Do Cats Understand Words?

Can Cats Understand Humans?

Scientists have only scraped the surface in terms of understanding feline cognition. However, in the past several years, researchers have made exciting discoveries about the cat brain.

In an article published by Animal Cognition, researchers noted that the cats they studied responded when their pet parents said their names. The cats mostly responded to their humans' voices through orienting behaviour, such as ear movement and head movement, rather than through communicative behaviour, like vocalisation and tail movement.

You can do a similar study of your own at home: Closely observe your cat while you say their name. They may pivot their ears, tilt their head to the side while looking at you or both. A chatty cat might respond vocally, but as this study shows, cats generally use nonverbal communication to respond to their human.

How Do I Communicate With My Cat?

The authors of the Animal Cognition study noted in The Independent that "cats, unlike dogs, have not been domesticated to obey humans' orders. Rather, they seem to take the initiative in human-cat interaction." Keep this in mind the next time your cat doesn't respond when you call their name. Try not to take their snub personally; it's just their independent spirit.

But despite scientific evidence that your cat's the boss, it's important to regularly engage in conversation with your pet. Talk to them during petting sessions, while you're folding the laundry or at bedtime.

Regularly interacting with your cat using positive vocalisation and gestures — such as smiling and speaking in an upbeat tone of voice — will reinforce the bond between the two of you. It also provides insight into how your kitty uses their own cat language, both verbal and nonverbal, to converse with you. Although humans and cats don't speak the same language, there's no denying the special relationship between a cat parent and their feline friend.