Have you ever found yourself talking to your pet and wondered if they could understand you? This is something all pet owners do; they learn to know their pets and see how they communicate in their own special ways; however, it has always been a mystery what the pet is thinking.
According to a recent study published by the journal Animal Cognition , cats may be more aware than we think. These animals are known worldwide for their indifference, yet, this doesn’t stop them from being one of the most beloved house pets.
The Commands Were The Same For All The Cats
The experiment was carried out by French veterinary students who put together sixteen housecats with their owners to observe their behaviors. They made the owners call out their names and command different sentences in the tone they would typically use when talking to their cats.
The Cats Responded To Their Owner’s Voices
They concluded that when the cats heard their owners’ voices, their ears would move toward the sound, and their pupils dilated, yet, when a stranger called them, there was a decrease in the intensity of their reaction or even a lack of response.
They Only Respond To CDS
They also compared the tones of the owners; they used the exact phrases, such as “do you want to eat?” in a regular way and in what they called CDS, cat-directed speech, referring to how they usually talked to their pets.
It Doesn’t Work The Same For Other Animals
There was a noticeable difference between the two reactions of the cats. They didn’t pay attention to the commands that weren’t on CDS or even by strangers on CDS; this led the author to state, “cats can discriminate speech specifically addressed to them from speech addressed to adult humans, when sentences are uttered by their owners.”
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It Works Different With Dogs
In contrast, researchers said that this was different when doing the experiment with dogs. When dogs are talked in DDS (dog-directed speech), they react the same way, whether it is their owner or a stranger.
They Also Know Their Names
Similarly, another study by Sophia University, Tokyo, concluded that house cats know their name and are capable of noticing when they are called. Still, they decide to ignore it if there isn’t something that catches their interest. However, it remains to be seen if they can follow commands similar to dogs, like catching toys or food.
Only House Cats Are Capable Of This
Researchers believe house cats have developed this ability in their genes after centuries of being domesticated since their ancestors or wild cats are far from discriminating voices and sentences as they do. They also think the cat’s response is directly related to the connection and type of relationship they have with the owner, which is why it is essential to spend time with them.
They Have Their Methods Of Communications
The study also talked about how the cats communicated. They noticed that they use a different pitch in their purr when interacting with their owner; house cats use a higher pitch than wild cats, resulting in being more sympathetic to their owners, which makes them capable of interacting and building relationships with humans.
Cats Create Bonds
The author also added, “Cats – who were not so long ago considered as independent and ungrateful creatures – are in fact very well capable of creating and fostering attachment bonds with humans,” so next time you think your cat hates you, just talk to them.
