A poll of cat owners found that the average cat owner spends more than 3.5 hours per week just talking to their cats1. The same poll found that over 90% of the surveyed cat owners reported that they had a strong connection to their pets. Talking to their cats seems to help owners feel close to their pets. If you’ve done this, have you ever wondered if your cat knows what you’re saying? When we carry on these (usually) one-sided conversations, do our cats understand the words we are speaking to them?
If the word is their name, the answer is probably yes. With training, many felines can also learn various verbal commands. For the most part, though, cats can recognize that we are talking to them but don’t understand the specific words that we say.
Why Cats (Probably) Know Their Names
Part of the problem with determining how many words cats can actually learn is that they are notoriously uncooperative when scientists try to research the subject. In contrast, dogs can understand at least 75 words and possibly as many as 165–250 words, depending on which study you go by.2
Japanese researchers were able to design a study that concluded that pet cats most likely do recognize their own names when you speak to them.3 However, while they may be able to recognize the specific word used as their name, a cat doesn’t necessarily understand that it’s their name that they are hearing.
Instead, they connect hearing that collection of sounds with something good happening to them, whether it be food, treats, cuddles, or playtime. This also helps explain how cats can be trained to recognize other words. If they can make the connection between the word and some kind of reward, cats may expand their vocabulary.
However, just because your cat recognizes their name, don’t expect that to always result in them coming when called. Yes, studies have found they choose to ignore you sometimes!4
Speaking Their Language: Do Cats Understand Human Meows?
Cats may only understand a few words we speak, but what if we speak their language? Do cats understand if their human meows at them?
Adult cats only rarely meow to communicate with each other. Meowing is generally reserved for talking to humans alone. Cat owners can therefore become very in tune with their cat’s different meows and what they mean.
If you meow back at your cat, they probably won’t attach any specific meaning to the sounds. They’ll likely recognize that you are talking to them, but they also seem to know that human speech is also communication, even if they don’t know exactly what’s being said.
Body Language: Do Cats Recognize Human Emotions?
Perhaps since cats rely on non-verbal communication when they interact with each other, they can understand a lot about their owners based on emotions and facial expressions.
Cats recognize when their owners are angry, happy, or afraid. They will also change their behavior based on these observations. In unfamiliar or scary situations, cats look to their owners to check their humans’ reactions before deciding how they will behave.
Although cats may not recognize individual words when we speak to them, they are much better at understanding our overall body language, facial expressions, and vocalization tone.
Training a Cat: Yes, It’s Possible!
Most (54%) of cat owners surveyed reported that they successfully trained their cats. So, while it may not be clear exactly how many words a cat can learn, some training is certainly possible. But how do you train a cat?
Like dogs, cats learn best with positive reinforcement, especially in the form of treat rewards. Since cats recognize their names based on the positive action that goes with the sound, cats can learn to recognize other words and commands through the use of rewards.
Training kittens is usually easier than adult cats, so get started early if possible. Keep training sessions short and sweet. Try to train when your cat is hungry to help keep their attention on the treat rewards. Clicker training may help the cat more quickly learn to associate spoken commands with the behavior performed.
When attempting to train your cat, keep in mind that dogs were originally tamed to work in partnership with humans and have spent centuries adapting their behavior accordingly. Cats weren’t expected to work with humans and never really needed to learn how to learn from them, for lack of a better explanation. Consequently, training a cat won’t happen as easily as it does with most dogs.
With patience and plenty of treats, though, your cat can learn to understand more words than just their name.
Conclusion
Cats often give the impression that they’re ignoring every word out of their owners’ mouths. While that doesn’t seem to stop humans from continuing to chat up our kitties, don’t expect your cat to understand many of the words you speak. Many times, the conversation is more for our benefit than theirs, anyway! However, you can take comfort in knowing that your cat will understand the emotions behind your voice even if they don’t have a clue what you’re trying to say.
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Featured Image Credit: Stellelia, Shutterstock
