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Welcome Crazy Cat People
Go on admit it, you talk to your cats and that’s completely normal but now you’re wanting to know ”Do cats like it when you talk to them”? I did a little research and based my answer to your questions on my observation of my own two little Kitty Cats.
In general, cats enjoy it when we talk to them. Cats tend to prefer high pitched sounds and may not fully be able to understand all the words we say but will gather information based on tone, posture, facial expression and body language. Talking to our cats is a great way to strengthen our bond with them.
So there we go, cats are very good at picking up on our body language and the way we say the things we do.
It’s all about tone, so make sure when you talk to your cat you talk in a soft gentle voice if you want your cats to stay calm, happy and content.
There are lots of benefits to communicating with your cat and we will explore some of these in this blog post. I will also answer some of the related questions you may have around cats and communication.
So keep reading to find out more, as always I will throw in a little humour along the way and of course, there will be some cute cat photos.
After all, this is crazyaboutcats.net for crazy cat people like you and me!
Do cats understand when you talk to them?
Cats are not able to understand every word we say to them and mainly communicate non verbally through tone, posture and body language however studies suggest cats do respond when their name is called which indicates they may understand some words they are conditioned to learn.
We all talk to our cats, I know I do and that’s a very good thing to do especially for bonding with our little fur babies. When I wake up in the morning one of the first things I do is walk over to my two little cats, give them a nice little stroke and talk to them.
Their reaction often depends on their mood after all they are just like humans, some days we are not in the mood.
However, talking to my cats is a big part of how I bond with them but I did often wonder if they understood what I was saying to them.
I think part of us wants to think that they understand every word we say but what we have to ask ourselves is, Do we understand every different noise they make to us? There are so many different meows, purrs even Hisses!
Understanding catish can be quite a challenge but the longer we spend around our cats the more we learn what they mean when they make certain noises!
Suprise Suprise, they view us in the same way! They will not understand our every word but over time they get to know us like we get to know them, they understand we are a different species to them.
There are studies to suggest that cats know their name and react to their name when called, in this study researchers said 4 different words to cats. One of the words being the cat’s name and the other words being nouns or the names of other cats, what they found is the cats reacted to their names compared to the other sounds indicating cats can understand certain words that they are conditioned to learn.
As I mentioned above though cats are non-verbal communicators, they are clever animals as most experts agree that 70 to 93 per cent of all communication is nonverbal.
That applies to humans but obviously applies to cats who are masters at this form of communication.
Ever wondered why cats can often read you like a book and know when you are happy, sad or anxious? Well, there you go!
So talk to your cat, let them get to know you. You never know one day you might just start to have a full conversation with them, how cool would that be!
Meow!
Do cats like it when you meow at them?
In general, cats like any soft high pitched sounds. A lot of cat owners will make meow sounds to their pets and cats will often then meow back depending on mood. Cats rarely meow at each other when adults and reserve this form of communication for humans, mainly as a way to get their needs met.
The famous meow! I mean when you hear your cats meow how cute does it sound but have you ever tried meowing back to your own cats?
It is estimated that cats have 15-20 different types of meow! Why not have a little read of this blog post by modern cat to find out more about what cats vocalisations mean!
I tend to do this a lot and I test it at different times such as when feeding and when I want to play with my cats, they do often respond.
I found out by looking at answers on Quora that I am not the only crazy cat person who does this, one man said he often has conversations with his cats by instigating a meow sound and they will then respond, he then goes on to copy them and tries to match there version of meow and after a while, they will start to copy him! How cool!
So I guess this answers the question, Yes cats do like it when you meow to them, in fact, they often love it, again depending on mood!
See this Youtube video below by Senior cat wellness which talks about meowing at our cats and also explores a few of the meanings of different vocalisations!
Do cats like to be talked to like a baby?
In general cats like being talked to like a baby, this is because when we talk like this it is often high pitched and gentle. Some people say high pitched sounds calm cats down while others say that high pitched noises are similar to noises birds and mice make which intrigues the cat.
Wait a minute! OMG! Are you thinking what I am thinking!
Cats like baby talk because there high pitched and remind them of the noises prey make such as high pitched squeaks from mice! – Does that mean you remind them of their dinner! According to this blog post by pet guide, it does!
We all do it! We all talk to our cats in that baby voice!
I am known to regularly say ”She’s a good little coochie coo, my baby girl my boochie boochie boo!” or ”Lenny Boo, he’s my beautiful baby boy, my Lenny loo, loo”!
God imagine if we recorded ourselves saying those things and listened to them back, we would probably feel embarrassed!
However my cats love it, again I believe it goes down to the tone of voice and their associations. They more than likely know that when their human talks that way it means either treats or cuddles!
Cats also get a good idea of our mood when we talk to them, if we are stressed or anxious our voice and body language will often change, when we talk to them like a baby in a high pitched voice we are letting them know that we are relaxed and ready to show them love and spoil them!
Talking and interacting with your cat in this way has also been shown to also benefit our mental health too and reduce levels of stress due to the release of a hormone called oxytocin which is the cuddle hormone released when we hug someone who we care for according to this study.
One thing to make sure is that you don’t ever confuse your cat by speaking in this baby voice when telling them off!
When we have to discipline our cats it’s wise to just change your tone to a low pitch and say NO! This is all that is needed if a cat is engaging in any destructive behaviour.
Conclusion – Do cats like it when you talk to them?
I hope this post has answered your questions and you have had some fun along the way. We know now that cats enjoy their owner’s voice and that they like soft talk from their owners, they also enjoy a little meow from you now and again and if you are lucky and they are in the mood they might just meow back!
Go on, have a good old natter with your little Kitties and start to learn how to speak cat language! O and lots more of that baby talk to!
As always take care of yourself and your little fur babies
Mark (The Crazy Cat Man)
