It seems that
researchers in Japan have performed experiments that could forever
change the way society views feline pets. Japanese researchers now
have scientific evidence that shows cats know the difference in the
words a person speaks to them. I wonder what type of conversation
took place to fund experiments with the goal of determining if cats
can distinguish between words people speak to them.
“We just got
significant funding to perform experiments into something that could
forever alter our perceptions of the world.”
“Are we going to
discover a cure for cancer?”
“No.”
“Are we going to find
a new drug that could eliminate heart disease?”
“No.”
“How about finding a
way to do away with the effects of cardiopulmonary disease?
“No.”
“What are we going to
be researching?”
“We're going to
perform experiments to prove domestic house cats can distinguish what
people say to them.”
“Why?”
“A cat food
conglomerate will be funding our experiments.”
“Oh.”
Below are excerpts from
the story with my valuable insights in italics.
Hey Kitty! Yes, you. A new
study suggests household cats can respond to the sound of their own
names.
No surprise to you or most
cat owners, right? But Japanese scientists said Thursday that they’ve
provided the first experimental evidence that cats can distinguish
between words that we people say.
I'm sure the cats loved
this idea.
“Hey Morris, those
Japanese researchers are saying stuff to us again.”
“I know what they're
doing and it's annoying.”
“What should we do?”
“I simply start
making sounds like I'm about to cough up a hairball.”
“Then what happens?”
“The go into a panic
trying to put something under me to catch the hairball.”
“Do you have that
many hairballs?”
“Of course not, but I
tell you that's not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“They need to be
reminded of who is actually in charge.”
“Oh.”
I wonder what it is
like talking to other people scientists about doing such work.
“I'm working on some
a new type of jet fuel.”
“I'm working on a new
type of metal for space travel.”
“I'm working on
finding a way to help people be happier.”
“What are you working
on?”
“I'm going to prove
that cats can recognize sounds people speak to them.”
“It's those types of
scientific experiments that could improve society for many
generations into the future..”
“Are you being
sarcastic?”
“Meow.”
Atsuko Saito of Sophia
University in Tokyo says there’s no evidence cats actually attach
meaning to our words, not even their own names. Instead, they’ve
learned that when they hear their names they often get rewards like
food or play or something bad like a trip to the vet. And they hear
their names a lot. So the sound of it becomes special, even if they
don’t really understand it refers to their identity.
I suppose people must
be careful to use the correct treat voice, and the correct play voice
with their cats. I'm sure that one simple mistake could really mess
things up for a cat owner.
“Where is kitty?”
“Hiding.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to give her
a treat, but I accidentally used my vet office visit voice.”
“I suppose when you
want to take her to the vet you'll have to use your treat voice.”
“Good suggestion.”
Saito and
colleagues describe the results of their research in the
journal Scientific Reports. In four experiments with 16 to 34
animals, each cat heard a recording of its owner’s voice, or
another person’s voice, that slowly recited a list of four nouns or
other cat’s names, followed by the cat’s own name.
I'm sure the cats were looking at these researchers and wondering when they'll get their
treats. I bet every cat is bored and looking for things on a table
to knock over. I believe there were cats involved in the experiment
who kept looking at the researchers and annoyed at listening to
recordings.
When the cats heard their
name, they probably felt like yelling, “I'm a cat, not a dog, maybe
you should get my slippers if I had any.”
Monique Udell, who also
studies animal behavior at Oregon State, said the study shows “cats
are paying attention to you, what you say and what you do, and
they’re learning from it.”
I wonder if any of
these researchers are cat owners? A cat owner knows cat's don't
really care about much. They eat, sleep, purr, knock things off a
table, climb blinds, claw furniture, use the litter box and call it a
day.
If this research goes
well, I wonder what they will try to discover next. Could it be a
cure for catnip addiction? I suppose the research possibilities of
any project are always as endless as its funding.
Here is a link to the
story.
http://time.com/5564454/cats-names-study/
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If you think THIS is a
little funny. Check out my book
The Longer You Live The
Older You Get
Or my other one
I Speak Cursive Like a
Baby Boomer
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