"Does your cat know its name? Here’s how to find out"
With short video. My cats are/were pretty good at coming when called by their
name, even allowing for cat-itudes (pretend not to hear, then get up, for example;) https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019...s-how-find-out Give this a shot at home: Say four random words to your cat—separated by about 15 seconds—with the same length and intonation as its name. Then say its actual name. If it swivels its ears or perks up its head, chances are it knows what you call it. That’s essentially what researchers did in a new study. Japanese scientists played recordings of a cat’s owner saying four words with lengths and accents similar to its name before saying the feline’s actual name. The word hihu (Japanese for “skin”), for example, might precede the name “Kari.” As the random words—all nouns—played, the cats became less and less interested. But as soon as they heard their name, most moved their ears and heads; a few even got up (above). The scientists saw similar responses when the cat’s name came after the names of other felines he lived with, or when a stranger spoke the words. Cats may recognize their names because it’s the word humans say most frequently to them, or because it’s often associated with something positive, like petting or food, the researchers say. Indeed, the only cats that had trouble with the task were those that lived in a cat café, a shop that can house dozens of cats that customers pay to hang out with. These felines could distinguish their name from random nouns, but not from the names of the cats they shared the café with. Perhaps that’s because visitors call the names of many cats, but only “reward” a few with pets or treats, the scientists speculate. The findings are the first to experimentally show that cats have some understanding of what we are saying to them, the team concludes today in Scientific Reports. Trained cats may understand words like “sit” or “jump,” but it could be because humans are using additional cues, such as hand gestures. The new findings could improve our relationships with our pets, the researchers say; cooing your cat’s name during a stressful vet visit, for example, might help reassure it. Still, whether cats understand that their name is really their name remains unclear. They may just think it’s another word for “treat.” Actual paper is here (public!) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40616-4 |
"Does your cat know its name? Here’s how to find out"
On 4/7/2019 12:19 AM, Tigger wrote:
With short video. My cats are/were pretty good at coming when called by their name, even allowing for cat-itudes (pretend not to hear, then get up, for example;) https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019...s-how-find-out Give this a shot at home: Say four random words to your cat—separated by about 15 seconds—with the same length and intonation as its name. Then say its actual name. If it swivels its ears or perks up its head, chances are it knows what you call it. Thanks for the post, Tigger! I actually conducted this experiment this evening (without reading the article). I got the gist of what the study showed. So, I went into to the bathroom. I was talking out loud while in there, nothing Buffy would recognize as repetative phrases. Buffy followed me in, as she sometimes does. Nothing happening of interest in there so she walked out. When she got outside the doorway I said her name. Her ears swiveled back, she stopped. She sat down, turned and looked at me. "You rang?" (I couldn't help but laugh, thinking about this post.) So wel played for a while in the living room. Same thing with stopping and starting and I'm just talking out loud. It doesn't have a thing to do with our play. When she rested, her ears facing forward, she's not looking at me... I said some nonsense. Then said her name. Ear swivels! She turned and look at me. "You want something?" :) I am a firm believer she knows her name. The rest of everything I say may well be gibberish to her. She may choose to ignore if I call her by name. But she definitely recognizes her name. :) Jill Cats may recognize their names because it’s the word humans say most frequently to them, or because it’s often associated with something positive, like petting or food, the researchers say. Indeed, the only cats that had trouble with the task were those that lived in a cat café, a shop that can house dozens of cats that customers pay to hang out with. These felines could distinguish their name from random nouns, but not from the names of the cats they shared the café with. Perhaps that’s because visitors call the names of many cats, but only “reward” a few with pets or treats, the scientists speculate. The findings are the first to experimentally show that cats have some understanding of what we are saying to them, the team concludes today in Scientific Reports. Trained cats may understand words like “sit” or “jump,” but it could be because humans are using additional cues, such as hand gestures. The new findings could improve our relationships with our pets, the researchers say; cooing your cat’s name during a stressful vet visit, for example, might help reassure it. Still, whether cats understand that their name is really their name remains unclear. They may just think it’s another word for “treat.” Actual paper is here (public!) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40616-4 |
"Does your cat know its name? Here’s how to find out"
jmcquown wrote:
On 4/7/2019 12:19 AM, Tigger wrote: With short video. My cats are/were pretty good at coming when called by their name, even allowing for cat-itudes (pretend not to hear, then get up, for example;) https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019...s-how-find-out . Give this a shot at home: Say four random words to your cat—separated by about 15 seconds—with the same length and intonation as its name. Then say its actual name. If it swivels its ears or perks up its head, chances are it knows what you call it. Thanks for the post, Tigger! I actually conducted this experiment this evening (without reading the article).* I got the gist of what the study showed. So, I went into to the bathroom.* I was talking out loud while in there, nothing Buffy would recognize as repetative phrases.* Buffy followed me in, as she sometimes does.* Nothing happening of interest in there so she walked out.* When she got outside the doorway I said her name.* Her ears swiveled back, she stopped.* She sat down, turned and looked at me. *"You rang?"* (I couldn't help but laugh, thinking about this post.) So wel played for a while in the living room.* Same thing with stopping and starting and I'm just talking out loud.* It doesn't have a thing to do with our play.* When she rested, her ears facing forward, she's not looking at me... I said some nonsense.* Then said her name.* Ear swivels! She turned and look at me.* "You want something?" :) My current cat will turn his ears, but doesn't always come closer (cat-itudes). My previous cats would come from outside when called (current one, well, cat-tudes again). |
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