Cats Can Recognize Their Own Names

[CFC]

Who knew!? What a revelation...

Tibbles and Tiger might not let you know it, but they appear to recognise when their name is being called, research into human-cat relationships has claimed.

The researchers said previous studies had shown that other animals, including dogs, dolphins and parrots could show some understanding of human vocalisations, but it was unclear whether felines could too.

Now for the first time research shows domestic cats can pick out their name in a string of words.

Cats can recognise their own names, say scientists

Researchers claim domestic cats can pick out their name in string of words

www.theguardian.com

 

[TheLoveBandit]

This does not surprise me, but I doubt it is 'name' recognition per se. If you always utter a particular sound when addressing someone (person, animal, plant?) they get accustomed to that sound being associated with your attention being placed on them.

We don't understand dog or cat vocalizations, because we can't understand or distinguish them really. I'm sure it makes sense to their peers.

 

[tathra]

This does not surprise me, but I doubt it is 'name' recognition per se. If you always utter a particular sound when addressing someone (person, animal, plant?) they get accustomed to that sound being associated with your attention being placed on them.

that's.... exactly what a name is, you get accustomed to particular sounds used to address you until you associate it with yourself. that's basically how language as a whole works, you learn sounds that refer to specific things or ideas

 

[TheLoveBandit]

Yes, but we only really speak to animals with their name, or maybe some key words (bedtime, dinnertime, outside) creating a limited list of terms they may associate with something

I'm not arguing, you're right, I'm just a bit off in the head right now and will step back out of public forums (and inflict my stupidity on staff only for now)

 

[CFC]

What I love is that the old claim about them knowing they're being called but not giving a damn really is true :D

They're like "not now, human"

 

[Xorkoth]

I could have told you that. I remember when people used to always tell me that cats are way dumber than dogs, because they don't obey commands. I'm like, okay if you're calling at a cat attempting to disrespect its intelligence, the cat is going to be like fuck you asshole, I'm not coming over here. Cats are awesome. So are dogs. personally I think cats are more intelligent overall. However dogs are much closer to humans in emotions and are keyed to us emotionally, and have much greater emotional intelligence. That doesn't mean cats can't love you (try telling my kitty he doesn't love me, dude is obsessed with me), it just means dogs will desperately crave your love, and cats only love you if you develop that sort of relationship with them through mutual respect and affection.

 

[tathra]

cats are smart and affectionate, they're just not extremely dependent like dogs are

dogs are for authoritarians, who like to control and micromanage everything, while cats are for anarchists

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I've had my first cat now, he's a brown tabby, for a bit over 6 months. Have had multiple dogs in childhood. Have interacted with many cats.

There is no debate in my mind that dogs are more intelligent, if only for the fact that they can learn language and even apply it. Cats can't learn anything past gestures and their association with their name. I have used a number of training practices to attempt to instill some sort of order top the chaos that is my cat, Pippin, and 90% of the time I fail. Even as a small child I was able to teach my dog commands, boundaries, etc.

The 'fondness' a cat might feel for a person is superficial, it's only expressed over time due to the fact that the cat realizes you're the only one who can feed or play with him. It's not because he would sit by your dead body and be sad the way a dog would.

I'm so shocked by the stupidity and low intellect of cats that my wife and I debate on a weekly basis whether or not we want to get rid of Pippin. He's an asshole, and I've done everything in my power to reason with him. To teach him. To be nice to him in the hopes that he'll reciprocate. He simply does not learn. He's incapable and all cats are incapable. People simply misinterpret their interactions with them as some sort of connection.

Don't get me wrong, through far too much time investment, you can get a cat to maybe learn a few things. So yeah, they can 'earn', but not in the way dogs can. and I agree Tathra, that dogs are for authoritarian types and cats are for those who value anarchy and chaos or rather might live that way themselves. I'm an authoritarian, and I cannot stand my, or anyone else's cats. Only one cat I've ever met was remotely lovable, and even then, he still wasn't that intelligent. Any dog can adapt and learn though, and it's a matter of the owner's teaching abilities that determine their outcome.

If I was heartless enough to throw my cat to the street, I would. As is, I'm still debating putting an ad up on craigslist or something, trying to get rid of this stupid creature that destroys my prized belongings and scorns me at every turn. Just earlier, he came to sit in my lap; awwww, cute, right? No. He turned and bit me as soon as he got comfy. I tossed him as far across the room as I could. Maybe he wants to be tossed... I'm inclined to believe he doesn't have the intellect to associate why he's being tossed with the fact that he bites me.

I know you think your cat loves you Xork, and I believe he may show you more affection than the average cat. But I refuse to confuse that with any sort of intellect anywhere near that of the dumbest of dogs.

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Also, what happened to the edit function?

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Well since I can't edit I'll post again.

I don't mean to bash your belief in your cat's intellect Shadow, but I firmly believe what I said about their intelligence. Same as how I wouldn't bash someone for being of a Christian faith, yet I feel they're completely wrong in such a belief.

 

[CFC]

I've had my first cat now, he's a brown tabby, for a bit over 6 months. Have had multiple dogs in childhood. Have interacted with many cats.

There is no debate in my mind that dogs are more intelligent, if only for the fact that they can learn language and even apply it. Cats can't learn anything past gestures and their association with their name. I have used a number of training practices to attempt to instill some sort of order top the chaos that is my cat, Pippin, and 90% of the time I fail. Even as a small child I was able to teach my dog commands, boundaries, etc.

The 'fondness' a cat might feel for a person is superficial, it's only expressed over time due to the fact that the cat realizes you're the only one who can feed or play with him. It's not because he would sit by your dead body and be sad the way a dog would.

I'm so shocked by the stupidity and low intellect of cats that my wife and I debate on a weekly basis whether or not we want to get rid of Pippin. He's an asshole, and I've done everything in my power to reason with him. To teach him. To be nice to him in the hopes that he'll reciprocate. He simply does not learn. He's incapable and all cats are incapable. People simply misinterpret their interactions with them as some sort of connection.

Don't get me wrong, through far too much time investment, you can get a cat to maybe learn a few things. So yeah, they can 'earn', but not in the way dogs can. and I agree Tathra, that dogs are for authoritarian types and cats are for those who value anarchy and chaos or rather might live that way themselves. I'm an authoritarian, and I cannot stand my, or anyone else's cats. Only one cat I've ever met was remotely lovable, and even then, he still wasn't that intelligent. Any dog can adapt and learn though, and it's a matter of the owner's teaching abilities that determine their outcome.

If I was heartless enough to throw my cat to the street, I would. As is, I'm still debating putting an ad up on craigslist or something, trying to get rid of this stupid creature that destroys my prized belongings and scorns me at every turn. Just earlier, he came to sit in my lap; awwww, cute, right? No. He turned and bit me as soon as he got comfy. I tossed him as far across the room as I could. Maybe he wants to be tossed... I'm inclined to believe he doesn't have the intellect to associate why he's being tossed with the fact that he bites me.

I know you think your cat loves you Xork, and I believe he may show you more affection than the average cat. But I refuse to confuse that with any sort of intellect anywhere near that of the dumbest of dogs.

I think we all have different experiences and expectations of pets and pet behaviours mate. My cat was incredibly affectionate and loving. The connection wasn't in any way superficial, but it's perhaps something you'd need to experience yourself to see how and why. It sounds like you and your cat just don't get on - this does happen, just like with dogs (hence all the dog and cat trainers and behaviouralists in the world and stuff like plug-in pheromone devices etc).

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I can accept that I could perhaps be wrong about their ability to express true affection. My cat does just strike me as an asshole. Of the cats I've met, he's about middle of the road in terms of assholery. But he's so cute when he's not being a dick that I'm having trouble kicking him out. My wife and I both wanted a dog more but we have a small apartment and no yard, and it's my belief that it shouldn't be legal to have a dog without a yard unless you yourself lead such an active lifestyle that he can go on multiple jogs a day with you, and we're simply too sedentary to provide that. So we figured, oh, a cat is right up out alley; but instead we'd both be willing to become more active if it meant that our pet wasn't hell bent on hurting us and breaking all our possessions. His new thing is to try and break our tv. I value the tv more than him so he best hope he doesn't break it.

 

[Cream Gravy?]

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be such and argumentative dick right now. I'm very unhappy in life at the moment And am lashing out unreasonably. And my cat biting me often for no reason whatsoever is definitely putting me more on edge...

 

[Xorkoth]

Some cats are assholes, like some humans are. It has a lot to do with how you treat them though in many cases (though some cats just aren't friendly). If they don't feel respected, they'll not respect you. I started nuzzling my cat when he was a tiny kitten and have always paid a lot of attention to him and snuggled him a lot. My other cat was standoffish (she was a young adult stray) but in a few years of intentional showing of a lot of love and affection, she became the sweetest thing and now she snuggles all night, loves me, hangs out with me, etc.

I have watched my cats figure out some serious shit. They're super clever. They just don't care what you think of them. Not obeying commands is nowhere near the same thing as stupidity. Dogs obey commands because they're smart, AND because they desperately crave your approval.

Like I said, I love both dogs and cats equally. I don't think dogs are dumber than cats. I just think they're both very intelligent animals.

 

[Cream Gravy?]

Well, hopefully he starts to realize that biting leads to the spray bottle/being thrown, and snuggling leads to me scratching his neck which he seems to love. Perhaps I'm expecting too much too quick.

It's not that they aren't clever, I mean my cat has unlocked the deadbolt on my door before (which makes the wife think he's trying to let in murderers lol) but I have a feeling he just things the shiny spinny thing is a toy, not that he can actually open the door via releasing it.

 

[Xorkoth]

How old is he? Many cats will bite/rear claw while being pet which is their form of playing, until they're far enough away from being kittens... maybe up to 2 years old. If it's that kind of biting, then your cat doesn't mean to bite you, it's just playing and they don't understand yet that humans don't play that way. My mom's cat used to always start to bite when you pet him but the last time I visited he totally stopped because he's more mature.

Your cat could just be an asshole, but plenty of times I've met peoples' cats that were described as assholes and they were really sweet with me so it often just has to with some sort of behavior that is misunderstood on one side or the other.

 

[cduggles]

Here's a quick read, CG?:

Why You're Probably Training Your Cat All Wrong

Yes, they're independent and willful, but felines can be taught certain behaviors—to the benefit of both cat and human.

Training has always been part of the deal when you own a dog, though methods have changed a lot over the generations. Cats are a different story—but they shouldn’t be.

“People don’t traditionally train cats because they think of cats as ... independent and full of free will,” says Sarah Ellis, co-author of The Trainable Cat. (Read how everything you think about cats may be wrong.)

“What they don’t realize, though, is that they are subconsciously training their cats on a daily basis.”

(Article continues at link)

 

[Cream Gravy?]

How old is he? Many cats will bite/rear claw while being pet which is their form of playing, until they're far enough away from being kittens... maybe up to 2 years old. If it's that kind of biting, then your cat doesn't mean to bite you, it's just playing and they don't understand yet that humans don't play that way. My mom's cat used to always start to bite when you pet him but the last time I visited he totally stopped because he's more mature.

Your cat could just be an asshole, but plenty of times I've met peoples' cats that were described as assholes and they were really sweet with me so it often just has to with some sort of behavior that is misunderstood on one side or the other.

The pound said he was about two years old when we got him. I have a feeling he was a street cat because he has no interest in going outside heh.

It's definitely the 'playful' biting, he does what we call 'shrimping' sometimes when I go to pet him which is most definitely play mode. He gets excitable real easy and loves to chase the laser pointer we have. But he also will run after me when I leave the room and bat at my foot (no claws) so clearly all this assholery I speak of is mostly play... but it seems like no matter how much we play, he wants more. Even when he jumps in my lap to chill/nap he'll bite sometimes and I'm just having so much trouble figuring out how to train that out of him...

 

[Ganjcat]

Every cat loves me nearly everytime i go around someones house they have a cat or dog they will come and see me my cat is over 20 years old shes basically blind and only sees sound but i know every gesture or wink she does eith her eyes i know if shes hungry, tired, wants some affection(all the bloody time) or shes just being nosey I love cats and dogs, but mainly cats

 

[heyheygrl]

I think we all have different experiences and expectations of pets and pet behaviours mate. My cat was incredibly affectionate and loving. The connection wasn't in any way superficial, but it's perhaps something you'd need to experience yourself to see how and why. It sounds like you and your cat just don't get on - this does happen, just like with dogs (hence all the dog and cat trainers and behaviouralists in the world and stuff like plug-in pheromone devices etc).

I've had my first cat now, he's a brown tabby, for a bit over 6 months. Have had multiple dogs in childhood. Have interacted with many cats.

There is no debate in my mind that dogs are more intelligent, if only for the fact that they can learn language and even apply it. Cats can't learn anything past gestures and their association with their name. I have used a number of training practices to attempt to instill some sort of order top the chaos that is my cat, Pippin, and 90% of the time I fail. Even as a small child I was able to teach my dog commands, boundaries, etc.

The 'fondness' a cat might feel for a person is superficial, it's only expressed over time due to the fact that the cat realizes you're the only one who can feed or play with him. It's not because he would sit by your dead body and be sad the way a dog would.

I'm so shocked by the stupidity and low intellect of cats that my wife and I debate on a weekly basis whether or not we want to get rid of Pippin. He's an asshole, and I've done everything in my power to reason with him. To teach him. To be nice to him in the hopes that he'll reciprocate. He simply does not learn. He's incapable and all cats are incapable. People simply misinterpret their interactions with them as some sort of connection.

Don't get me wrong, through far too much time investment, you can get a cat to maybe learn a few things. So yeah, they can 'earn', but not in the way dogs can. and I agree Tathra, that dogs are for authoritarian types and cats are for those who value anarchy and chaos or rather might live that way themselves. I'm an authoritarian, and I cannot stand my, or anyone else's cats. Only one cat I've ever met was remotely lovable, and even then, he still wasn't that intelligent. Any dog can adapt and learn though, and it's a matter of the owner's teaching abilities that determine their outcome.

If I was heartless enough to throw my cat to the street, I would. As is, I'm still debating putting an ad up on craigslist or something, trying to get rid of this stupid creature that destroys my prized belongings and scorns me at every turn. Just earlier, he came to sit in my lap; awwww, cute, right? No. He turned and bit me as soon as he got comfy. I tossed him as far across the room as I could. Maybe he wants to be tossed... I'm inclined to believe he doesn't have the intellect to associate why he's being tossed with the fact that he bites me.

I know you think your cat loves you Xork, and I believe he may show you more affection than the average cat. But I refuse to confuse that with any sort of intellect anywhere near that of the dumbest of dogs.

I have to say I agree with some of this but not all lol

I have owned a few cats as well as dogs in my lifetime and in both animals have found some being assholes and unteachable. With dogs it might be they are more willing to please their owners, But I have a 7 year old male cat named Yeti that we got when he was a little over a year old and have trained him to do anything you would teach a dog to do at home but I can tell you if he is in a certain mood he wont do any command for any kind of treat although he has proven he knows what these commands mean and what he is expected to do lol With this said when we got him he liked to scratch up door posts and out leather couch and get up on counters and knock stuff over but he has been trained that this isn't acceptable behavior and does not do these things at all any more. I don't know if its an intellectual difference or willingness to please as I said before but dogs seem to care more about pleasing their owners where cats are not lol

As far as cats caring or loving a person when my mother passed away her cat that she had for almost 10 years mourned her. This cat was never the same afterwards. She was happy go lucky cat when my mom was alive. Its been a little over a year and she still goes to my mothers chair and her bed meowing like she is looking for her or something and when shes not doing that shes asleep in her (moms) chair. She was never a vocal cat before and her whole personality changed. I have seen dogs get depressed or missing their owners and her behavior mimics those dogs.

If someone asked me if I think Yeti loved me or cared about me My response would be in his own ways yes he is a typical stubborn cat but I'd think he would notice if I wasn't around and it was just my hubby here to feed him.

We also have 2 five month old kittens and they are hellions so if you are dealing with a kitten they do grow out of the hellion stage after a couple years lol good luck!