Domestic cats understand the phonetics of their name

In a study it was conclusively found that domestic cats can tell the difference between the phonetics of their name when spoken by people from the phonetics of general sounds and the phonetics of the name of other cats.

We conclude that cats can discriminate the content of human utterances based on phonemic differences.

They also found that domestic cats living in a cat cafe could do something similar but not quite as good as they could not distinguish the sound of their name from the sound of the name of cohabiting cats at the cafe.

My guess is that domestic cats living in a home have a close connection with their owner and their name is said regularly. They are trained to understand the sound of their name. In contrast cats at cafes don't have this advantage. Different people - one-off visitors - say their name in different ways and perhaps they get their name wrong. The 'training' is less intense and clear cut. It is more confusing.

When people say that cats understand their name, it's true to a large extent. However, they don't understand their name as humans understand their own names. Cats understand the sound of their name. It is only the sound, the phonetics which they detect and respond to.

Study: Domestic cats (Felis catus) discriminate their names from other words. Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40616-4

Try feather-light petting to see if it pleases your cat more

I'll try and explain what I mean in the title. My belief is that many cat owners apply too much downforce with their hands and fingers when petting/stroking their cat. I'd like to see more try a different method in which a feather-light touch is applied. The petting is very delicately applied. Much more delicately than one imagines. And it should be carried out very slowly too.

Slow and delicate is an alternative style of petting which particularly applies to men I would suggest. I think an experiment using this technique is worth trying to see your cat's reaction.

I sense that many cat caregivers have never really given much thought to the amount of downforce that their petting should deliver. We pet our cats in an instinctive way which suits us. It is as we are doing it to a fury little human and therefore the downforce is correct for humans.

But is it correct for domestic cats? I sense not. I think cats can sometimes find their human caregiver a little too heavy-handed. And if that is correct it slightly undermines the relationship.

The feather-light handling should be accompanied by a quiet melodious and friendly voice too. The sound should project friendliness and gentleness.

I am simply questioning the status quo. Is the default pressure applied when petting your cat companion entirely pleasant from your cat's perspective? 

The primary objective of petting is to please the cat. Is that forgotten sometimes? Do some people only think about pleasing themselves?

Bimodal communication with domestic cats

Try bimodal communication with a cat that doesn't know you to get a speedier response. The video - sorry it's dull - explains the title. It is about getting a speedier response from a cat by using two or more ways to communicate with. The conclusion is the result of a study by a group of French scientists. Perhaps any decent cat caregiver would tell you the same thing from personal experience.

The French scientists investigated communicating with rescue cats in a cat café in France. They measured how long it took for the cats to approach the human participants. 

They found that if the participants held out their hand silently or offered a hand with some vocal communication the cats were more likely and more speedily encouraged to come over and interact with the human. 

"Bimodal" means two different forms (2 modes) and in this case it refers to a vocal communication together with body language and actions.

It's a way of eliciting a speedier response and the scientist concluded in their words "this suggests that cats are more sensitive to visual and bimodal communication initiated by an unfamiliar human."

I would suggest, too, that it is also useful for humans with whom the cat is familiar. It is likely that this happens anyway.

For example, when I take a walk with my cat outside, I call his name and tap my jacket to encourage him to follow me. He associates the tapping with the request to come to me. I think this is the kind of thing they are referring to as this is bimodal communication.

Build a bond with your cat with a baby voice?

A lot of cat owners, I suspect mainly women, like to speak to their cat companion with a baby voice. It is entirely understandable indeed normal. And often people relate to their companion cat as a baby or a toddler, so it all adds up.

The Times newspaper reports on a study which they say found that talking to your cat in a silly voice helps you to bond and communicate with your cat companion.

Alia Butt and her white Persian cat. Image: Instagram.

They suggest that cats are notably less responsive when you don't put on a baby voice. But I think this report is incorrect. I'll tell you why.

The scientists decided that the cats that they assessed responded to their owner's baby voice. But they did not respond to their owner when they spoke in a normal voice. On this basis they decided that the baby voice is more effective in eliciting a feline response.

That is an error in my view. It is because the cat has become habituated to listening to their owner speaking in a baby voice that they respond to it. And they respond to the voice because they link their owner with nice things: food being given to them and cuddles, security and warmth and all the other things that domestic cats like.

This is a cat forming an association between a baby voice and nice things because the owner speaks in a baby voice and provides those nice things.

It is not about the baby voice per se encouraging a feline response.

The point is this, it doesn't matter how the owner speaks to their cat provided it is melodious, pleasant and warm and friendly. It is just that the cat will link that sound with their "surrogate mother" (the human caregiver).

That linkage is the key one. It is how a human caregiver can call their domestic cat to come to them. They are familiar with that sound, and they are familiar with the friendliness of their human owner and the benefits that he or she brings. That's the reward and cats are motivated by rewards like any other sentient being.

As the link described is not present in a stranger, domestic cats do not respond to strangers saying the same things.

And I believe that The Times author is reporting on this incorrectly in my view. Although they do add, correctly, that the scientists who carried out the study suggested that the response is not down to the tone of the voice but the fact that the cat came to associate their owner speaking that way with good things. That is what I am saying.

The study is published in the journal Animal Cognition. They write what all cat lovers already understand, namely that "Cats, who were not so long ago considered as independent and ungrateful creatures, are in fact very well capable of creating and fostering attachment bonds with humans." Domestic cats today are sociable creatures thanks to 10k years of domestication.

RELATED: Domestic cats’ desire to touch tells us that they are sociable.

They analysed the responses of 16 cats who were played recordings. Some recordings involved their owner talking normally in "adult-directed speech". Some involved other people using cat directed speech and some were of their owner talking to them in the usual way which means in baby talk.

They report that there was a spike in responsiveness when cats listen to baby talk from their owner. Yes, we know why, and I have banged on about that above for far too long.

Ginger tabby kitten asks for another kiss. Do cats understand kisses?

A super cute video. It seems to all the world that this little fella (ginger tabbies are nearly always males) wants another gentle kiss from his female caregiver and why not? Good idea. The way she delivers it is like the classic, friendly feline nose greeting. So perhaps her kitten interprets the kiss as that. Cats don't understand human kisses! Sorry but that is true. But they understand friendliness, warmth and affection from humans and respond positively to it as we see in the video.

Ginger tabby kitten asks for another kiss. Screenshot.

This is a TikTok video. They allow downloads and uploads. So, this is not my video. Update: I have delete it because Vimeo don't allow it.

It is a very successful one because of the behavior of the charming kitten. It reminds me of another post I wrote not long ago in which I said that cat caregivers should try and find out what their cat particularly likes and give it to them as much as possible and I am not talking about food! I mean, give them the food they like but not as much of it as possible unless you want your cat to become obese.

RELATED: Do cats know what kisses are?

My cat likes the back of his head rubbed and pressure applied to it. I always take the time to place my hand on the back of his head and hold it there. He meows silently to me when I do it with a look of delight on his face.

My cat loves the feeling of pressure from my hand at the back of his head and neck. I give it to him whenever I can. It is reassuring to him.

RELATED: National Kissing Day: Don’t kiss your cat on the lips.

Domestic cats need reassurance all the time I feel. They want to know that all is well. Perhaps this is because we make them feel like kittens even if they are adults. As we provide their every need like a mom, we keep them in that mental state. And kittens always look to their mom for reassurance. They purr to her and she returns the purr when nursing her them.

Cat body language 101 - exposing the belly is not an invitation to be petted

The video covers a number of domestic cat body language signals. I will let you explore them (Galaxy is good) but one of them is always important. It is when a domestic cat goes 'belly-up' and presents their belly to their human caregiver. How do you interpret it? And I think the answer actually is not a black-and-white one. And it is also difficult to generalise. Different cats respond in different ways.

But you'll find that Jackson Galaxy makes one essential point. He says that when a dog presents their belly to the human caregiver it is a request to be petted in that vulnerable area. This is not the case with domestic cats, however. It is not an invitation to pet their belly but more a signal that they trust you and even love you if you believe that there can be love from a cat to a person.

RELATED: ‘Cat love bites’ – what do they mean and why do they happen?

It is a signal that a cat is relaxed in the company of their human caregiver and in the home. And to take that as an invitation and pet the belly may result in the cat doing what Jackson Galaxy calls the "wraparound". This is when your cat grabs your hand and arm by the hindlegs and forelegs and then bites the hand, all at the same time. And it can be quite difficult to extricate your arm from that sort of clamp! This is due to overstimulation. It can happen when petting too much in any situation.

RELATED: ‘Cat Whisperers’ don’t just read cats’ facial expressions but body language too (plus a quiz).

However, if you pet very gently when your cat does this it may work out okay or even well. It depends on the cat's character, which is why I have to say that, sometimes, domestic cats do invite their human caregiver to rub their belly albeit gently. My cat does this. It seems to be instinctive to them. Perhaps it is a natural extension of the signal that the cat feels reassured. 

Provided you do it very gently and with great respect, I believe a cat can take pleasure from having their belly rubbed. Once again this points to different circumstances and different reactions from different individual cats. 

Jackson Galaxy talks cat behavior. Screenshot. In this still image Jackson is talking about cats' pent-up energy like a balloon expanding.

Some people think that when a cat presents their belly to a person or another animal it is an act of submission. I think that you will find this argument no longer holds water. However, you will see cats who are friendly to each other and playing when one rolls over onto their back to invite more play.

However, it cannot be denied that the one sure signal that a domestic cat sends to their caregiver when they lie on their back with their belly up is that they feel confident enough to do it i.e. present a vulnerable part of their body to others. They need to feel reassured in their own home to do it. They need to be sure that the people they are living with won't harm them. This all comes about because of a great relationship between person and cat and a calm, agreeable home.

And it is not too uncommon that domestic cats roll onto their back when they are very warm i.e. on their human caregiver's lap. Or on the bed next to them. This combination of warmth plus being in contact with the owner creates a feeling of great reassurance which sometimes results in the cat having enough confidence to present their belly.

Inflatable prosthetic hand can pet a cat

This is an article for people interested in technology and people who have unfortunately lost both hands (hopefully very rare) and who want to stroke their domestic cat. Prosthetic hands are normally very expensive and quite heavy because they are made of metal and motors. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) together with engineers/scientists at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China have come up with what appears to be a brilliant alternative. This is an inflatable prosthetic hand that can be controlled with the mind and is 20 times cheaper to make than the metal and motor variety.

Inflatable prosthetic hand can pet a cat and do lot more besides. Photo: MIT.

It picks up electrical signals through the wearer's arm. When the person imagines making a fist with their absent hand the prosthetic hand picks up the muscle signals and carries out the command.

It can do four types of grasps including making a fist, cupping the palm, pinching two fingers together and pinching three fingers together. In tests it could pour juice, shake hands, zip up a suitcase and most importantly for me stroke a cat!

Rather than using motors, the hand's movements are controlled and driven by a pneumatic system which inflates and bends the fingers. The pump which drives the pneumatic levers is worn around the wearer's waist.

The materials used are much cheaper and cost about US$500 (£364) which compares very favourably with the $10,000 for materials used in motorised hands.

It weighs 225 g (8 ounces) which also compares very favourably with the metal variety as it is a fraction of the weight. The prosthetic picks up signals from electromyography sensors at the point where the device fits the body. The sensors pick up electrical activity when a nerve stimulates the muscle. The fingers can be fitted with a pressure sensor so it can restore some sensation.

This last benefit may also be very useful to a cat owner because there is nothing better than feeling your fingers as they pass through the fur of your cat companion. They say that one of the best cats to stroke is the British Shorthair because the fur is very dense.

READ ABOUT A MINI-HAND USED TO PET CATS AT A HOSPITAL

The researchers' work is published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. During the research they found that the inflatable prosthetic was as good or even better than the conventional, rigid, commercially available bionic hand in carrying out functions such as stacking checkers, turning pages, writing with a pen, lifting heavy balls and picking up fragile objects.

READ ABOUT PETTING A CAT

Further, the device is very durable and has a 3D-printed palm to mimic a human hand. One volunteer was able to successfully shake a person's hand, touch of flower and pet a cat.

Source: The Times - thanks.

Exercise self-discipline when interacting with your cat

I do not want to sound like a sergeant major at an army barracks and preach (not my style) but there is no doubt in my mind that cat owners need to exercise self-discipline when interacting with their cat. I'll explain what I mean. I've said it countless times before but we should respect our cat companions as a cat but love them as a family member and give them equal rights to other family members.

The trouble is that those two goals can overlap and merge and sometimes we forget that we are interacting with a barely-domesticated cat rather than a fully domesticated child (although a lot of children are feral these days!). So sometimes we overstep the mark in what we are allowed to do with our cat. And this can cause an instinctive reaction by the cat which is unhelpful to the relationship. Your cat might just nick your hand with their claw, for example. 

We need to develop good habits in interacting with our cats. Photo: Pixabay.

This may annoy you because it happens at a time when you are delivering love and being tender towards your cat. The response by your cat is negative and you instinctively, in return, blame your cat for being stupid. Of course, you then reflect on it and realise that you are wrong. You overstepped the mark. You lacked self-discipline in that moment.

It happened to me about an hour ago. I got up from my bed and my cat was at my feet. When I get up I always give him a kiss and then I go to the shops to buy the newspaper and some provisions. This time I lent over a bit too forcefully to kiss him and in doing so he felt a bit smothered. When a cat feels smothered they react by slapping and/or pulling away. He pulled away slightly and I realised that there was a potential danger to get a nick from a claw so I pulled away as well. I backed off and left him alone. I recognised the signals in his behavior.

So, nothing happened that was untoward but I realised that, in that moment, I went a little bit too far and forgot that he was not my son but a domestic cat with a lot of the wild inside him. If I had shown a little bit more self-discipline it would not have happened.

I think that all cat owners must constantly remind themselves that although they love their cat as a child and a family member they must interact with them on their terms. They dictate the terms of the relationship or at least the limits of it. And you learn these limits. The obvious way is by trial and error, and if you have time and the inclination, also by studying cat behaviour and understanding what motivates them and the things that they enjoy. What improves a cat's mojo in the words of Jackson Galaxy.

Other examples of where a lack of self-discipline can lead to an unwanted reaction from your cat are interactions such as:

• Petting your cat too much to the point where they don't like it any more and it becomes intrusive. This will lead to a negative, defensive reaction sometimes;
• Petting your cat in the wrong places such as rubbing her stomach too much or fiddling around with their hind legs. Once again this will lead to a defensive and slightly aggressive reaction and/or a play reaction which can be too fierce because one's hand is involved and it gets scratched;
• Holding your cat is if you are holding a baby in your arms by cradling her. This is fine for a baby but it can make a cat feel insecure and it will probably be uncomfortable for them;
• Picking up your cat as if picking up a baby. There is a way to pick up a cat;
• The desire to punish your cat or shout at your cat may occur sometimes because he or she may irritate you for whatever reason. I hope that you know now that punishing a cat does not work in terms of changing behaviour but it does work in terms of destroying the relationship. It's a complete no-no. You have to find some other method if you want to redirect your cat to behave differently. Punishing is an example of a lack of self-discipline in a human. Try the act of God technique rather than punishment;
• Because you can't tell your cat not to come into the bedroom at night, you might lock them out all night in the same way that you would expect perhaps a child to stay out of the bedroom. However, a domestic cat will love your bedroom because it smells of you very strongly. They want to be there, they want to be on your bed where it is warm and smelly. To deny them this pleasure is, in my opinion, wrong. A lot of people do lock their cats out because they want to get a good night sleep. A compromise would be to provide your cat with their own little bed set up in the same room. That may work.

These are just examples, there are many more which occur during day-to-day interactions. Expect a reaction from your cat companion in line with their wild cat traits and not a reaction along the lines of a child. That sounds absurd but sometimes people can drift into the desire to receive a child-like reaction because they deeply relate to their cat as a family member. I'm referring to expectation-management, which is also an integral part of good cat caretaking.