CatMeows Dataset Overview

Dataset Introduction

The CatMeows dataset contains 440 audio files recorded from 21 cats belonging to two breeds (Maine Coon and European Shorthair) in various contexts.

1. Brushing – cats are brushed at home for no more than 5 minutes.
2. Isolation in an Unfamiliar Environment – cats are transferred to an unfamiliar environment (travel ≤ 30 min), allowed to reunite with the owner for 30 min, then left alone for ≤ 5 min.
3. Waiting for Food – owners begin food preparation in the cat’s familiar environment; food is provided within 5 minutes of experiment start.

File Naming Convention

Audio files follow the pattern C_NNNNN_BB_SS_OOOOO_RXX with the following meaning:

• C = Context (B = Brushing; F = Food‑waiting; I = Isolation)
• NNNNN = Unique cat ID
• BB = Breed (MC = Maine Coon; EU = European Shorthair)
• SS = Sex (FI = Female Intact; FN = Female Neutered; MI = Male Intact; MN = Male Neutered)
• OOOOO = Unique owner ID
• R = Recording session (1, 2 or 3)
• XX = Vocalization count (01‑99)

Additional Content

The extra.zip file contains excluded recordings (non‑meow sounds) and unedited continuous vocalization sequences.

Dataset Source

Collected by researchers at the University of Milan for scientific research and non‑commercial use.

Citation

When using this dataset in scientific publications, please cite:

• Ntalampiras, S., Ludovico, L.A., Presti, G., … Animals, 9(8), 543.1‑543.14 (2019).
• Ludovico, L.A., Ntalampiras, S., … MultiMedia Modeling, LNCS 12573, 230‑243 (2021).