For me this sweet tabby cat is not necessarily hungry when she responds instantly to the call ‘Ya hungry’. She might be ready to eat but she is really responding to her human companion’s call and unusually it is an instant response. This goes against a study which was turned into a massive news item about 6 months ago when everyone (except me 🙂 ) was saying that domestic cats don’t respond to their owner’s call. They do sometimes and sometimes they do it slowly. And, yes, sometimes they don’t. Does that remind you of someone you know?
The relationship that this cat has with the guy is close. You can see that and it’s what is behind the rapid response to his call. The cat responds to the sound as if she has been trained with reward based training – food is the reward when responding to the call but it is no longer required. I am sure the guy could use the call ‘Ya hungry’ anytime he wanted his cat to come to him and it would work just fine. The cat’s contentment in responding to the call is evident when she comes and rolls over. What do yo think?
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I know my moggies understand but not with food but with treats,as soon as I call out TREATS all 13 come running into the kitchen,I love it and the kitty in this video looks exactly like my ‘Molly’
Yeah this is a no brainer; of course the cat is responding to him. Whether she knows what those words mean is not clear, because there isn’t anything else to compare it to. It’s possible, and my cats do know what many words mean. They also respond to the tone I use, but I’m not sure if they know what a question is either. Sort of, I think. I know they understand that I want a response from them. I’ve found that I have to use minimal and consistent wording in relation to what I’m talking about, and give them clear results for their understanding. Also I’ve made a concerted effort to NOT use treats as rewards. I always wanted to see if they would eventually feel rewarded by the value of what’s going on rather than doing tricks. I had to know see and know that. If it takes longer to get them to understand and appreciate that, then that’s what it takes and it’s worth it to me. I’m satisfied that they understand, but it takes time.