Do Cats Really Understand Human Language? Do Cat Language Translators Work? Unraveling the Secrets of Communication Between Cats and Humans
Do Cats Really Understand Human Language? Do Cat Language Translators Work? Unraveling the Secrets of Communication Between Cats and Humans
We often see videos online of famous cats and their owners seemingly communicating with each other in language, while our own cats seem to only know how to be cute and mischievous. Do other people's cats really understand human speech?
1. Cats' Physiological Conditioned Responses
Cats and humans are two different species. Research shows that human language is vastly different from that of other species. Even people from different parts of the same country may have difficulty understanding each other's dialects, let alone animals whose genes are so different from humans. Therefore, the claims online that humans can communicate directly with cats are false.
So why do cats react to what you say?
It's actually a conditioned response. From a biological perspective, cats will remember the recurring words and accompanying body language in what you say to them, such as "eat," "lie down," "run," and so on, and gradually develop corresponding conditioned reflexes. Over time, this creates the illusion that cats understand human speech. This phenomenon is also present in other animals.
For example, my newborn kitten didn't react much to my words at first, it would just stare at me from afar. However, as I kept calling its name and accompanying the requests for certain actions with gestures, it gradually started to respond. For example, I would call out "lie down beside me," and while calling it, I would pat the empty sofa next to me. It would then come over and lie down obediently.
When I first started keeping cats, I would pour cat food into the bowl while calling out "Dinner time!" The kitten might not come over, but would eventually sniff out the cat food and run over to eat. Later on, all I had to do was hold out the cat food or call out "Dinner time!" and the kitten would come running over eagerly. This is the kitten's conditioned response. Have you, dear cat owners, experienced a similar process with your own cats?
2. Cats Actually Understand Tone of Voice
Besides physiological conditioned reflexes, cats can also judge instructions by their owner's tone of voice. Cats are very good at reading facial expressions, and they can use your expression and tone of voice to judge your intentions.
For example, when a cat climbs up high, we might say in a stern voice, "Get down, or else..." The cat usually obeys and jumps down. However, if you just say it casually and nonchalantly, the cat might continue to be fearless on the high ground.
My cat, Pupupu, used to love to bite the sofa legs. My family and I would often point at it and shout, "If you bite again, I'll sew your mouth shut." Pupupu would immediately run away, looking at me with a face full of grievance. Then we would gently coax it, and it would be back to its energetic self in a short while.
I wonder if you, dear cat owners, have had similar experiences: When you are feeling down, your cat will stay by your side or rub against you. When you are happy and humming a tune, they can also be quite mischievous.
This shows that while cats seem to understand what you are saying, they are actually judging your tone and expression and responding accordingly. This is also why a cat might not learn a lesson after you scold it once. After all, it's all about reading your mood.
Cat Language Translators
In order to figure out why some cats and dogs show their owners disgust or silly expressions, there has been a surge of animal language translators online. These software claim to bridge the gap between owners and pets, enabling communication across species.
But in reality, humans still haven't fully understood their own language, so how could they possibly develop a medium for cross-species communication?
Speaking of which, who can resist the temptation to communicate with their beloved pets without barriers? I've also downloaded a few different cat language translators. Here's my personal experience for you.
I used four different translators to record a phrase to my cat, "Are you hungry?" However, after conversion and playback, the cat just looked around, then stared at me, with no real reaction. The results from the four translators were similar. I guess the cat didn't understand the artificial cat language, but was just checking its surroundings because it heard cat noises.
Later, I recorded another phrase, "Get out, you cat." The converted cat language, compared to the previous one, included a low growl. This time, all four of my cats stood on end, started to growl in a deep voice, and left their nests to look around vigilantly. It took me a while to soothe them with some petting.
At first, I found it kind of amazing. But then I thought about it, cats naturally growl when they are defending themselves and angry, so it's no wonder my cats reacted so strongly. They also reacted the same way when other kittens came to the house.
I tried a few more times, and it felt completely off the mark. And after several attempts, the cats didn't react anymore, they just looked at me like I was an idiot.
In short, cat language translators just exploit people's curiosity. I don't think cats understand artificial cat language. The reason they react is likely because of their interaction with you, and people just subjectively fill in the blanks for the cat's reactions.
Any cat language translator is for entertainment purposes, so don't pay too much attention to its practicality. If you want to truly understand cats, you need to spend more time with your furry friends.
Experience Summary:
Cats don't understand language the way humans do. They mainly rely on conditioned reflexes and judging their owner's tone and expressions to react.
Cat language translators online are mostly for people's curiosity and don't actually enable cross-species communication with cats.
To truly understand your cat, you need to observe its actions and behaviors, and build a trusting relationship with it.
We often see videos online of famous cats and their owners seemingly communicating with each other in language, while our own cats seem to only know how to be cute and mischievous. Do other people's cats really understand human speech?
1. Cats' Physiological Conditioned Responses
Cats and humans are two different species. Research shows that human language is vastly different from that of other species. Even people from different parts of the same country may have difficulty understanding each other's dialects, let alone animals whose genes are so different from humans. Therefore, the claims online that humans can communicate directly with cats are false.
So why do cats react to what you say?
It's actually a conditioned response. From a biological perspective, cats will remember the recurring words and accompanying body language in what you say to them, such as "eat," "lie down," "run," and so on, and gradually develop corresponding conditioned reflexes. Over time, this creates the illusion that cats understand human speech. This phenomenon is also present in other animals.
For example, my newborn kitten didn't react much to my words at first, it would just stare at me from afar. However, as I kept calling its name and accompanying the requests for certain actions with gestures, it gradually started to respond. For example, I would call out "lie down beside me," and while calling it, I would pat the empty sofa next to me. It would then come over and lie down obediently.
When I first started keeping cats, I would pour cat food into the bowl while calling out "Dinner time!" The kitten might not come over, but would eventually sniff out the cat food and run over to eat. Later on, all I had to do was hold out the cat food or call out "Dinner time!" and the kitten would come running over eagerly. This is the kitten's conditioned response. Have you, dear cat owners, experienced a similar process with your own cats?
2. Cats Actually Understand Tone of Voice
Besides physiological conditioned reflexes, cats can also judge instructions by their owner's tone of voice. Cats are very good at reading facial expressions, and they can use your expression and tone of voice to judge your intentions.
For example, when a cat climbs up high, we might say in a stern voice, "Get down, or else..." The cat usually obeys and jumps down. However, if you just say it casually and nonchalantly, the cat might continue to be fearless on the high ground.
My cat, Pupupu, used to love to bite the sofa legs. My family and I would often point at it and shout, "If you bite again, I'll sew your mouth shut." Pupupu would immediately run away, looking at me with a face full of grievance. Then we would gently coax it, and it would be back to its energetic self in a short while.
I wonder if you, dear cat owners, have had similar experiences: When you are feeling down, your cat will stay by your side or rub against you. When you are happy and humming a tune, they can also be quite mischievous.
This shows that while cats seem to understand what you are saying, they are actually judging your tone and expression and responding accordingly. This is also why a cat might not learn a lesson after you scold it once. After all, it's all about reading your mood.
Cat Language Translators
In order to figure out why some cats and dogs show their owners disgust or silly expressions, there has been a surge of animal language translators online. These software claim to bridge the gap between owners and pets, enabling communication across species.
But in reality, humans still haven't fully understood their own language, so how could they possibly develop a medium for cross-species communication?
Speaking of which, who can resist the temptation to communicate with their beloved pets without barriers? I've also downloaded a few different cat language translators. Here's my personal experience for you.
I used four different translators to record a phrase to my cat, "Are you hungry?" However, after conversion and playback, the cat just looked around, then stared at me, with no real reaction. The results from the four translators were similar. I guess the cat didn't understand the artificial cat language, but was just checking its surroundings because it heard cat noises.
Later, I recorded another phrase, "Get out, you cat." The converted cat language, compared to the previous one, included a low growl. This time, all four of my cats stood on end, started to growl in a deep voice, and left their nests to look around vigilantly. It took me a while to soothe them with some petting.
At first, I found it kind of amazing. But then I thought about it, cats naturally growl when they are defending themselves and angry, so it's no wonder my cats reacted so strongly. They also reacted the same way when other kittens came to the house.
I tried a few more times, and it felt completely off the mark. And after several attempts, the cats didn't react anymore, they just looked at me like I was an idiot.
In short, cat language translators just exploit people's curiosity. I don't think cats understand artificial cat language. The reason they react is likely because of their interaction with you, and people just subjectively fill in the blanks for the cat's reactions.
Any cat language translator is for entertainment purposes, so don't pay too much attention to its practicality. If you want to truly understand cats, you need to spend more time with your furry friends.
Experience Summary:
Cats don't understand language the way humans do. They mainly rely on conditioned reflexes and judging their owner's tone and expressions to react.
Cat language translators online are mostly for people's curiosity and don't actually enable cross-species communication with cats.
To truly understand your cat, you need to observe its actions and behaviors, and build a trusting relationship with it.
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