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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCats do recognise their owners' voices but just don't care, says study
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 owners 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 papers 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 humancat 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
(20,600 posts)they just don't give a shit most of the time. I love cats!
Aerows
(39,961 posts)"Human says what?"
Ellipsis
(9,123 posts)It depends on the cat.
LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)if there's something in it for them.
TNDemo
(3,452 posts)She also attacks anyone who threatens me. I think she has a dog complex.
2naSalit
(86,076 posts)who did that, I just claimed that they were dogs dressed up in kitty costumes. And they were all females.
loudsue
(14,087 posts)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
(115,281 posts)niyad
(112,445 posts)Bjorn Against
(12,041 posts)I only wish they would listen to me when I tell them no, that one usually doesn't work so well.
TDale313
(7,820 posts)VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)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
(21,475 posts)No water to get on things and cats freak when you use it near them...
VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)democratisphere
(17,235 posts)I breakout the treats or serve up breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Redford
(373 posts)I could of told them this for free
Brigid
(17,621 posts)Last edited Thu Jan 30, 2014, 05:51 AM - Edit history (1)
TDale313
(7,820 posts)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
(27,310 posts)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
(23,820 posts)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
(25,347 posts)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
(23,820 posts)...tin foil balls under a couch the other day. I did wonder where they had all gone.
UTUSN
(70,497 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)RedSpartan
(1,693 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)My cat doesn't care.
Laxman
(2,419 posts)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
(33,915 posts)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
(19,926 posts)Ms. Toad
(33,915 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)spin
(17,493 posts)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
(19,877 posts)raccoon
(31,092 posts)longship
(40,416 posts)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
(2,367 posts)ever (or extremely rarely) attack human babies/young children.
BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)"Cat owners" know there is no such thing. It is always the other way 'round.
Vinnie From Indy
(10,820 posts)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
(33,915 posts)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
(18,402 posts)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
(15,888 posts)They have not forgotten this. ~Terry Pratchett
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/animals/breeds/catopics/cat_mythology.htm
kimbutgar
(20,882 posts)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
(2,367 posts)HomerRamone
(1,112 posts)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
(27,247 posts)BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)That is just too cute.
azurnoir
(45,850 posts)OTOH I've also learned that dogs learn not to do something and cats learn not to get caught doing something
ellie
(6,928 posts)All the strays I have taken in decided to come live with me instead the other way around.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)"Noise? Moi?"
irisblue
(32,829 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)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
(30,151 posts)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
(29,414 posts)dionysus
(26,467 posts)BeyondGeography
(39,285 posts)Ignoring humans is part of the reason why.
theHandpuppet
(19,964 posts)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
(39,285 posts)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
(22,271 posts)The new one, Alaska, is still learning.
Xolodno
(6,341 posts)..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
(12,471 posts)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
(56,177 posts)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
(529 posts)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
(9,527 posts)I've never owned a cat. I've been owned by several cats, but never once have they considered themselves mine.