This title is very misleading. Rather than describe the best methods for talking to a cat, the research simply shows that cats recognize and respond to their owners talking “cat talk.”
Yeah. I want the best way to get the attention of a neighborhood cat. Pspsps seems to work well enough for me.
Pspsps is a great way, scratching something noisy is another one, ideally like some plasticky material that they haven't heard being scratched/moved about before. Seems to trigger some innate curiosity system that forces them to investigate.
As a cat owner who’s really bonded with his cat, this feels rather obvious to me. When he lays on my chest and stares into my eyes at the end of a day where I was gone a long time it’s pretty easy for me to feel like there’s more there.
We have nine cats in and around our house that are in our care. They each have their own unique biographies and personalities. These findings don’t surprise me at all - cats have a rich social and emotional life once you get to know them. Not only do they listen to our conversation but it’s very clear that they try to communicate both with actions and “words.” I got home last night after being gone for 48 hours and each cat came to check in with me
The title was contrived by the submitter. It does not resemble the title or the contents of the linked article.
Nice research. I already know this though. I think everybody who has a cat knows this.
"The fact that they show a special reaction to a special way we talk to them means, I think, that we are something more just than a food provider in their world.”
Seems like wishful thinking not at all supported by anything in the article.