Although the term 'like' might be an exaggeration, scientific evidence demonstrates that cats can perceive when they are being addressed verbally. An investigation conducted in France used voice recordings from owners and strangers, comparing speech directed at humans versus speech directed at the cats themselves, using everyday phrases such as 'Do you want to play?' and 'Do you want a treat?'
Scientists noted a specific response in the cats when hearing recordings of owners speaking directly to them. In contrast, the animals remained apathetic when the owners spoke to other people or when the voices belonged to strangers, regardless of whether the content was directed at the cats or not.
This study revealed two crucial points: firstly, cats are capable of distinguishing speech intended for other human beings from speech directed at them. This type of communication, termed by researchers as *cat-directed-speech* (CDS), often employs higher pitches and shorter, repetitive phrases, which facilitates distinction by the animal.
Additionally, the research suggests that cats establish a communicative connection with their guardians. According to feline behavior specialist Kristyn Vitale, who did not participate in the study, although cats have a reputation for being indifferent, recent research shows that they pay close attention to humans and can learn that certain vocalizations carry specific meanings. However, she emphasizes that the study conducted was small-scale.
Generally, cats express affection in various ways, even without having the ability to speak. Positive signs include rubbing against guardians' legs, raising their tails when seeing them, slow blinking during relaxation, allowing closeness during rest, and using the guardian as a pillow.
Name Recognition
Another study, conducted by the University of Tokyo, evaluated the reaction of 78 cats to determine if they could identify their own names. The results indicated that, most of the time, the animals distinguish the pronunciation of their names from other words, including those with similar sounds, regardless of who is speaking—whether it is the guardian or an unknown individual.
The researchers concluded that this demonstrates that 'cats can distinguish human utterances based on phonemic differences.' A similar study, conducted by Japanese scientists, suggested that, in addition to recognizing their names, cats also seem to identify the names of other felines they live with and may even know the names of the people living in the same house.
To test this hypothesis, scientists observed cats living in homes with multiple animals of the same species or in 'cat cafes' in Japan, places where visitors interact with the residents. In the tests, the cats were exposed to photographs of a known feline from the same environment (the 'model cat') on a computer screen. While the image was displayed, a recording of the guardian's voice would loudly pronounce the model cat's name (a situation called the 'congruent condition') or a different name ('incongruent condition').
The team observed that domestic cats spent more time looking at the screen during the incongruent condition, which may indicate confusion or curiosity regarding the inconsistency between the image and the spoken name. However, this behavior was exclusive to domestic cats, not occurring with cats from cat cafes. Researchers speculate that domestic cats learn these associations between names and faces by observing interactions between other members of the household. Those living in 'cat cafes,' surrounded by dozens of other cats and the constant flow of strangers, probably do not have the same opportunities for social learning of other felines' names.
