International Cat Day: Cats understand their names and are probably just choosing to ignore you [tr]

CNN ^ | August 10, 2019 | Allen Kim

[sheana]

When I was in high school we lived out in the country surrounded by an alfalfa field. I had a big grey cat named David. I could walk out on our back porch and call.....Daaaaaviiiiiddd a couple of times and you could hear him meowing every time I called him as he came toward me out of the alfalfa field.

[sanjuanbob]

Many years ago, we were invited to a lavish dinner party at a couples palatial waterfront home. The hostess introduced everyone to her two prized Siamese cats...Neiman and Marcus.

I replied to her that we too, had two cats...Walmart and K-Mart.

[V K Lee]

The little feline on the far right appears to be filled with such innocence.
Those big eyes; he would easily turn the tables making a devoted
cat lover from those who once preferred to tie tin cans on its tail
and chasing it around the neighborhood.

The large cat next to it... Big Red. A Big Red
once decided to call our place a home years ago.
Superb mouse catcher. In reality,
my heart belongs to canines but he was welcomed.

Not so much a cat person; and certainly not one to allow cats in the house.
They belong outdoors doing what they do best: mousing.
In the house they feel free to make themselves at home anywhere they choose.
Cannot abide having them in the kitchen,
on the countertops and underfoot.
LOL I can fall easily enough without tripping over a fat cat.

[mkmensinger]

My cat's reaction when I call him:

[odawg]

All cats know their names. Most of the time they come when called.

I had a neighbor who had a terrapin that hung out around his patio for years. He named it, and the thing would trundle over when he called its name.

[HighSierra5]

I’ve got a lot of names for my wife’s cat.

[NFHale]

“..our cat is just choosing not to respond to your calls to come hang out....”

Yeah... I can see that.

Dogs:
“Can I have supper now... can I can I can I can I can I PLEEEEEEEEEEEEASE... OOOOO!! SQUIRREL!!!”

Cats:
“Feed me. NOW, servant....”

[AppyPappy]

Cats are husbands!

[Sans-Culotte]

My cat definitely knows her name and the word ‘treats’.

[butlerweave]

Our cat is a Rescue cat she knows her name but she yawns when I talk to her ,LOL I must be Boring

[bgill]

Free money. Free publicity. Very little work or spent energy. I want to do a study on how much cheese powder will attach to fingers when eating Cheetos before falling off.

All our cats know their names. They just choose to ignore us when it’s time to come in at night.

[gloryblaze]

There’s at least one cat that can be trained to do more than come to the sound of a can opener...

OMG, that is amazing. Even if I had nine lives' worth of patience, not one of my (many) kitties could be trained like that. Thanks for posting.

[Sequoyah101]

Ours all know their name and all have a distinct personality though all are from the same litter; high school quarter back, cheerleader, untouchable princess and mr. happy-go-lucky. They come running at the sound of a bell. Better than me standing out here on the hill calling kitty, kitty, kitty for all within half a mile to hear I guess.

They are not always sunrise starters. Some days they sleep in. Cats are loyal in their own way as well. Ours will assemble at comfortable distances from one another around the back door until the lights go out and then they will head for the barn and their sleeping perches.

They find the most comfortable places they can this hot weather and suffer the summer away. Today the cicadias are so loud they overwhelm all other sounds so it is going to be unusually hot.

[The Public Eye]

I’ve had the crazy theory that dogs are not named by their mothers and understand the names we humans give them. Cat’s on the other hand are named by their mothers and have no idea what we’re talking about.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Cats have been domesticated by man for a much shorter time than dogs, and it shows.

[A_perfect_lady]

You know, it took me years to realize that the old man in Logan’s Run is reciting that poem.

[layman]

At the pet store it is hard to find cats who speak Japanese.

[Hennible Cobb]

“target”

Jerk.

[Flick Lives]

Maybe it’s just your cat that ignores you, CNN.

—

Everyone ignores CNN. People, dogs, cats.

[This I Wonder32460]

Our pets know what we say when we call them (the sound we make), cats, dogs, horses, even my half-dozen hens, both chickens & ducks, know what I call each of them. It’s funny to see, when a hen is missing I call her name and she will appear with a look of “Yes, what do you want?” upon her. What we call them is to us what we name them. To them, the name we gave them is the sound we make when trying to get their attention, usually to share food with them.