Cats know each other's names, study finds

DiipuSurotu · May 16, 2022

OSAKA -- Cats learn the names and faces of the feline friends they live with, a group of scientists from Kyoto University and other institutions has discovered. According to the team, which published its findings in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports, the discovery could help prove cats' linguistic cognition.

The team focused on a behavior common to humans and animals -- staring at a thing or event longer due to surprise when the unexpected happens -- and tested a total of 48 cats that lived in groups of three or more in regular households and at cat cafes (19 felines at regular homes and 29 at cat cafes).

The scientists had a cat listen to one of its feline roommates' names being called and immediately after that it was shown pictures of the name's owner and other cats on a laptop monitor. As a result, household cats tended to stare at the monitor longer when the name being called and the photo on the monitor didn't match. Cat cafe felines, on the other hand, showed no significant difference in their reactions. The team believes that cat cafe pets have fewer opportunities where their individual names get called because there are many cats kept at such cafes, and that this factor affected how they reacted in the experiment.

More at:

Cats can understand feline roommates' names, recognize faces: Japanese study - The Mainichi

OSAKA -- Cats learn the names and faces of the feline friends they live with, a group of scientists from Kyoto University and other institutions has d

mainichi.jp

Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives - Scientific Reports

Humans communicate with each other through language, which enables us talk about things beyond time and space. Do non-human animals learn to associate human speech with specific objects in everyday life? We examined whether cats matched familiar cats’ names and faces (Exp.1) and human family...

www.nature.com

Scratch if old

Futabaisthebest<3 · May 16, 2022

This is getting closer to become the reality.

Pau · May 16, 2022

Why didn't I go into animal research like this?

Anyways, I can't wait to get my kitty a cat friend.

plagiarize · May 16, 2022

I feel like most cat owners could tell you this, but this methodology to try and prove this one way or another is pretty interesting all the same.

cameron · May 16, 2022

Pau · May 16, 2022

cameron said:

Surprised it was only one.

BlackGoku03 · May 16, 2022

Thought this was known… I guess they're trying to prove it. My dogs do this too. They know my parents dogs by name and my daughter's name too. If I ask where my kid is, they go looking for her lol.

Cats and dogs are way smarter than most think.

Serpens007 · May 16, 2022

BlackGoku03 said:
Thought this was known… I guess they're trying to prove it. My dogs do this too. They know my parents dogs by name and my daughter's name too. If I ask where my kid is, they go looking for her lol.

Cats and dogs are way smarter than most think.

What was already known is that recognize their own names (and they actually do choose to ignore you when you call them). Them recognizing their roommates' names is new. So when you tell them to stop bothering the other cat, they also know what they're doing: ignoring you again.

Parch · May 16, 2022

plagiarize said:
I feel like most cat owners could tell you this, but this methodology to try and prove this one way or another is pretty interesting all the same.

Yeah, owners know this. Scientifically proving it is a thing I guess.
With any combo of cats and dogs in a household, they know each other's names and respond appropriately. Sound association works for things and names.

leenbzoold · May 16, 2022

Joke's on them, i didn't give them any names.

Nocturne · May 16, 2022

people will say they already know this but every time a thread about cat psychology comes up there's a genius who loves to insist cats only know what food is or whatever

but yes, if you owned a cat it's evident that they know things have names and can react accordingly

8bit · May 16, 2022

So, it's not about their own naming conventions? Like if I had cats called Tasha & Sisko, one wouldn't be thinking "Why are they calling you Sisko, Dave?"

RiOrius · May 16, 2022

BlackGoku03 said:
Thought this was known… I guess they're trying to prove it. My dogs do this too. They know my parents dogs by name and my daughter's name too. If I ask where my kid is, they go looking for her lol.

Cats and dogs are way smarter than most think.

Growing up, I was generally in charge of feeding the dogs for dinner, but my parents would sometimes do it. When it was about the right time, they'd usually start by bothering my parents, and they'd say "go find Steven" and they'd come running to me all excited and wouldn't leave me alone until I fed them.

But I spent almost all my time at the computer. And every now and then I'd be in a different room, and they'd be bugging me for dinner, and I'd say "go find Steven" and they'd run off to the computer to find me and then get a bit confused before realizing they'd been had and come back to bother me. It wasn't much, but it would buy me five seconds of peace to save my game or whatever.

So yeah, dogs know some things, but they're also pretty dumb sometimes.

BlackGoku03 · May 16, 2022

Serpens007 said:
What was already known is that recognize their own names (and they actually do choose to ignore you when you call them). Them recognizing their roommates' names is new. So when you tell them to stop bothering the other cat, they also know what they're doing: ignoring you again.

I guess but I've seen this before just from my experience babysitting cats and having friends with cats as pets.

nny · May 16, 2022

Pau said:
Why didn't I go into animal research like this?

As someone who studies animal learning and cognition, I can tell you it is unfortunately not a career choice with great prospects - it's an area where you're frequently fighting for survival and always having to justify your work - and also, if it's not applied research with humans funding is really, really difficult.

Deep down, I hope that the better we understand other species not only we can treat them better (and by extension the planet), but also the better equipped we are to understand ourselves. What we share, what makes a species unique, our limitations. But one of our many blindspots is how self-centered we are and that makes the task of "selling" the importance of studying other species extra challenging.

cameron said:

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me - they don't seem the easiest species to work with. Now that I think about it, I've recently attended a meeting that had studies with close to 50 species and I don't think there was a single cat study ^^;

BlackGoku03 · May 16, 2022

RiOrius said:
Growing up, I was generally in charge of feeding the dogs for dinner, but my parents would sometimes do it. When it was about the right time, they'd usually start by bothering my parents, and they'd say "go find Steven" and they'd come running to me all excited and wouldn't leave me alone until I fed them.

But I spent almost all my time at the computer. And every now and then I'd be in a different room, and they'd be bugging me for dinner, and I'd say "go find Steven" and they'd run off to the computer to find me and then get a bit confused before realizing they'd been had and come back to bother me. It wasn't much, but it would buy me five seconds of peace to save my game or whatever.

So yeah, dogs know some things, but they're also pretty dumb sometimes.

LOL I bet they were confused when you did that. Some dogs are more "gifted" than others lol, just like the study in the OP mentions.

DiipuSurotu · May 16, 2022

RiOrius said:
Growing up, I was generally in charge of feeding the dogs for dinner, but my parents would sometimes do it. When it was about the right time, they'd usually start by bothering my parents, and they'd say "go find Steven" and they'd come running to me all excited and wouldn't leave me alone until I fed them.

But I spent almost all my time at the computer. And every now and then I'd be in a different room, and they'd be bugging me for dinner, and I'd say "go find Steven" and they'd run off to the computer to find me and then get a bit confused before realizing they'd been had and come back to bother me. It wasn't much, but it would buy me five seconds of peace to save my game or whatever.

So yeah, dogs know some things, but they're also pretty dumb sometimes.

Damn, that's some point-and-click adventure game logic stuff right there, lol

Housecat · May 16, 2022

Cats are pretty clever and they learn a lot from each other if you have more than one. My older cats always take responsibility for younger cats, especially outside. My three cats knows a few words that they've sort of just picked up I guess, like each others names, food, out, inside, no, come and probably more. These are words I can get a respond to. For example, if I say "catname out?", cat will walk towards door if they wanna go outside, sometimes with a meow. They collect each other when it's dinner time, as I call for all three and they know I wont put their dinner down until all three are present. cats are pretty cool!

Vommy · May 16, 2022

I knew it!

Jakten · May 16, 2022

I already knew this - what I'm trying to know is what is their Jellicle name and how would they respond if they knew I knew?

Pau · May 16, 2022

nny said:
As someone who studies animal learning and cognition, I can tell you it is unfortunately not a career choice with great prospects - it's an area where you're frequently fighting for survival and always having to justify your work - and also, if it's not applied research with humans funding is really, really difficult.

Deep down, I hope that the better we understand other species not only we can treat them better (and by extension the planet), but also the better equipped we are to understand ourselves. What we share, what makes a species unique, our limitations. But one of our many blindspots is how self-centered we are and that makes the task of "selling" the importance of studying other species extra challenging.

That makes a lot of sense. :( But I agree, we share this earth with animals, and particularly if we are going to have some of them domesticated, we owe it to them to understand and treat them as well as possible.

Parch · May 16, 2022

nny said:
Yeah, that doesn't surprise me - they don't seem the easiest species to work with. Now that I think about it, I've recently attended a meeting that had studies with close to 50 species and I don't think there was a single cat study ^^;

Ignoring you and being aloof is a cat priority they're proud of. Trying to get decent study results would be a challenge.

TheDestructiveSquirrel · May 16, 2022

So if I call every dog "doggo" and every cat "kitty" they might get really confused and think I'm an idiot?

DiipuSurotu · May 16, 2022

Guys the point isn't about knowing it, the point is proving it

Stencil · May 16, 2022

I've noticed that with my two cats. If I call Julius, Casio will look in his direction to see what Julius will do.

ZmillA · May 16, 2022

cameron said:

get rekt, nerds!

Serpens007 · May 16, 2022

RiOrius said:
Growing up, I was generally in charge of feeding the dogs for dinner, but my parents would sometimes do it. When it was about the right time, they'd usually start by bothering my parents, and they'd say "go find Steven" and they'd come running to me all excited and wouldn't leave me alone until I fed them.

But I spent almost all my time at the computer. And every now and then I'd be in a different room, and they'd be bugging me for dinner, and I'd say "go find Steven" and they'd run off to the computer to find me and then get a bit confused before realizing they'd been had and come back to bother me. It wasn't much, but it would buy me five seconds of peace to save my game or whatever.

So yeah, dogs know some things, but they're also pretty dumb sometimes.

Bwhahahaha I wonder what curses the dog must say on their way back to you

Deleted member 11637 · May 16, 2022

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Helix · May 16, 2022

but cats are dumb they onl.....

Nocturne said:
people will say they already know this but every time a thread about cat psychology comes up there's a genius who loves to insist cats only know what food is or whatever

...so you have finally caught me in the act, well done!

jokes aside tho, I'm surprised there are people who think this way, maybe they need more cats in their lives.

zma1013 · May 16, 2022

Meanwhile dogs believe their own tails is a wholly seperate entity constantly chasing them.

Serpico99 · May 16, 2022

As I forget the person's name as I'm being introduced while shaking their hand at a business thing.

ClutchAnderson · May 16, 2022

Already confirmed. Lol if we want to find our lil dude we just have to start calling his sister and he shows up full of piss and vinegar...

Aaronrules380 · May 16, 2022

DiipuSurotu said:
Guys the point isn't about knowing it, the point is proving it

A lot of them are also ignoring that hindsight bias is a real thing and we'd probably be getting a lot of the exact same responses if the study had the exact opposite results. It's easy to trick yourself into thinking you knew something all along when you were given the correct answer in the first place

Shadow · May 16, 2022

Yeah, I saw this with my cats. I have one that doesn't get along with the other, and whenever I say her name the other one starts to get nervous. But of course, that doesn't mean this study is useless, it's nice for them proving it it's not just the cat relating that sound with the other cat. I'm sure she actually knows the name of the other cat.

Spiderz · May 16, 2022

Neither of my cats ever respond to their name and will only look at me if I make some sort of clicking sound.

Cipherr · May 16, 2022

RiOrius said:
Growing up, I was generally in charge of feeding the dogs for dinner, but my parents would sometimes do it. When it was about the right time, they'd usually start by bothering my parents, and they'd say "go find Steven" and they'd come running to me all excited and wouldn't leave me alone until I fed them.

But I spent almost all my time at the computer. And every now and then I'd be in a different room, and they'd be bugging me for dinner, and I'd say "go find Steven" and they'd run off to the computer to find me and then get a bit confused before realizing they'd been had and come back to bother me. It wasn't much, but it would buy me five seconds of peace to save my game or whatever.

So yeah, dogs know some things, but they're also pretty dumb sometimes.

Ohhh man this is Amazing! lol

Rackham · May 16, 2022

but animals are stupid cause they're not human...

my cat literally knows how to emotionally blackmail me for treats. When I call her name she comes. She doesn't come when I scream out another word. She has a personality. I don't get how people would say they don't understand sounds or what they're attributed to.

Sheepinator · May 16, 2022

This Eddie Izzard sketch talking about cats being smart is good.

THEVOID · May 16, 2022

cameron said:

That's so Cat. Get me the fuck outta here!

onyx · May 16, 2022

I already found that cats can learn each other's names. They can also perform tricks and learn commands. I need to apply for a grant ~~to make money~~ prove my findings.

lunarworks · May 16, 2022

TheDestructiveSquirrel said:
So if I call every dog "doggo" and every cat "kitty" they might get really confused and think I'm an idiot?

I'm sure the cat already thinks you're an idiot. That's not on you, that's just cats.

Cargo Shorts · May 16, 2022

When we had two cats, to get them inside at night (large fenced yard) I had to call both of them and shake the treat box. The youngest one never used to come in right away, so I had to wait for five minutes or so by the door till he eventually wandered in. I got pissed of from waiting each night, so I just started calling in the older cat while shaking the box. About a half hour later I'd open the door again to find the young cat sitting there looking smug, so no treats for him. By about the third night, the younger cat began racing into the house first. I think he hated the fact that he was going to miss out on treats that the older cat was getting.

Handicapped Duck · May 16, 2022

Deleted member 43 · May 16, 2022

lunarworks said:
I'm sure the cat already thinks you're an idiot. That's not on you, that's just cats.

Nah, if cats actually thought we were stupid they wouldn't do stuff like rub us or show other forms of affection. Cats don't do that to other cats they deem lesser than themselves.

DiipuSurotu · May 16, 2022

Matt said:
Nah, if cats actually thought we were stupid they wouldn't do stuff like rub us or show other forms of affection. Cats don't do that to other cats they deem lesser than themselves.

Pretty sure the poster is just memeing

Deleted member 43 · May 16, 2022

DiipuSurotu said:
Pretty sure the poster is just memeing

Sure, maybe, but "cats think we're dumb" is certainly a belief many people actually hold.

DiipuSurotu · May 16, 2022

Matt said:
Sure, maybe, but "cats think we're dumb" is certainly a belief many people actually hold.

Really? I thought it was just a joke thing

AlgusUnderdunk · May 16, 2022

I remember as a child learning that each cat had three very specific names, one very generic name like Steve, then a second more interesting name like Purgistrap or Bombalurina, and then a third secret name you'll never learn.

entrydenied · May 16, 2022

Housecat said:
Cats are pretty clever and they learn a lot from each other if you have more than one. My older cats always take responsibility for younger cats, especially outside. My three cats knows a few words that they've sort of just picked up I guess, like each others names, food, out, inside, no, come and probably more. These are words I can get a respond to. For example, if I say "catname out?", cat will walk towards door if they wanna go outside, sometimes with a meow. They collect each other when it's dinner time, as I call for all three and they know I wont put their dinner down until all three are present. cats are pretty cool!

This is cute😹

I had a cat who likes to sneak outdoors and avoid me when I call out to her. But if it was another family member or a family friend, she would come out from wherever she was hiding. She knows if I was the one calling for her I would end her escapade and bring her home.

zma1013 said:
Meanwhile dogs believe their own tails is a wholly seperate entity constantly chasing them.

Cats do that too.

Spiderz said:
Neither of my cats ever respond to their name and will only look at me if I make some sort of clicking sound.

" I refuse to learn human speechhhh but that clicking sound is interesting so I really can't resist."

elLOaSTy · May 16, 2022

My cats know their names, and the names of one another. They also know the words No, Hey, Water, Okay and Treat like 10000% for sure.

Sometimes when I catch one doing something like walking on the counter I'll say Hey Milo! and the other cat will look at him to see what he's doing and he will usually jump right off but if he doesn't I'll say no and he bounces. It's not intonation wholly because Ive tried other words and they don't give a fuck unless I say Hey or No.

Cats know each other's names, study finds

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