Cats do recognise their owners' voices but just don't care, says study

[theHandpuppet]

Like we didn't know this already?

The Belfast Telegraph (NI)
BY JAMES VINCENT – 30 January 2014

Cats do recognise their owners' voices but just don't care, says study

A new study from the University of Tokyo shows that although pet cats are more than capable of recognising their owner’s voice they choose to ignore them - for reasons that are perhaps rooted in the evolutionary history of the animal...

...The study, published by Springer in the Animal Cognition journal, suggests that the reason for cats’ unresponsive behaviour might be traced back to the early domestication of the species, contrasting this with the relationship of humans to dogs.

Recent genetic analysis has revealed that the common ancestor of the modern housecat was Felis silvestris, a species of wildcat that first came into contact with humans around 9,000 years ago. As early societies developed agriculture, these cats moved in to prey on the rodents that were attracted to stores of grain. In the words of the paper’s authors, they effectively “domesticated themselves”.

“Historically speaking, cats, unlike dogs, have not been domesticated to obey humans’ orders. Rather, they seem to take the initiative in human–cat interaction.” This is in contrast to the history of dogs and humans, where the former has been bred over thousands of years to respond to orders and commands. Cats, it seems, never needed to learn....

MORE at http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/cats-do-recognise-their-owners-voices-but-just-dont-care-says-study-29963312.html

[quinnox]

1. lol, yup, they know

they just don't give a shit most of the time. I love cats!

[Aerows]

2. Cats:

"Human says what?"

[Ellipsis]

3. They care... they're just playing us for dominance

It depends on the cat.

[LiberalElite]

4. They care -

if there's something in it for them.

[TNDemo]

5. My cat comes when called.

She also attacks anyone who threatens me. I think she has a dog complex.

[2naSalit]

45. I have had cats

who did that, I just claimed that they were dogs dressed up in kitty costumes. And they were all females.

[loudsue]

54. I had a male cat that did that.

So I don't think it's a sex/hormonal difference; I think it's just that we might have had highly evolved kittehs. I know mine was, rest his soul.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. "Talk to the paw."

[niyad]

7. "dogs have owners, cats have staff"- what else would we expect?

[Bjorn Against]

8. My cats will usually come when I call them

I only wish they would listen to me when I tell them no, that one usually doesn't work so well.

[TDale313]

13. Same here.

[VanillaRhapsody]

16. spray bottle filled with water usually gets the message across in cat speak!

and small dog speak for that matter...

I have a Min Pin...they are very regal and act very very similar to a cat!

[Bandit]

58. Even better is a can of air, the type used to clean computers etc.

No water to get on things and cats freak when you use it near them...

[VanillaRhapsody]

60. that's expensive....water is free...

[democratisphere]

9. Cats care a lot about my voice when......

I breakout the treats or serve up breakfast, lunch or dinner.

[Redford]

10. I hope they did not spend too much on this study

I could of told them this for free

[Brigid]

21. Any cat owner could have told them.

Last edited Thu Jan 30, 2014, 05:51 AM - Edit history (1)

[TDale313]

11. I've had a couple cats who always came when called

And my current will often (although not always) come when called. Depends on the cat. This one also plays fetch. I did not teach him. When he was a kitten, he brought one of his toys onto the bed in the middle of the night. I threw it off the bed, he ran after it, brought it back, dropped it next to my hand, and crouched and did the buttwiggle waiting for me to throw it again. I think he's a puppy-cat

[Luminous Animal]

17. I had one of those. He was all white with a spot of black

fur right in the middle of his forehead. We named him 'Spot' before we found out he was a cat/dog. He'd walk on a leash and bark at birds. Yes, bark. Good ole Spot!

[3catwoman3]

43. One of ours also plays fetch.

She has done it since we first brought her home from the shelter when she was about 3 months old. She will appear with a toy, drop it near or on my feet, and either roll around on my feet or look up at me expectantly with her gorgeous green eyes, as if to say, "OK, time to play." I have sometimes counted, and when she is really in the mood, she will continue to fetch for 30 throws before deciding she's had enough. It is completely endearing.

Sometimes she will show up when i call her. Other times she won't even twitch an ear when I speak to her.

[PCIntern]

46. My cat used to bring me Baggies twist ties

And we'd play fetch. I could also put it in a difficult place and she'd engineer a way to retrieve it. The big ones that come with celery would particularly interest her. When we moved we found her cache of hundreds of them behind a bureau.

[3catwoman3]

55. I found quite stash of ...

...tin foil balls under a couch the other day. I did wonder where they had all gone.

[UTUSN]

12. and it took us egyptians thousands of yrs t o . figure this out

[Nye Bevan]

14. Yep. And bears really do shit in the woods (nt)

[VanillaRhapsody]

15. plays into the old...Dogs have masters...cats have slaves!

[RedSpartan]

18. Also, water is wet.

[davidpdx]

19. It's true

My cat doesn't care.

[Laxman]

20. I've Always Suspected This Was The Case...

neither the fur ball in the other room or my teenage son (they are different creatures) respond to me, yet I know they hear and understand me!

[Ms. Toad]

22. Owner's voice = cellophane wrapper; kittie treat bag;

toilet flushing, or, with the very odd cats we have now - the cat litter scoop.

I walk in the door every evening and immediately scoop out the box. With two cats I get a minimum of two deposits, often 4 before I get done scooping.

[cui bono]

25. Thank you for that detailed report.

[Ms. Toad]

48. I figured you all needed to know!

[rhett o rick]

23. It's genetic. I naturally obey my cats' demands. And they still treat me with indifference. nm

[JaneyVee]

24. Cats are so smug.

[spin]

33. I like both cats and dogs. ...

My current cat was probably born of feral parents. He was found by a neighbor hiding in the engine compartment of his car. The neighbor told his daughter that he planned to kill this kitten so she brought it over to our house.

He is extremely independent and rarely allows strangers to pet him. Since I feed him, he has more trust for me. I would not however describe him as affectionate. He occasionally demands to be petted especially when I am on the computer, but often grows irritated if I initiate the petting.

Still I consider him a good friend and value his independent personality. He never jumps up into my lap and licks my face like some of the dogs I have owned. Sometimes he will lay beside my on my couch and when it is chilly he will cuddle up against my body in bed. Oddly I can't convince him to get under the covers.

One thing for sure, he is much easier to care for than a dog. I feed him and make sure he has fresh water. Occasionally I brush him which he enjoys. He doesn't make messes in the house and I don't have to take him for walks.

edited to add:

I believe he recognizes my voice but does not come when I call him. I believe he views me as his servant.

He rarely meows but will when it is raining or cold outside. When that happens he will hold a conversation with me and will loudly complain about the weather.

[JaneyVee]

41. I'm way more of a cat person than a dog person. Kittens are heaven.

[raccoon]

47. Good for you adopting that littlun. nt

[longship]

26. Well, Duh!!!

Every cat owner who has ever lived knows that.

Cats are not domesticatable because they are solitary and do not obey a herd leader. That's why feral cats do very well in the wild and sheep, cows, dogs, etc. generally do not. When animals are bred for domestication they can no longer adapt to living in the wild. Cats are not, and have never been, domesticated.

[MillennialDem]

32. I think they would see us as food if they were a little bigger. I am surprised cats do not

ever (or extremely rarely) attack human babies/young children.

[BlueStreak]

37. "Cat owner"? Well, you must not be one. :)

"Cat owners" know there is no such thing. It is always the other way 'round.

[Vinnie From Indy]

27. I had a cat so well trained that it would come every single time I whistled

It was classic conditioning. I gave the cat a treat the first 50 times and then it would always come when I whistled.

Other than that, it hated me it seemed.

[Ms. Toad]

49. I had one trained that way, as well.

It was very useful when it escaped, since my whistle could be heard all over the neighborhood.

I really need to work on one of the new two - if one of them escapes, we might not see him again.

[frazzled]

28. Our cat responds to her name when we call her

And my husband has taught her to "sit" before he gives her a treat (I have no idea why he thought this was something he should do, except that we always had dogs, and this cat was dumped on us by our daughter, and I guess he wants her to act like a dog).

Still, it's true, the cat doesn't care. If you call "Laila" she looks up at you for a few seconds, shrugs, and turns away.

[icymist]

29. In ancient times cats were worshiped as gods;

They have not forgotten this. ~Terry Pratchett

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/animals/breeds/catopics/cat_mythology.htm

[kimbutgar]

30. I had a feral cat that I would call from my rear deck and when I walked to my front door

He was waiting at the front door or walking up the street. Panther was brought home from husband who found him at the SFO airport the cat adopted my husband the officials were going to call The ASPCA to take him so we adopted him. From the beginning we realized he was not going to be an indoor cat. I tried to keep him inside but he was an outdoors cat by nature. Then one day he stopped eating, wouldn't go outside anymore, stopped eating we took him to the vet who charged me $1000 dollars to say he didn't know what was wrong with him but gave him all these shots and he died a week later. Only had him for 1 1/2 years.

We now had a cat that friend had to give up she responds to her name when she feels like it. And she is indoors and doesn't like to go outdoors and occasionally will go out on the deck.

[MillennialDem]

31. Both of my cats come when called.

[HomerRamone]

34. behavioural aspect of cats that cause their owners to become attached to them are still undetermined

The study concludes by observing that “the behavioural aspect of cats that cause their owners to become attached to them are still undetermined.” AMEN, says this dog person ~(_8^(I)

[Art_from_Ark]

35. Felis Sylvestris

[BlueStreak]

36. Yeah, I saw that too. This can't be for real

That is just too cute.

[azurnoir]

38. Mine usually come when I call them and learned their names quite quickly and young 3-5 weeks

OTOH I've also learned that dogs learn not to do something and cats learn not to get caught doing something

[ellie]

39. I'll say.

All the strays I have taken in decided to come live with me instead the other way around.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

40. Sometimes I wish that was true of these....

"Noise? Moi?"

[irisblue]

61. such a beauty!^^

[Spitfire of ATJ]

62. Ours is now in a rare quiet time on his back playing with a ball.

[Hissyspit]

42. More anti-cat stereotyping bullshit.

My cats care about my voice all the time.

They are all individuals. They form attachments, are social, get fearful, need comfort, provide sympathy the best they can, and have selfish needs and desires, just like, um, um ... oh, yeah, human beings.

Good ol' human arrogance and obliviousness.

[snooper2]

51. This isn't anti cat, it's pro cat

Explains again why cats are smarter than dogs.

They knew what was good for them and said "yo humans, we can hang together"...



Stupid dogs had to be trained and bred and kept on chains so they didn't run away-

Cats Rule, Dogs Drool

[kentauros]

44. What dogs and cats hear:

[dionysus]

50. my kitteh comes in to the room when i call for him (a high percentage of the time)

[BeyondGeography]

52. The average cat experiences more pure relaxation in a day than a human does in a lifetime

Ignoring humans is part of the reason why.

[theHandpuppet]

57. Ya got that right!

In my next life I'm coming back as a pampered housecat and will spend my winters napping atop a nice, toasty radiator. Should my ears prick up to the sound of a human voice, only then will I decide whether or not there's something in it for me that's more important than doing exactly nothing at all.

[BeyondGeography]

59. Exactement

I would love to experience the sheer physical relaxation they routinely enjoy, which is unattainable to us. I'm convinced the resulting bliss leaves them no choice but to reject all intrusions.

[Le Taz Hot]

53. All my cats know their names and respond when I call.

The new one, Alaska, is still learning.

[Xolodno]

56. I'll file this under...

..No Shit Sherlock!

Our cats come to us by name most of the time we call...other times, they just look at us and keep walking.

Saw one show where they were trying to show the intelligence of dog vs. cat by tying a treat to a specific string. Pull the right string and you get the treat. Dogs after awhile kept pulling the same string thus they concluded dogs were more "intelligent".

I thought it was BS. As a cat owner, I know full well they have a mind of their own. They could have pulled the other stings out of curiosity, just to play or something else entirely. We give our cats a special treat once in awhile, most of the time they come running...but occasionally one will just ignore it as they are far more enthralled in what they are doing at the moment.

[RoccoR5955]

63. I had a clowder of cats one time

who could tell my specific VW van, when I drove up the dirt road. They would come running to me when I would come home for work, or any other time for that matter, looking for attention.
The few times I drove in my friend's VW van of the same vintage, the cats did not come. They also would not come for other vehicles.
Only my hippie van!

I thought it was strange that they could tell the difference in the sound of very similar vehicles.

[joeybee12]

64. Did they do this study with indoor or outdoor cats...

My indoor cats all know my voice and respond...I think there's a big difference in how you treat your pets...lots of owners often show indifference, like cats are just cats, but they are much more responsive and bonding than a lot of people think.

[Lunacee_2013]

65. Like every other person in this thread: well DUH!

Last edited Thu Jan 30, 2014, 07:41 PM - Edit history (1)

Although sometimes my cats will come. If they feel like it. And if I have bacon. My dogs, on the other hand, come wether I want them to or not. Personally, I prefer the cats. They usually take care of themselvesn, they've even figured out how to turn on the tap and open my mini-fridge. Now if only they would learn how to turn off the water and close the fridge...

Edited to add, since we're posting about our fur babies now: I have 4 cats and 3 dogs (and a brand new niece, full house!). One cat (Jo-jo) is 99% feral, a big Tom with the meow of a baby kitten, who always comes when I call him home to eat. The other Tom-cat we have was born in my room, but was attacked by either a dog or another cat when he was little, so now he only has three legs (and a $1000 vet bill). We named him Tri-pod, yes, I know, we're terrible. The last two are shelter kittens we saved from the pound. The (only) girl is named Stormy and the boy is Jack. Their only job is to screw stuff up. Everything from knocking glass things off the shelves to eating the toilet paper (and drinking right from the bowl) to getting stuck in the refrigerator and tearing open the trash. Last week they managed to spread dirty diapers from the back porch to the side gate. Yeah, guess who had to clean that mess up.

[mythology]

66. I don't think the researchers understand the word owner

I've never owned a cat. I've been owned by several cats, but never once have they considered themselves mine.