Yes, your cat knows your first name!

You might be wondering, “Does my cat recognize my first name?” A study has already shown this felines The smartest ones can understand up to fifty words. It could be among those out there your name. According to a Japanese study published last year in Scientific reportsCats associate the name of a person or animal with their face, it was reported on June 5 Science and life.

What does the study say?

Scientists from Kyoto University, Azabu University, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science conducted an experiment on a few dozen cats that lived in groups in… Same familyor in a Cat coffee in Japan.

All cats received both picture From the head of the cat that lived with them. Domesticated animals also looked at pictures of the humans who were around them. And every time the appearance of the image followed himregistration In the owner’s voice With name For an animal, human, or any other name mentioned by chance. And that was the goalStudy their reaction.

The results showed that unlike those who live in cafes, indoor cats spend their lives More time To look at the computer screen when the picture does not match the name. This may mean that they were fascinated by it Not recognizing the correct first name.

“Domestic cats only expected a specific cat face when hearing the cat name, indicating that they matched the stimulus cat name and the specific individual.”write the researchers in their article. “Hearing the name A catpeople expected the opposite face.

They were listening to our conversations.

For the authors, domestic cats develop this ability By monitoring interactions With third parties in the home. “Our hypothesis was that cats learned the relationships between face names by observing interactions involving their owner, and that further such observations might lead to to learn more powerful”explained by the authors.

Therefore it is possible that cats Listen to our conversationsAnd keep the names of family members as well as the names of their colleagues. “I want people to know the truthAnimal science researcher Saho Takagi, from Azabu University in Japan, participated in the Asahi Shimbun. the felines “They don’t seem to be listening to people’s conversations, but they are actually listening.”

This article was originally published on June 6, 2023.

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