The use of buttons and button soundboards for pet communication is revealing new insights to owners, animals and scientists alike. Donut, shown here, is teeming with emotion. Unless he’s asleep. (Credit: Fig. 1 by University of California)

Purrs of contentment. Soulful eyes locked on yours over dinner. Valentine’s Day?

Not for pet owners. For those of us who share our lives with animals, this is a daily — if not exactly romantic — experience. So are the various barks, meows, whines, and other, sometimes adorable, often insistent, methods of communication our four-legged friends use to express what they want. Or how they feel when we don’t get it.

What if it were possible to better understand our pets? UC San Diego professor of cognitive science and language acquisition expert Federico Rossano entered the world of TikTok — and the complicated history of animal studies — to find out.

Read the full story from the UC Newsroom

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