Are there people who don’t talk to their pets?

[BarrelOfOtters]

Inspired by the poster who is wondering if talking to your cat means you are old.

surely everyone talks to their pets?

I have had quite long chats with cats over the years…mostly about food to be fair.

and dogs are excellent listeners.

There are people who don’t talk to their kids!

glad it’s not just me who talks to their pets and does voices for them to talk back! I do this with our guinea pigs, they both have different voices and very different personalities! One is secretly an evil genius and the other is passive aggressive lol!

I always talk to my cat. When I'm going out, I apologise to her for leaving her, tell her how long I'll be gone and when I'm due back. I also tell her to be good, and that she's a really good girlie
I know other people in RL who do this with their pets as well
And like a PP my cat also understands, or seems to, when I tell her she can go out for a limited time - she nearly always come back in once her allotted time is up

My cat and I talk to each other. She says hello when I let her in the house: ma-mow she says. I sometimes say ma-mow back.

I caught my neighbour staring at me the other day. I didn't notice him standing there and the cat and I had already exchanged a few ma-mows.

Yes, my cat and I have a code. She follows me in the bathroom for fuss and then exits left if she wants food and right if she wants to go outside.

She tends to get further with the right turn. The left turn is significantly less successful but she still tries it just in case I've changed my mind in the last half hour.

She definitely understands the phrase, "If you were that hungry, you'd eat your biscuits."

I don't have pets but talk to my neighbours cat Dexter when I see him.

Oh I talk to any animal I meet - dogs when I’m out, cats, the squirrels and foxes in the garden….
I don’t have pets at the moment but the thing I’ve kept most in the past is hamsters and they definitely have ways of communicating - ready for food? Pick up dish! Fed up In bucket while being cleaned out? Dance around on hind legs trying to get out!

No one believed me but my late cat said Mummy to me.

My dog can understand hand gestures though not proper sign language for deaf people. Sometimes I can't speak so I had to be able to communicate with her another way.

I believe you!

I ask my dog questions, as if she's going to respond to me🤣

I don't have pets but always chat to the local cats and dogs who want to say hello. How can you not want to have a quick catch up with them?

What do you mean by talk to?

My cat knows her name and commands like "get down from there" which is obviously talking.

But I don't have conversations at her

Yes, that's me. We have some quite long debates on the pros and cons of various treats and biscuit shapes. Comes down to gravy bones (him) and markies (me).

I actually think there is something wrong with you if you DONT talk to your pet.. they are a part of the family. Silent treatment is baaad..

I always talked to ours, and still have ‘conversations’ with random dogs I meet in the park.

Only once was talking to our dog a bit embarrassing. I used to ‘baby talk’ to her, ‘Mummy love oo!’ etc., which was all very well at home, but I was once doing it in a very heavily wooded area of our local park. Obviously I was imagining myself entirely alone - until I heard laughter from above!

Blow me, there were two grown men, sitting up on a branch, pissing themselves laughing! 😱

Yes of course, it's important to bond and communicate. I tell my cat it's time for breakfast, time for bed, I've got her some tuna, that she's a good pumpkin etc. She understands a fair bit from my tone and body language.

I can't imagine not talking to my cat, it's one of the most important ways of bonding with a pet and it would be extremely rude to just ignore him!

I talk to my dog and she's completely deaf.

I talk to the little birds, crows, insects, cats and dogs I see around.

I used to have a Rhodesian Ridgeback called Khan.
One day he was in the car and I was doing a few quick errands before heading out to a favourite walking spot. I dropped something back into the car and as I shut the door said "Don't worry Khan, I'll be back soon".
A passer by gave me a very strange look.
I think they heard me talking to the car "Don't worry car, I'll be back soon". 😂

@HerBigChance me too 😁

Thank you !🐱

I can't compute. S/he will respond!

Haha same here

I’m glad animals can’t talk human because all of my pets (both present and past) know all my secrets. They are the first I go to when someone has thoroughly pissed me off and I can slag them off to my heart’s content knowing full well my fluffy friends won’t spill the beans.

I’ve had pets all my life and would talk to each and every one of my cats, dogs, rabbits, Guinea pigs and hamsters. I also talk to birds in the garden.

But I do wish my current rescue could talk back though and let me know what those horrible fuckers did to him. I tell him every day that he’s now safe and I wont let anyone abuse him ever again - I hope just he understands that.