This is what human speech sounds like to cats: they try to imitate their owner’s voice to develop a common language

Owners regularly talk to their cats. You don't have to be shy, we all do it! In addition to being equivalent to a good therapy session, it also strengthens the bond between the two of you. We already know that they like it when we speak to them in a higher voice, in a cute way, but have you thought about how much they understand from what we say to them?

Unfortunately, not too much research has been done on how a cat understand human speech, but we trust all is not lost that is delayed. So let’s see what human speech can be like for them and how much of it they understand, based on the information so far.

They understand human words, just like dogs

According to research completed so far, our pets can understand about 20-40 words. (However, it should be added that the understanding of these words comes from association, they do not know the specific meaning of the word. Their cognitive ability is not developed enough for that.) This also includes their names. And of course all the words that can be useful for them and that they hear often. There are probably differences in the vocabulary of animals raised in different households, but the others are presumably found in some form in each of their dictionaries: eat, food, play, no, etc.

Not so long ago we wrote about Billi, the talking cat who communicates with their owners using buttons and has an extremely impressive vocabulary of 64 words. And her favorite word is angry. She couldn’t deny that she is a cat…

Of course, if you want to teach your pet certain tricks or command words, you also have the option, but this will not happen by itself, it requires conscious training. It is very interesting that while dogs seem to be able to learn more words, cats have developed many more sounds that they can use to communicate with us.

What about human meowing?

Cats developed meowing because of humans, and they exchange information with their peers mainly through scents, touch and body language. You’ve probably meowed back your cat before, and it’s also likely that you acted completely on instinct. As long as your goal with this behavior is not to annoy your kitty, there is no problem with it.

If you’re going to do it, however, it’s worth doing it right. If you know your pet’s different types of meows, it might be a good idea to try using them. Maybe it is easier to communicate the things you want. Even if it’s not good for anything else, it will definitely strengthen the bond between the two of you.

Cat’s hearing is more sensitive to higher pitches

In the introduction, we already mentioned that a sweet, higher-pitched speech is kinder to their ears. It’s not because we spoiled them, it also has to do with their instincts and lifestyle. Their prey, be it birds or rodents, also have a higher pitched voice. Because of this range is much nicer and more attention-grabbing for them.

Maybe you can try that if you have several cats at home, you say their names with a slightly different tone. This way they can more easily distinguish between who you are talking to.

They have accents, just like us

Just as there is certainly some variation in the vocabulary of cats raised in different households, a Swedish study began to research the dialect of cats in 2016. It has been observed that certain meows, although recognizable and similar, sound differently from diverse cats. Preliminarily, they thought that this might have something to do with the owner. When they try to imitate, in order to make a connection with it more easily. And of course to understand what they want to communicate more quickly. The study was planned for 5 years, but unfortunately we could not find information on whether it was successfully completed and, if so, what the results were.