by Kevin Burton
Researchers found that cats can recognize their owners’ voices. Duh!
Why would you need a team of researchers to figure that out?
Call me when researchers have figured out how to get the cats to listen and obey. That will be news I can use.
“While dogs are often touted as man’s best friend, cats can be so aloof that they seem like little more than a passing acquaintance,” reads a story on the interestingfacts website. “However, there is more going on between felines and their human owners than a cat’s sometimes steely exterior may suggest.”
“In October 2022, researchers from France published results from an experiment examining the relationship cats have with their owners’ voices. In the study, cats responded more positively to a familiar human voice (swishing tails, pivoting ears, pausing grooming) than when they heard the voice of a stranger.”
“This builds on previous research form 2013 that found a similar connection between a familiar voice and its effects on a cat — though none of the felines in that study even bothered to get up in response to the voices they recognized.”
That sounds about right.
The two felines we have in the house hear what they want to hear. The older, earthbound cat Ronnie (Veronica) can hear a can of Fancy Feast being opened from any point in the house. But when I tell her she’s had enough food, that she can’t hear.
The younger gymnastic cat Lakin has been at our place long enough to know which surfaces she is allowed on and which ones she is not. If she hasn’t gotten enough attention, she will cross those lines, jumping on the kitchen counter for example. No amount of talking will dissuade her.
It’s only when I go to Defcon One and get the squirt bottle that she retreats.
“Unlike dogs, cats were never domesticated to follow a human’s orders, and instead were the product of a more symbiotic relationship, as the rise of agriculture also gave rise to rodents and other pests for cats to hunt,” reads the interesting facts article.
Our cats are indoor cats and don’t have chores to do. Too much time on their paws, to dream up mischief.
“The French researchers also studied how owners spoke with their pets; specifically, if they used cat-directed speech — aka baby talk — which is known to positively impact both babies and canines.”
“Owners’ voices were recorded asking questions such as “do you want to play?” and “do you want a treat?” using both cat-directed speech and human-to-human conversational speech. Like dogs, cats reacted more positively to cat-directed speech than to an owner’s normal speaking voice.”
Our cats are more receptive to communications directed to their actual names than when I say, “cat!” If I say “cat” that’s like when your mother addressed you by your first and middle names. Uh-oh, trouble.
Lakin responds often when I call her by her name but also responds to Ronnie’s name, “kit-kit” and to “Alexa.” Not sure what’s up with that last one.
My cat Graph who I had through college and beyond, recognized my voice on television when I used to do play-by-play for basketball games. My mother said her head snapped around and her ears perked up.
“Finally, something decent on TV,” she probably thought.
Our cat Gabbie who died of bladder cancer was almost completely deaf. But that’s not the main reason she didn’t “listen” or “head” our intentions or what we were saying. For Gabbie it was “my way or the highway.” Don’t think she could hear well enough to hear her own spitting, but everybody else heard it.
But it doesn’t matter what you say to cats, or how you say it, you’re never going to get the last word. If we had researchers worth their salt, they would get to the bottom of that.
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