cat servant role, you must acknowledge their sacred presence. Constant reminders that they are the most perfect, best kitty face, fluffy-butt in the whole world are a requirement. So if you are ignoring them and talking to someone on the phone, you may feel the consequences of their jealousy. Meowing loudly and standing in front of the screen is definitely a side effect of cat jealousy. You have been warned! Wink Wink. 
We Having a Party??!!
While it may not come from a place of jealousy, you may just own a very talkative cat that wants to be included! Because some breeds are known for their habit of talking to humans like they’re giving a lecture. While coat color isn’t based on breed, some felines like tortoiseshell and calico cats are also know for being ‘yappers’. In the Cole and Marmalade house, Zig Zag, a tortie, is our resident “Let me in on this call, I’ve got something to say” culprit. If you get on a video call on your phone and she’s near you?! Get ready for tortoiseshell cat butt to be on that screen or in your face with her meowing like a pop star. Yet, we’ve got another tortie named Jugg that also loves the sound of her own voice, but runs and hides hearing any humans she doesn’t know. Shrug.
Ziggy wondering what those noises are!?
Zig Zag does have a cute butt though
Jugg says you can watch ME on TV!
From Petbook-Magazine.com: Some cats are naturally talkative. These include oriental breeds such as Siamese, Oriental Shorthair, and Balinese. They like to express themselves loudly and are said to have real conversations with their humans. This happens even when they are not actually the conversation partner. In addition, cats can mirror our behavior. If they notice that their human suddenly starts talking loudly, some cats start to imitate this.
Learned Behaviors Associated to a Phone Call
Contrary to popular belief, cats CAN be trained. Usually it involves food motivation, but it is possible. As a cat or pet owner, what is one time you ALWAYS talk to your pet? Meal times. I would bet that most of us say something along the following lines. “Whose ready for din din?!”, “You want some nom noms?!” or “Who’s my hungry little fluff?!”. And every time, they get the positive reinforcement that food is received. Because even if they are yelling at us to hurry up with dinner, we are communicating with each other.
Another time I would bet on? When you come home. What dedicated cat servant walks in their door and doesn’t say “Hello babies! I’m hooooome!” So when you pick up the phone and say “hello”, they may have associated that word/sound/you talking excitedly, to speaking to them directly. Can’t fault them for just trying to answer you when you’re clearly talking to them. It’s a viscous cycle of love. 
[W]hen we talk on the phone and nobody else is there, cats may decide we’re talking to them. Therefore, when owners pick up the phone, cats respond with attention-seeking behaviors such as meows, head rubs and rolling. When we respond to the cat’s solicitations, we reward the behavior. It doesn’t matter if our response is gentle petting, fun chasing across the room, or angry demands. Any attention can be better for Kitty-Kins than being ignored. This attention increases the likelihood that the next phone call will bring on even more meows and “pet me” demands.
Does Ziggy sleep here for FOMO (Fear of missing out)?
If only our companions knew that we’d rather be on the couch snuggling with them then on conference calls…sigh. Better hang up that phone and get back to reminding yours!
(Chris SPOOF video with BBC, but it HAS happened numerous times during video calls we’ve done!) LOL
