August 7, 2025, 4:11 am | Read time: 6 minutes
Few things are as popular on the internet as cat videos. These are now set to help scientists better understand cats and their body language. Ruhr University Bochum is calling on cat owners to submit videos of their pets for a new study. PETBOOK spoke with Patrick Reinhardt, the project leader of the research project, about the study’s goals and what kinds of cat videos are needed.
Study Aims to Better Understand Cat Body Language
PETBOOK: What is your study about?
Patrick Reinhardt: “Simply put, the body language of cats has not been comprehensively researched. We aim to fill this research gap. Our group is an international team with researchers from various disciplines. In Germany, we mostly come from the field of neuroscience. We are particularly interested in behavior and what it can tell us about the brain–for example, through so-called lateralized behaviors, such as which paw is preferred. Colleagues in veterinary medicine–mainly from Italy and Turkey–are more interested in well-being markers: Is the cat stressed? Is it doing well?”
Many would expect you to observe cats under controlled conditions. But you are taking a different approach. You have launched a call for cat videos from their owners. How did that come about?
“Yes, we discussed this intensively. Colleagues in Italy who work with dogs, for example, invite pet owners with their dogs to the university to conduct tests there. But this usually doesn’t work well for cats–they don’t like being taken out of their familiar environment and won’t perform tasks. That’s why we decided to observe the animals in their natural environment to obtain more realistic data.”
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Over 7,000 Cats Already Registered
What exactly should participants film, and what is important?
“Those who register online receive instructions. We are interested in three main behaviors:
- Tail position when approaching: The cat is called, and it is filmed as it runs toward the person. We want to see how it holds its tail as an expression of greeting behavior.
- Sleeping position: We have already published preliminary work on this. We want to know if the cat prefers to sleep on the left or right side–and if this is consistent.
- Paw preference: This is the most complex part. The cat is supposed to retrieve a treat with one paw. We analyze whether it has a paw preference and if this is stable.”
How many submissions have you received so far?
“We are overwhelmed! As of yesterday, over 7,000 cats have registered, and we have already received more than 2,100 video submissions. Due to the high interest, we will continue the study over the coming months. Even if fewer new submissions come in later, we welcome every additional participation.”
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AI Not Used in Study Evaluation
How do you ultimately evaluate the data?
“We start with a short demographic questionnaire about the cat: Is it male or female? Is it described as anxious or trusting? Additionally, we collect data on the bonding behavior between cat and human through a scientific questionnaire. The submitted videos are then manually reviewed and ‘scored’ by trained personnel–meaning we systematically analyze the observed behavior and convert it into evaluable data. In the end, this means we spend a lot of time in front of the screen watching cat videos–but with a scientific perspective.”
Is AI used in the evaluation?
“The use of AI is currently not planned. There are some challenges, particularly due to data protection regulations in Germany–all videos must first be secured and checked. Additionally, AI works particularly well under standardized conditions, such as in a lab with identical camera settings and environment. Our videos are very heterogeneous, as they come from different households. Therefore, using AI in our case would be methodologically questionable. That’s why we rely on manual evaluation–even though it’s significantly more labor-intensive.”
Have you already received any funny or surprising submissions?
“This is actually our first major project in the field of citizen science, and we are pleasantly surprised at how well it works. We initially feared that many videos might be unusable–due to poor quality or unclear implementation of the instructions. But the opposite is true: Most submissions are excellently suited. It’s also exciting that we have received additional material–such as comments like: ‘My cat can do much more, take a look at this too!’ Many participants are very committed.”
“Cats Tend to Sleep More on the Left Side”
Do you have a personal connection to cats? How did this research question come about?
“Yes, in our team, everyone actually has at least one cat of their own. The idea originally came about quite informally–we initially analyzed YouTube videos of cats. From this, initial scientific findings emerged, which have already been published in a scientific journal and received media attention. These results were so promising that we wanted to develop them further with more targeted and structured data. That’s how the current project came about.”
Can you reveal any initial trends from the current data?
“I don’t want to comment on the current study yet–we are still at the very beginning of the evaluation. The amount of submissions is enormous, and we are currently mainly busy reviewing and organizing everything. However, what we know from previous studies–for example, based on YouTube videos–is:
- Cats tend to sleep more on the left side. This could be evolutionarily conditioned.
- Cats with a strong paw preference (i.e., “left- or right-pawed”) often solve tricky tasks better.
These are central hypotheses on which our current study is based.”
Until when can people send you videos? And when do you expect the first results or even a publication?
“There is currently no specific end date. As mentioned, we want to continue the study over the coming months–as long as there is interest. We expect the first major results in about a year. Participants who indicated during registration that they want to be informed about results will receive updates in between, such as the number of submissions and initial trends.”
Do you want to help Ruhr University with videos of your cat? Interested parties can register here.