Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives • Hacker News Board

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#141

Post by hunterb123 » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:01 PM UTC

ensan wrote: post #136

hunterb123 wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This. Not limited to cats either. I've noticed the same in dogs and even some cows. Same rules apply to humans as well. Interaction early on develops personality and intelligence varies genetically by a wide margin.

Intelligence is not well-defined even for humans, and we have little understanding of what goes on in an animal's "mind", yet people like you use terms like IQ for cats like they're established facts. For all we know, it could be that some animals/cats just don't "care" as much about interacting with humans. Just like some humans do.

I just meant general intelligence over all varies among animals. I'm not stating facts, I'm stating my observations.

Personally, it's pretty easy over time to tell the difference between apathy and intelligence when you spend a lot of time observing interactions.

"People like you" should check your tone btw.

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#142

Post by hunterb123 » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:04 PM UTC

neuronic wrote: post #135

cm2012 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have 7 cats now and have had had 15 cats in my life. My whole extended family has always had lots of cats. Two things stick out at me: 1) Cats really do respond to being talked to and interacted with. Cats that are talked to often get more responsive and communicative. 2) There is huge genetic IQ gaps, lol. Some cats are so smart they blow your mind, others are mouth breathers. The normal distribution is real.

Not just IQ, they have full blown personalities that you could probably write Shakespeare dramas about.

I believe those go hand in hand. The smarter the animal usually the more personality they have.

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#143

Post by fleddr » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:05 PM UTC

Our cat responds to Enya.

When I'm working from my desk at home, she often crash lands in my lap and then rolls over, all four paws fully stretched as the ultimate invitation for a belly rub. This blocks my arms from doing work, but she doesn't care.

Next, I turn on Enya, the exact same playlist every single time. The moment the music starts she starts cycling her front paws with her eyes closed, as if riding an invisible bicycle upside down.

I need to fully enclose her with both arms to not drop her and I love the arrogance in making that my problem, not hers.

I don't know why it's Enya. It could be that it was playing the first time this happened, creating a positive memory association. Or maybe she just likes the sounds. In any case, no paw cycling without Enya. When I pause the song she immediately stops, opens her eyes and stares at me in digust, which is cat for: put it back on, idiot.

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#144

Post by hunterb123 » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:06 PM UTC

ensan wrote: post #138

cm2012 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have 7 cats now and have had had 15 cats in my life. My whole extended family has always had lots of cats. Two things stick out at me: 1) Cats really do respond to being talked to and interacted with. Cats that are talked to often get more responsive and communicative. 2) There is huge genetic IQ gaps, lol. Some cats are so smart they blow your mind, others are mouth breathers. The normal distribution is real.

"There is huge genetic IQ gaps, lol. Some cats are so smart they blow your mind, others are mouth breathers. The normal distribution is real." I'm very curious about how well someone with a "lot of experience in digital advertising" is positioned to define "genetic IQ gaps", "smart", etc. as it applies to cats & others. Perhaps instead of throwing these terms around like they're candy, you should submit your findings…

You seem to be really offended by this statement, you even went to his profile to find something to attack him?

GP isn't trying to write a paper, he's stating an observation based on his experience with the animals he's had.

Feel free to dispute the above statements with research or anecdotes, but solely insulting people and getting angry just reflects poorly on you.

I can only assume you are one of those stupid cats seeing how you handled yourself in this thread :)

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#145

Post by ericlavigne » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:10 PM UTC

With some assistance and teaching, cats and dogs are capable of learning to speak in sentences. In 2018, a speech pathologist named Christina Hunger, who used AAC devices to help special needs children learn to talk, tried applying a similar approach to her dog, Stella. It worked surprisingly well. Stella could speak in four-word sentences with a vocabulary of around 15 words by her first birthday, and was up to 49 words by her third birthday. Since then, many other people have followed the same process to teach their pets how to talk.

https://www.hungerforwords.com/

https://fluent.pet/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8k2upr9vCE

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#146

Post by forgetfulness » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:14 PM UTC

godelski wrote: post #121

Crosseye_Jack wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Jade remains enigmatic and skeptical: that seems to be her nature. Its been shown in the past (not got the links to hand, and cba to google right now, but I'm sure they wont be hard to find) that cats know their name, its just often they don't give a shit when you call them. Which pretty much any cat servant will understand. Wouldn't be surprised that also applies to other words/commands. EDIT: My own cat knows her…

That's weird, my cat will come no matter what name I call her as long as I use the same intonations. I'm not convinced she knows her name but rather that she knows pitches. Similarly my cat won't do tricks without the hand gestures despite me always using the same commands. Maybe my cat is just dumb or stubborn, or both. I have seen her run head first into a wall before.

My cat ignores made up names every time (barely acknowledging that I'm speaking to him by turning his ear around), and will, probably 2/3s of the time, come when called.

The others he just ignores me.

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#147

Post by dghughes » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:14 PM UTC

My cat knows when I am talking "cat talk" to another cat. She lifts her head up as if to let me know she knows what's going on. I feed a wild cat I've called Dorian since he's grey, he's lost an eye so I may rename him Doran. My cat may know the name but she knows the tone of my voice for sure.

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#148

Post by godelski » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:17 PM UTC

dasil003 wrote: post #140

godelski wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's weird, my cat will come no matter what name I call her as long as I use the same intonations. I'm not convinced she knows her name but rather that she knows pitches. Similarly my cat won't do tricks without the hand gestures despite me always using the same commands. Maybe my cat is just dumb or stubborn, or both. I have seen her run head first into a wall before.

The last part reminded me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H25ve3qts4

I forgot about that video, made me laugh. Thanks. But also, pretty accurate description. Maybe that's why she doesn't play chase as much anymore.

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#149

Post by crmd » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:23 PM UTC

herodotus wrote: post #21

I have tried to train my two cats with just these words: 1. "Let's go" - morning meal 2. "Upstairs" - I am going to bed 3. "Dinner" (plus clink bowls together) - evening meal 4. "Lie Down" and their names. Emerald, who prefers being upstairs, definitely responds to "Upstairs": she charges upstairs when I say it. Jade remains enigmatic and skeptical: that seems to be her nature. But if she is in the mood for a tummy r…

>the great charm of cats is that it is impossible to tell the difference between "No, I don't understand you." and "I understand you perfectly well, but I plan to ignore you completely until I feel like responding"

It’s totally the same thing with retired racer greyhounds. Gentle, stoic, sleep 20 hours a day, and literally zero eagerness to please. They’re the most catlike of dog breeds.

Re: Cats learn the names of their friend cats in their daily lives

#150

Post by Sharlin » Mon, May 16, 2022, 9:26 PM UTC

jimmaswell wrote: post #131

Sharlin wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

However, cats are far from the top of the food chain themselves, which is reflected in a lot of their behaviors.

House cats and big cats don't behave very differently. https://lithub.com/house-cats-and-wild-cats-arent-actually-t...

Uh, that article is not about house cats vs big cats. The still-extant ancestral species of the domestic cat, F. lybica, is a small wildcat, as were its ancestors, and as such a predator but not an apex predator. Big cats, which typically are apex predators in their respective ecosystems, are a wholly separate branch of the felid family.