Most cat parents go to great lengths to choose the perfect name for their new family member – it’s a lifelong decision, after all. For some people, their cat’s name comes to them immediately after meeting their new furry friend, but for others, it can take a few days or even hours of searching Pinterest to decide on the perfect name. But does your cat recognize his thoughtful name? And do they know when it’s your voice speaking? The research says, yes, they probably do, to both questions.
Your cat knows your voice
When it comes to communicating with their human, cats are generally more subtle than dogs who rush in for hugs and pets as soon as you walk through the door. But they probably know just by your voice that it was you who walked through the door, according to a study published in animal cognition.
The researchers investigated whether the cats could recognize whether it was their owner or a stranger saying their name. To test the theory, the researchers played three different voices by saying the cat’s name and then the owner’s voice. The owner was out of sight during the experiment, and the cats’ reactions to the voices were recorded and categorized.
Interestingly, the cats responded to all voices with orienting behavior (they moved their ears and/or their heads) and not with communicative behavior (they vocalized or moved their tail). But, just as the researchers surmised, the cats showed a different response when their owner said their name, indicating that they recognized their owner’s voice versus a stranger. They may not have “responded” (showed communicative behavior), but they showed signs that they knew it was their special someone talking.
Hey, that’s my name!
So, cats can recognize their master’s voice, but do they know their own name? The same researchers conducted another study, published in Scientific reports, to determine whether cats could distinguish their name from similar words. This included whether it made a difference whether it was their owner or a stranger who said the words and whether the response changed whether or not they lived in a multi-cat household.
Again, they found that most cats showed an orienting response to their name rather than a communicative response. They found that the cats responded differently to their name compared to when their owner said four general names that had the same length and accent as their name. Displaying a behavioral response to their name occurred whether their owner or a stranger spoke, and it didn’t matter if they were from a single-cat or multi-cat household – they always knew their name. The only time things weren’t so clear was when the names of other cats that lived with the test cat were mentioned along with the cat’s own name (for cats living with four or more other cats).
The authors concluded that for cats to respond to the pronunciation of their name, their name must mean something to them. They’re likely to associate their name with good things (eg, food, cuddles, playtime) and possibly bad things (eg, a visit to the vet clinic, the bath time), because their parents probably use their name when these good or bad things happen. Their name is probably also the word that is most directly addressed to the cat.
Who is my Favwat Fluffy Wuffy?
The two studies mentioned above have shown that there are intelligent kittens who know their names. But does that mean they listen to their owners all the time in case they hear their name? Or can they tell when their owner is talking directly to them and not a human family member? It turns out that the tone of your voice tells your cat whether you’re talking to him or not.
Another study published in animal cognition examined whether cats can tell when words spoken by their owner are directed at them or not. In other words, does your cat know when you’re talking to it rather than a person? The study was based on the observation that pet parents tend to talk to their pets the same way they talk to young humans (i.e., baby talk). The researchers called the way pet parents talk to their cats “cat-directed speech” and to adults “adult-directed speech.” The researchers wanted to see if the cats actually reacted better to cat-directed speech (childish conversations) and if the cats’ responses changed when it was their owner or a stranger talking to them that way.
They found that cats reacted differently when their owners used cat-directed speech compared to speech used to address adult humans. But the cats did not distinguish between the two types of speech when a stranger was talking – cats only responded to cat-directed speech when it came from their owner. This research shows that there is a special bond between cats and their owners, and that humans and cats develop their own form of communication.
So even if your cat doesn’t come running every time you call their name (or ever in some cases), they’ve probably heard you. Watch their ears and head – do they move slightly when you call their name or speak to them in a certain tone of voice? These subtle movements could be your cat’s way of telling you, “Yes, I hear you” – even if he then chooses to ignore you!
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