Can cats recognize their own name?

Have you ever wondered if your cat actually knows its name? Cats are special, it's one of the reasons we love them. But do they know their own name and just choose to ignore us when we call? Or is it just impossible for any pet out there to know their name?

It's a topic that can cause a lot of debate. It seems science may have found an answer (hallelujah!) and a way to actually test whether they know their name or not. A study has shown domestic cats are in fact able to recognize their own names if it is used on a regular basis by their owner (we’ll assume this won’t be any problem for everybody reading this!). A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo even found a way to test at home if your cat knows its own name.

The researchers did a bunch of experiments to see how cats reacted on certain words, but we’ll give you the short version! If you would like to try it yourself at home, this is what you have to do: Come up with four similar sounding words to your cat’s name. Now ask a friend, neighbor or colleague to record those words and add the name of the cat as the fifth word. This way you are sure your cat is not just responding to your voice. Now play the recording to your cat and discover their reaction! According to the study, your cat will listen to the first words, but then get used to the sounds and stop responding. If everything goes well, you should see another reaction when you reach the fifth word, their own name!

Of course, we will never be able to say for sure what a cat really thinks and whether they know their name. But at the end of the day, we will love them no matter how many times we have to call their name.

Let us know how your cat reacted!

My Purry Friends