Almost all cats respond to “kiss-kiss” or “ks-ks”. And it doesn’t matter at all whether these are yard animals or pets. Hearing “kiss-kiss”, they run to the one who is calling them. Each of us at least once in our lives wondered why cats react to this sound. Felinologists were able to answer this question.
We all know that cats are independent creatures. Moreover, they will not always respond to their own nickname. However, they react to the call “kitty-kitty” in almost a split second. Interestingly, cats who live in the Russian Federation respond to this call. Animals that live in other countries are unlikely to respond to it.
Why do cats respond to "kitty-kitty"?
There is a version that any cat can respond to the sound “s”. However, if you, while abroad, try to call the animal with the usual “kitty-kitty”, it will not even respond. Let's try to understand in more detail why this happens.
The fact is that Russian cats get used to this call from childhood. It is logical that they have associations with pleasant events. They can remember that if they are called, then either food is waiting for them, or they want to play with them. That's why they respond to the call "kitty-kitty."
It is important to understand that only those animals for whom this phrase is associated with pleasant moments will respond to this call. In other words, if in childhood a cat was called “kitty-kitty” and hit or thrown an object at him, then he will run away from such a call.
Do cats understand human speech?
It is useless to argue with the fact that cats respond to their names, “kitty-kitty” and other phrases, depending on their living conditions and training. But such “intelligence” is associated primarily with the animal’s memory and conditioned reflexes, and not with the ability to understand language.
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The fact is that a cat, like many other animals, can be trained. If you regularly call her by name or call her to you with the standard “kitty-kitty”, the pet will remember these phrases and sounds well and will respond to them. In the same way, a cat is able to remember any other words.
Also, a certain reflex is formed in the animal’s brain. Over time, it begins to understand that after “kiss-kitty” there will be a treat or other pleasant action. That’s why he runs up to the person when he hears familiar sounds. In addition, cats' hearing works selectively. They can sleep peacefully in a room where loud music is playing, but as soon as they quietly say the cherished “kitty-kitty”, the pet will immediately raise its head sharply or, at least, turn its ear towards the source of the sound. The cat remembers that this sound is addressed specifically to it, but the music does not evoke any reflexes. But this does not mean that she does not hear her. To put it bluntly, he just doesn’t want to hear. By the way, humans have similar skills: by concentrating on one action or sound, you can “block” others.
As for the phrase “kitty-kitty,” only the cat that is used to hearing it will react to it. This is a generally accepted way of addressing a pet in our language - it’s more convenient for us.
How cats are called in other countries
In other countries, cats are addressed with different sounds. For example, in England and the United States of America cats respond to the call “kiri-kiri”, and in France to “minu-minu”. It is interesting that in India cats are called with the familiar “meow-meow”, while residents of the Czech Republic and Poland call animals with the sounds “chi-chi-chi”. The calling of cats in Japan is quite unusual for Russians. Here the animals are called “Oide-Oide”.
However, there are states where cats are accustomed to the same call as in Russia. For example, in Germany they are also called “kis-kis”, in Finland “kisu-kisu”, and in Sweden “kis-kis”.
Cat training
Why don't cats always respond to their name?
Not only domestic cats, but also street cats respond to the sound. They know that a weasel may follow this and be fed. A kitten can be taught to respond to any sound consisting of a set of letters.
Pets are easy to train, maybe just slower than dogs. For them, any constantly heard call, even “chick-chick,” will be a sign that a tasty treat will follow.
Features of cat hearing
It has been scientifically proven that cats have very developed hearing. They can actually distinguish much more sounds than humans. Their hearing organs have three sections - external, middle and internal. When impulses are received, they are sent to the hearing center. This center is located in the brain of the animal. Directional hearing is considered one of the characteristic features of animals. Thanks to it, animals can, roughly speaking, “filter” the noise around them. For example, every cat owner could notice how the animal begins to actively move its ears. In this case, the ears turn in different directions, regardless of each other. This means that the animal reacts to two sounds at once. The flexibility of the ears can be ensured by a whole group of muscles. Because of this, the auricle can rotate almost one hundred and eighty degrees.
Scientists have proven that there can be approximately fifty-two thousand nerve endings in a cat's ear. All of them can pick up different kinds of sounds. Thanks to their clear hearing, cats are perfectly oriented in space. Moreover, they move well in complete darkness and with their eyes closed. They also recognize the strength, pitch, distance of sound and these skills help them clearly understand where exactly the source of these sounds is.
Assumptions
Felines have a well-developed hearing system, and the structure of their ears is very different from that of humans. The auditory system has a complex structure, which allows animals to distinguish a huge number of sounds, thereby orienting themselves on the ground and in the dark. Cats are also good at distinguishing, for example, the sound “s”. However, some peoples of the world do not have this sound in their cat calls.
Felines distinguish a huge number of sounds
At the same time, a hissing sound appears in such languages, similar to the rustling of mice. And cats, as you know, are predators by nature, so they run “after prey.” In fact, these factors are not so important in answering the question: everything is much simpler.
Publication 01.12.20 | Post reads 4869 0 comments per
Each new pet owner carefully selects a nickname for him. Responsible choice of a name for a cat includes careful observation of the pet’s character, its habits and appearance. Regardless of the chosen nickname for the pet, most owners call the animal not by its name, but by a well-known combination of sounds - “kitty-kitty”.
Interestingly, all cats, even street stray felines, respond to this combination, reacting animatedly to the call. Many people are interested in the question, what does a certain set of sounds mean to a cat and why do they react to it?
What does kitty-kis mean to a cat?
Domestic and wild cats have a clear advantage over humans, and more precisely over their hearing. A cat's hearing is much sharper and well developed, which helps these natural hunters to detect various vibrations in the air in search of prey. The hearing aid consists of 3 important sections that are capable of recognizing more sounds than a person. The outer, middle and inner ears recognize signals and transmit them in the form of impulses further to a special center located in the brain.
The peculiarity of cat hearing is directionality. The cat's hearing aid is configured in such a way that it is able to sort out the noise surrounding the animal from all sides. Cat lovers who carefully observe their behavior note that the animal actively moves its ears, turning them in different directions and not necessarily in the same direction. Cats respond to several sounds at once. The ears of furry pets are flexible and mobile. A large group of muscles responsible for mobility and flexibility allows the ears to rotate 180 degrees.
The hearing aid of cats is equipped with a huge number of nerve endings - more than 52 thousand - that pick up sounds. Thanks to its hearing, a cat can calmly navigate in dark places with minimal light sources, sometimes even with its eyes closed. The hearing of these small predators allows one to recognize not only the strength of sound. The height and distance of the sound wave allows the cat to determine the location of the sound source.
The specific structure of the hearing apparatus makes it possible to perceive ultrasound. The frequency range that a cat can recognize is from 0 to 60 kHz, while in humans, the recognition frequency is from 0 to 20 kHz. Animals perfectly recognize ultrasound, which contains a lot of hissing sounds.
Some cat lovers confidently claim that cats respond to the phrase “kiss-kiss” due to the fact that their hearing aids are good at picking up the high-frequency sound “s”. Other cat owners believe that sounds like the rustling of mice attract cats, so they respond to the call “kitty-kitty.” Both animal lovers and some are mistaken in their judgments. In the languages of some countries, there are no hissing sounds when calling cats.
The main explanation why cats respond to “kitty-kitty” is habit.
From birth, kittens become accustomed not only to their names, but also to other frequently repeated sounds uttered by the owner. When calling a cat, owners subconsciously say: “kitty-kitty,” regardless of whether they are calling the animal to play, pet it, or treat it with a treat.
The habit of calling cats differs in different countries. Linguistics experts understand this. From time immemorial, people themselves have been accustomed to calling cats “kitty-kitty”; this is how they teach small children to call an animal, and when they acquire a small kitten, the call remains the same.
Unlike other pets - dogs, cats are difficult to train. But it is quite possible to train a mustachioed pet to respond to simple sound signals. Owners of purebred cats are concerned that with such a simple call to which the pet responds, attackers can kidnap the pet or subject it to torture.
If the issue is urgent, experts recommend that from birth the kitten should be taught non-traditional calling sounds. These can be phrases - “woof-woof”, “chick-chick”. The learning process will take some time.
Cats respond not only to their nicknames and “kitty-kitty”, but also to other phrases often used by the owner. This is based on conditioned reflexes, and not on the ability to understand human speech. Even when the owner scolds the pet, the cat does not recognize the phrases, but picks up the tonality, sharpness of sounds and their volume.
The conditioned reflex is developed faster in kittens and young cats.
After each call “kitty-kitty”, encouragement, affection or feeding follows. The animal remembers the sequence of actions and subsequently begins to actively use the new skill.
Due to the fact that cats' hearing has its own peculiarity - directionality, pets can calmly stay or even sleep in a room with a loud TV and even doze off at this time. But as soon as the owner quietly calls the animal by name or says “kitty-kitty,” the pet will immediately react, turning its ears towards the source of the sounds or raising its head. The pet recognizes the sound, realizing that they are addressing it.
Music does not evoke such reflexes. This does not mean that domestic cats do not hear music, they just filter out unnecessary sounds. A similar feature is present in people; they simply filter out unnecessary sound, blocking it if necessary during concentration.
There is a ton of research to support the idea that cats respond to familiar sounds. Thus, pets living in other countries respond to completely different phrases and sounds.
What are the names of cats in other countries?
Signals for cats vary in different countries, depending on how people are used to calling their pets. Not only cats, according to residents of different countries, make certain sounds that are not similar to those familiar to the Russian-speaking population. Onomatopoeia, or onomatopia, is known throughout the world.
People on the planet are able to recognize the sounds of nature in the same way, but they reproduce them differently. The main reason is the phonetic feature of the language. Calls for cats in other countries:
— In Israel, cats are called by the phrase “ps-ps”; a cat sounds like “katz”. — In the Czech Republic and Poland, cat lovers call their pets with the words “chi-chi.” — In France, cats are called with the words “minu-minu”, from the French word “minou” - kitten. — In the USA, cats are called “kitty-kitty”, from the word “Kitty” - kitten. — In Korea it’s more complicated - cats are called with the words “nabya-nabya,” although a cat in this language sounds like “goyang-i.” — In the Netherlands, they call their pet with the words “push-push”, from the word “sweat” for kitten. — In Serbia, kittens respond to the call “matz-matz,” and the word kitten sounds like “machka.” — In Romania, the cat is “pissy,” so calling for a treat or affection sounds like “piss-piss.”
In this regard, we can clearly say that cats are intelligent creatures and respond to various sounds that they associate with kindness, affection, and treats. It doesn’t matter whether the kitten is called with the words “nabya-nabya”, “mats-mats” or “kiss-kiss”, the main thing is that the owner pays due attention to his pet.
Source: Channel “Help Paw” on zen.yandex.ru
Scottish Longhairs: “Pussies with character”
Photo: author's cat - Belisarius Flavius If anyone has long-haired representatives of the cat family at home, they clearly know that they require special attention. They need a separate approach, not the same as other cats. Scottish longhair cats are considered the friendliest. However, several features should be noted. You shouldn’t be offended by them, much less scold them. The features may indeed seem strange and even alarming. But believe me, there is no other way with them. The Scottish breed is royal. Therefore, you need to treat them with respect and reverence. Let's start with the fact that long-haired Scots do not like to be cuddled and picked up. They can easily paw even the most loving owner... and not just anywhere, but in the face. The king is the king, and he does not tolerate anxiety. It is recommended not to touch these cats unless absolutely necessary. It’s also not worth picking them up very often. They may not tolerate this and perceive it as an insult. You should pick them up only if they themselves climb with affection. And this, by the way, also happens. But if you tear the sleeping “king” from his sleep, you can run into a harsh answer. Longhaired Scots should be respected and this is no joke. They need to be fed exclusively with special food, preferably foreign. They won't eat from the table. In addition, long-haired Scots have an extremely sensitive digestive system (if they eat cheap food, it can even threaten poisoning). It is recommended to buy food with a note about sensitive digestion. In general, in the case of long-haired kitties, food should be treated with greater responsibility. Veterinarians should be consulted regularly. Let us remind you that almost every pet store has its own doctor. They never charge for consultations and can give a lot of useful advice. Next: Longhaired Scots are domestic cats. They are not adapted to survive on the streets and in dachas. In rural areas, it is highly discouraged to release them into the wild. But running a house is easy. They are even better off in big houses. They perceive this entire territory as their small (or maybe large) kingdom. But on the street they are usually scared. We do not recommend taking them out for walks and forcing them to be friends with other cats. However, even more so with dogs. Once again it is worth mentioning that longhaired Scots are domestic cats; homemade in the truest sense of the word. If you notice that your furry pet has not wanted to sleep in the same bed with you for a long time, this is normal. Long-haired Scots don't do this kind of thing. They are very independent and individual. They will sleep next to each other on a table, on a chair or on a carpet, but not in the bed where the owner lies. And is he the master for such a royal furry? It is likely that the cat himself feels like the owner. And those around are nothing more than his courtiers. Is it true? Maybe yes. Or perhaps not. But in any case, they will not sleep with a person. Despite all the “arrogance”, long-haired Scots are very attached to their owners. Without them, they begin to get very nervous. If the owner leaves for several days, it is already a tragedy for them. They may start to feel sad, even cry. And under no circumstances will they enter the room where their precious one slept. It will be taboo for them. Why do they do this? Perhaps no one knows. But apparently their attachment is really serious. When the owner comes home after a long absence, cats do not express their joy. They may be offended and even turn away. Why, one wonders, did your faithful friend leave you for a whole week? But if you approach them with affection and talk to them, the resentment will immediately melt away. These are our interesting little brothers. It's always a pleasure to study them. And it’s even more pleasant to maintain friendship with them. Longhaired Scots, despite all their oddities, are very kind creatures. They also have something that even many dogs don’t have – unconditional devotion to their owner. If they feel that their friend is in danger, they can intercede. One wonderful example can be given. One man got a job where the boss was fierce like an animal. Moreover, it came to assault. But this man was forced to travel to this job to feed his family. One fine day, leaving for work in the morning, he could not leave the room. His Scotsman blocked his way and wouldn’t let him in. The cat felt that something terrible was going to happen. But the man went anyway and soon regretted his decision. On this day, he was beaten by company employees. But the cat already felt and knew this. Longhaired Scots are very aware of what people say about them. And if, for example, there is a scandal in the family, the cat begins to meow heart-rendingly and scratch the furniture. Thus, he tries with all his might to stop the quarrel. So you need to talk to these cats like people. And they understand everything, absolutely everything that a person says, even though they do not know his language. A person cannot pretend that he loves a cat. He will immediately feel the pretense. And the Scots always respond to love only with love. This is why longhaired Scottish cats should be valued. They are kitties with character, but they are kinder and more faithful, perhaps, no one in the whole world.
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