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Established as the worlds leading expert on the feline-human bond, Dennis C. Turner, Ph.D., has conducted and published numerous studies on how people interact with their cats and how this relationship benefits both species. Among his credits and titles are co-editor of The Domestic Cat: The Biology of its Behavior and Companion Animals in Human Health. Turner is director of the Institute for Applied Ethology and Animal Psychology, and senior research associate at the University of Zurichs Zoology Institute in Switzerland.

Why does he love cats so much?

I appreciate the fact that they're very sensitive, Turner says. They are very independent thinkers and independent actors and they're very elegant and beautiful to watch. I could watch cats for hours.

COMMUNICATING WITH KITTY
Most cat owners believe that they communicate with their cats regularly. However, little scientific evidence proves communication occurs, and doubters remain unconvinced. However, Turner and his student, Maya Weilenmann, have changed that.

We proved that communication is taking place between the cat and the human, Turner says. Of course, humans are communicating with their cats, but are the cats really communicating with their owners? In the sense that each cat uses individual signals specific in its own particular relationship with their owner, we were able to prove that they do this using Information Theory. Information Theory is a complex mathematical system that is usually used in computer science to determine the occurrence of real communication between two entities.

We were able to prove that there is indeed information transfer between the cat and the human, Turner says. This is the first time information theory has been used to prove inter-species communication.

How do cats communicate with their owners?

**For the full article, pick up the June issue of CAT FANCY**