Do cats know their own names? That’s a very good question! Dog owners seem pretty convinced their pets know their names, but ask a cat owner that and they may not be sure. Some cat owners feel their kitties do know their name, but is it really their name they are responding to, or is it just the sound of your voice?
Do Cats Know Their Own Names?
Could your cat be coming because you’re calling her name, or is she simply responding to the sound of your voice which she has come to know will bring her attention, food, and all of her other needs? If you’re a cat owner, you may already know that your cat can seem inattentive at times. It’s as if he has selective hearing.
When he wants something, like your attention or food, he may come running when you call. But a cat who doesn’t want to be bothered may completely ignore you, no matter how much you call. Is this because he can’t really tell you’re calling his name? Or is he just choosing to ignore you because he’s stubborn?
Do Domestic Cats Know Their Names?
Would you believe that you are not the first person to ask this question!? There have even been scientific studies done to try to get to the bottom of this mystery. One such experiment was done by two Japanese researchers to try to find out if domestic cats know their names.
In this experiment, they actually found out that cats can use vocal clues alone to identify different humans. So, your cat can recognize your voice apart from other human voices. They used 20 cats for this experiment and 15 of the 20 were able to recognize their owner’s voices.
These cats showed a physical reaction to hearing their owner’s voices. That said, it didn’t prove they know their names. It just shows that they know your voice. In this study, the researchers believe this is part of domestication of cats.
It all comes down to the training. Cats are trainable, just like dogs. You can train a cat to use a litter box and some people even train their cats to use the toilet, complete with flushing. The thing is, most people just don’t train their cats in many things. We train dogs to sit, stay, go outside, fetch, etc.
But most people don’t train their cats in that way. It doesn’t mean they can’t be trained; just that they aren’t. You could train your cat to respond to his name with behavior modification and a reward system. You may have even done this already without realizing it.
If your cat comes when you call, do you give him food, treats, love and attention? If he enjoys these rewards from you, he will continue. So, if it looks like your cat doesn’t know his own name, but you want to teach him, give it a go at training him.
Jo-Anne Pfoh says
Lol I have always said naming cats is for people not the cats. It really doesn’t matter what you call them they are not coming unless they want something and in reality they are calling you lol
Gail Him says
Love your blog!!,,,,
Sab Edwards says
I say responds to owners voice…my sons cats ignore me when I call them unless its food. He says their name(
S) and they repond (and you can open a can of peas in the house with a hand can opener and they all come running)
Linda songer says
I’ve had three Siamese cats at different times. Trained them much like a dog. They knew their names, plus other words. They knew rules of the house. Very sweet and enjoyable.
Françoise says
We had a female cat that was able to “say” two words and use it in accurate purpose:
a) AIM was related to FAIM in French (hungry)
b) DEYOR meant DEHORS (outside)
It’s a phonetic adaptation of the words we were using for HUNGRY and OUTSIDE,
But, she also gave each of us a name:
My name was AHOWWW
My boyfriend’s name was ROAAA
It’s interesting because she created those two names and she was using them for specific purposes.
Carol says
I am Carol , I do love this info about Cats & I have a Lilac Siamese Cat ( Jenni Leigh ) that I love to the Moon & back & I see the Siamese Cat’s as one of the most intelligent Cat’t on the planet & I’d say that she knows my name as well as her own I’d be so lost with out her
Amethyst says
I raised a kitten that was rejected by his mom. He definitely knew his name, he always came whether he wanted to or not. Even when he became an outdoor kitty, I’d call and he’d come running.