cats are very independent animals. Their owners do not work to pay rent, but to pay the cat. In fact, it could be said that they share a flat with them. They don't give that unconditional love that you might expect from dogs, but they are there when you need them. They are different furry friends, but friends nonetheless. In addition, now we know that although sometimes it seems that they ignore us, in reality they do listen to us. As much as to know the names of the rest of the pets and humans that live in the same house.
It is the conclusion of a study published in Scientific Reports by Japanese scientists. Twelve resident cats participated in it in private homes or in the famous cat cafes in Japan. Some were used to living with many animals or with large human families. Others were more used to few people and feline companions. But, to a greater or lesser extent, most of them knew the names of their classmates.
It is true that the study should be repeated with a larger number of participants in order to consolidate the results. However, those that have been obtained so far are solid enough to be able to consider that, although sometimes it may not seem like it, our cats do listen to us. Enough to remember what we say.
Cats that remember the names of their companions
The study in question was carried out with a very simple procedure. In the first part, the cats were shown the image of a cohabiting cat and in the background a human voice was heard pronouncing either his real name or a false name. The time the cats spent looking at the screen was measured and it was found to be greater if a fictitious name was used, possibly because they were surprised by the inconsistency. However, this effect was greater in cats residing in private homes. Possibly, it is because in cafes they interact with so many cats that it is more difficult for them to listen and remember their names.
Cats recognized human names better if many people lived in the house
In the second part of the experiment, the same was done, but with humans. One of the people they live with was shown on the screen, while someone spoke her real name or a fake one. Again they looked at the image for longer if there was something that did not fit them.
But in this case the effect was greater when more people resided in the house or had lived with them longer. This makes sense, because if there are many people living in the same household it is easier for cats to hear the names. For example, if we live alone with our furry friend, he may never know our names, because he won't hear anyone say our name. Perhaps to the visits, but it would be something punctual. However, if we live as a family they will have that opportunity, especially if they have been with us for a long time.
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In the background they listen to us
All this shows that, indeed, our cats listen to us. They may seem to pass us by, like their mothers' teenage sons. But just as it was recently shown that cats don't actually look down on their parents, it seems our cats don't either. They are simply much more independent animals than other pets, such as dogs.
In fact, this independence also makes it difficult for scientists to study them. For example, in this study its authors acknowledge that one of the participating cats ran out of the room before finishing the tests.
We pay their rent and live with them because they let us. If scientists can study them, it will be because they let them. But at least now we know that they don't just hear us. They also listen to us and pay us enough attention to remember what we are called, both us and the rest of the pets and humans who live with them. Should we repeat the experiment with more cats? Yes, but this is already a very good sign.
