How many times have you called your whiskered companion, only to be met with deafening silence? Curled up comfortably on the sofa, your feline friend does not even seem to blink. For a long time, people thought cats were simply unable to associate a specific set of sounds with their own identity, unlike dogs who often come running at the slightest call. However, the reality is quite different.
To understand what is really going on inside the minds of our little animals, researchers decided to investigate. As reported by Sciencepost, the scientists set up a rigorous observation protocol. They played a series of ordinary words to the animals, followed suddenly by their own name.
A response of just a few millimetres
When scientists analysed the felines' reactions closely, they discovered a fascinating detail. More than half of the cats tested reacted immediately upon hearing their own name. But instead of meowing, wagging their tails, or running towards their owners, their response was extremely subtle: a simple twitch of the ear or a head movement of just a centimetre or two.
Cats do not just react to the tone of your voice; they genuinely recognise the phonetic structure of their name. So, they are not ignoring you out of stupidity – they are simply registering the information without seeing any need to move!
The surprising exception of cat cafés
The study also highlighted a very interesting difference based on the website animals' lifestyle. While household cats can perfectly distinguish their own name from those of other cats, this is not the case for felines living in cat cafés. Because they are regularly called by different customers who use their names without offering any specific reward, these cats struggle to tell their own name apart from those of their playmates.
The next time your beloved pet seems to be turning a deaf ear, take a close look at the top of their head. That tiny twitch of an ear proves they know exactly who you are talking to!
Translated from the FR Wamiz website using artificial intelligence
