Do cats understand human speech and how is it expressed?

They say that if pets talked, people would lose their last friends. A person will never know if this is really so, because there is no hope of ever talking with your pet. However, communication with your pet is common. Sometimes, referring to a cat, one gets the impression that she understands what is being said.

There are several opinions as to whether cats are capable of understanding human phrases. Whatever it really is, scientists have proven that a cat does not respond to words, but to the intonation with which speech is made.

Felinologist Logan Forbes conducted an interesting experiment... Every time before visiting the veterinary clinic, she said to the cat with the same intonation: "We are going to the veterinarian." Subconsciously, the animal began to associate this proposal with unpleasant procedures, and the cat began to hide after hearing this phrase. As soon as the owner uttered the same words with a different intonation, the cat reacted indifferently to them.

Another unusual observation was also revealed: the cat adapts to the emotional background of the owner... According to some scientists, these animals also respond to gestures. Phonetic scientist Susanna Szeltz proved that cats try to interact with people in a special language. They catch the gestures and movements of the owner, remember them and adapt to his behavior.

The cat's words are unlikely to be understood, but they feel from the owner's voice what he wants to say.... If a cat is trained and easily follows the commands that its owner says, then it is unlikely that the same cat will react to the same commands given by another person. Such stories are known, and they prove that cats do not distinguish between the words themselves, but they can understand the owner. Another experiment showed that the animal recognizes the voice of the owner.

When different people, including the owner, approached the object of the experiment, the cat responded to the voices of all participants in the experiment, but upon hearing the master's voice, her pupils dilated, indicating a violent emotional reaction.

Veterinary specialist Anastasia Nikolina believes that the animal is able to memorize a specific combination of sounds of human speech, therefore it can memorize its nickname and respond to it.

In general, it is generally accepted that these animals are not inclined to communicate with humans, because at one time they themselves came to human houses, they did not have to be tamed like dogs... They don't feel obligated to the person. For example, most cats respond to their name only when they hear the sound of the opening of the food, and in other cases it is impossible to call the pet - he prefers not to provide a service to the owner, but to come to him only at will.

Thus, cats by intonation determine what the owner wants to say. If you pronounce various names addressed to the cat in an affectionate voice, then she will be happy, because she was addressed with tenderness in her voice.

There are several signs that indicate certain emotions in a pet.

• Seeing that the cat narrowed its eyes, it can be assumed that she is tired and wants to take a nap.
• When the cat comes to the feet of the owner and begins to rub, it can mean that she is hungry. In the same way, animals express their love for the owner.
• Ears that stand up clearly indicate that the cat is interested in something. If the ears are flattened, then perhaps he wants to attack during the game or conflict.
• Wide eyes and rounded pupils indicate a pet's fear.
• Purring is a sign of good mood. Most likely, at this moment, the animal is caressed, stroked or played with.
• Uterine rumbling suggests that the pet is unhappy with something and demands to be left alone.
• A hiss and an open mouth always indicate that the animal is threatening something, trying to scare away. It is better not to touch the pet at such a moment.
• Hearing the howling of a cat, it can be assumed that he expresses anger and frustration. Perhaps something went wrong with him, and in this way he shows annoyance.

Usually, the owners know well the character of their four-legged friend and understand him without the above signs. Each cat has its own characteristics. For example, there are chattering cats, which all their actions are accompanied by meowing or rumbling. A meeting at the owner's door, a request to feed, a call to play - all these actions can be performed with a rumbling, this is how the cat communicates with the owner, and usually the owners know the meaning of different sounds in the pet's voice.

If it is noticed that the cat is sitting or lying with its mouth open, and the danger does not threaten it from anyone, then this indicates the physical pain that the cat is experiencing. Perhaps she was poisoned.A pet sitting near a bowl of water, trying to drink water, but not doing it, but only peering into the bowl, most likely caught a serious viral disease, for example, panleukopenia.

In order for the animal to understand a person, the owner should study some of the rules for communicating with cats. As already mentioned, cats hear words, but their meaning is not clear to them. For example, according to some experiments of zoologists, these animals do not understand the word "no", so there is no point in weaning a pet from some action using this word.

Below are some other tips for making contact with your cat.

• It is imperative to monitor your tone during communication. You should not raise your voice when talking with a domestic predator, as it responds to the mood of the owner, focusing on the tonality and volume of the phrases being spoken. You should behave openly.
• When meeting an unfamiliar animal, you need to squat down and slowly stretch your hand towards it with an open palm pointing up. With this gesture, the person will show that there is nothing in his hand to threaten the cat. If the palm is down, the cat may perceive this as a threat.
• It has been proven that the most expressive gesture for a cat is a raised finger or a finger extended to the cat's face. This study was conducted with the participation of 40 cats. Experience has shown how these animals respond to human gestures. Thus, we can conclude that you can explain something to a cat by pointing at the desired object with your finger.

You can find out if cats understand human speech in the next video.