Here’s a familiar scenario for many cat owners: you call your dearest feline in your most loving, doting voice and… nothing! No reaction. No hint of recognition. It can seem like they think you don’t even exist.
Cats Just Ignore Us
For centuries cat owners thought cats didn’t react to their owners because they don’t recognize our voices. Turns out that’s not the case. Research has proven that cat’s dismissive behavior towards their owners isn’t because they don’t recognize our voices. It’s because they just choose to ignore us!
What the Research Shows
According to research conducted in Japan, cats definitely recognize their owners? voices, they just don’t care enough to pay attention or react to us.
The experiments, as reported by Smithsonian Magazine, were conducted with twenty house cats. For the study, researchers played a recording of each cat’s owner calling to his/her cat. Then, for comparison, the researchers also played recordings of three different strangers calling to each cat using the exact same words the cat’s owner used in their recording.
All the cat’s movements were recorded as the recordings were played. The researchers recorded how often each cat moved its tail, head, paws, ears, pupils (whether they dilated or not), and even their meows and purrs.
Researchers found that cats showed a significantly greater response to their owner’s voice as opposed to the strangers recordings.
Despite the evidence, the cats in the experiment did not bother to get up when they heard their owner’s voices. As any cat owner knows, cats just do things on their terms! And now we have proof! Your cats can hear and understand you when you call their name – they just couldn’t care less.
But We Love Our Cats Anyway!
Yet, despite the fact our cats choose to ignore us and, at times, even seem to dismiss the fact that we exist, we can’t help but fall in love with these beautiful four-legged furry creatures. They are just too adorable and can be incredibly sweet and snuggly… when they want to be!
Where does your cat fall on the scale of ignoring your existence to being dog-like in their obedience? Let us know in the comment section below!
