Can cats understand English

Can cats understand English?

Can cats understand English? Can cats understand human language? These are the common mysterious facts to the cat parents. Cat owners from several countries would love to talk to their feline in their language. 

The feline could respond sometimes; and often they didn’t respond with their owner’s call. So then, what does it mean? Do they respond to understand the owner’s language or something else? Let’s know the reasons behind it. 

I observed my cat Jasper and Bella’s behavior when I talked with them in English. So today, I am explaining my experience with you.


Can cats understand English?

“Cats can’t understand English even if they can’t understand any human language. Do note that the vocal cat breeds including regular breeds has no psychological vocalization as like a. But they can understand specific words with command. When you call a specific name, it will respond” 

Do Cats Understand Human Words?

Cats can understand the word, but they have to be trained for this. And then gradually they can improve their language skills on human words. Remember that they do not understand human word language. But they can understand human body language. If you repeat the same word over and over again, it can understand that command. In this case, there are some rules to maintain. Otherwise, your cat may not get a response to your words. 

  • They will understand when you use a certain word to govern them
  • Call them by a specific name over and over again
  • Use specific words for sitting, standing or eating
  • When they are on your lap or bed, lightly touch them repeatedly by name

Note that if you use different words for the same command, they will not respond. Since they can’t understand human language, so trained them as per your specific command. And it still works for me when I am talking with my cats. If you ask that can cats understand each other? Then I would say they might have some cat signals to understand each other.

Can cats understand human beings?

Cats have been domesticated with humans for 10,000 years. So, from the beginning, cats are very fond of people. Even though a cat can’t understand human language, it can understand human command. 

They can even understand people’s anger, love, pride, tears and happiness. So here I am saying some of my experiences with my cat Jasper. 

  • I reprimanded my cat Jasper for destroying the tissue, then he ran away and hid behind the table. 
  • I noticed that when he gets a food treat, he started moving his ears happily
  • Jasper always stays with me whenever I was getting unhappy or feeling sick

 However, cats don’t like to think of people as masters as a dog think. Cat think of their owner as of the best buddy. Most importantly, maximum cats act like best friend. Sometimes, they might ignore your command as per their wish. In a word, I would say that cat can understand human beings. 

Can cats recognize their names?

The idea is that cats can recognize their names. However, there is a lot of controversy over this matter. The cat researcher has said to consider some variables to make sure about cat response with their name. 

First of all, if you have one more cat, you can notice that they can’t easily recognize the name. In that case, if you call one, the other can come. But who has owned the only cat, then the cat can quickly respond with the name? Another theory states that cats do not understand their names. Instead, they hear a certain word over and over and take it as a command.

There may be a single cat at home, but they didn’t respond with their specific name. Don’t worry; sometimes cat loves to ignore their owner call. 

How Do I Communicate with My Cat?

Cats are very independent creatures among all of the pets. They don’t always like to listen to owners’ commands. However, they love to get attention a lot. And it is essential to continue communication with your cat. They can’t understand human language. So, you need to maintain some rules to communicate with your cat. 

  • Call your cat from time to time in a soft tone
  • When they run up to you, lightly touch their head
  • Keep them with you during meals or at bedtime if possible
  • Don’t leave them alone for a long time
  • They will be happy to have treat often as well as a regular diet 
  • Don’t talk too loudly to them
  • Call then with a specific name or command
  • Provide them comfort zone as they love

FAQs:

  1. Can cats understand what we say?

Do cats understand no or yes? cat can’t understand what we exactly say, but they understand the command. Cats can remember specific commands over and over again and respond accordingly. They didn’t recognize the meaning of our words. Only they can recognize that they have to obey. 

  1. Do cats care about their owners?

For 10,000 years till now, it is proved that cats are very independent pets and love to spend their time as per their wish. Sometimes, they love to stay in touch with the owner and they express it with cat language. Sometimes they ignore the owner’s touch. These factors are different for different cat breeds. 

  1. How do I show my cat I love him?

You can show your cat about your love and care for it in different ways. Many often ask that do cats understand kisses? can cats understand human meows? They can’t directly understand the word but realize your love. here are some effective ways that I followed when I wanted to express my love to my cat. You can follow these too. 

  • Look at your cat eyes and blink your eyes slowly
  • You can kiss your cat with a light touch
  • Copy your cat voice and call like meow
  • Let your cat rub with you
  1. Do cats care if you cry?

Can cats understand human emotions like laugh and cry? All cats don’t understand how you feel when you cry. I have two cats, and I notice that my cat Bella get hurt when I cry. But, most importantly, she wants to stay with me at that time. On the other hand, my Jasper can’t understand it properly. So, the expression of feeling is different for different cats. And you will see this into your cat’s body language.

  1. Can Cats Recognize Their Names?

Yes, most of the time, a cat can recognize their name. However, for this, they need to be trained. Keep in mind that you can easily learn about the specific name when you have only one cat. On the contrary, in terms of multiple cats, it will be difficult and time-dependent. 

  1. Do Cats Understand Commands?

Yes, a cat can understand commands. Most of the time, a cat can get a response when the owner calls. However, in some cases, a cat doesn’t respond with its name because they want to ignore the call—also, a cat can’t respond properly due to illness.

Final Word:

Most cat owners talk to cats as if they were talking to a small child. And the cat owner is curious about whether cats can understand English? I have covered this guide for their concern—every information I have provided from my research on several cats, including my Jasper and Bella. 

So, in a word, I would say again that cats can’t understand English, but they can understand some specific commands. So, you can train your cat with specific commands over and over again.

About the author

Megan D

This is Megan D, the loving mom of all cats. She has been working with cat well fair organization as a cat lover since last few years. Personally, she has ownership of a cat shelter for helpless stray cats. Megan loves to research on all breeds of cat and fond of sharing all experience with the worldwide cat-loving human.

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