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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

What words do your cats understand?

48 replies

Sophiedotty · 02/10/2013 04:21

Mine understands 'Tuna' & if I say want to go out she goes to the door. My other cat that died knew tuna too. If I wanted them to come in I would just shout tuna & they would run in.

OP posts:
INeedSomeHelp · 02/10/2013 04:25

Mine knows his name and will come when called. He also knows the word 'food".

Ange1972 · 02/10/2013 05:03

Din dins!!! Lol

Soontobemama · 02/10/2013 05:04

Mine know treats and yummies. It's embarrassing calling them in from outside by shouting yummies but it works

Fasterkillpussycat · 02/10/2013 05:18

Mine understand 'no' but only comply when they feel like it.

feetheart · 02/10/2013 06:17

Girlcat is currently refusing to understand any part of 'get that bl**dy mouse out of here' Angry

patienceisvirtuous · 02/10/2013 06:28

Tuna :o and her name.

She is adorable.

Original poster
Sophiedotty · 02/10/2013 06:39

I forgot to say their name too. If I said 'No' if they were scratching the chair or anything they would stop & look at me. Think it's the tone of voice though.

OP posts:
worley · 02/10/2013 06:44

"Get down" !!! From the work top,, I have cat who's taken to exploring if anythings left out she can eat... Disgusting cat. I need shares in bleach now

Sparklingbrook · 02/10/2013 06:47

Dinner
More dinner
Where's DS 1/2?
Birdies!
The name of the cat over the road.

The last 3 have to be said in a very excited tone while those things are in sight.

Fluffycloudland77 · 02/10/2013 08:09

Din-dins Blush

Spiders! He comes running if you say spiders and point to the ceiling

Noooooo!!

If you gasp loudly and go ooooooohhhhhh in a "something scarys going to happen" way he puts his ears back and lowers his body while looking around to see what the danger is. It's particularly effective if dh does it.

cozietoesie · 02/10/2013 08:18

Large vocabulary but then he's picked up a lot in all his years. You can link two words to make a slightly more complex thought but no more than two or he loses it.

What I find disconcerting, though, is just how well he's learned types of clothes and actions. He knows, for example, that putting on a jacket means I'm going outside - or that the sound of the bedside light clicking of means proper sleep or snooze. (Hence cuddle time.) You can often see the head raise under the fleece as he listens, assessing the sounds of preparation and working out whether he should come up to the top of the bed for duvet insertion.

All his learned stuff is related to him and his interests of course.

Smile
curlew · 02/10/2013 08:23

Everything I say. They just pretend they don't until they need to use it against me.

Oh, and don't use bleach on areas where you don't want cats to go- the smell attracts them. Official True Fact, as my ds would say.

ZebraOwl · 03/10/2013 21:32

Mine seem to know their names (I don't have to call them in, so...); they also know: breakfast; teatime; dinner; too early; not yet; toothpaste; bedtime; parcel; no!; bad cat!; good cat/boy; food; & they know various terms of endearment are positive. They know all of these in English, French & German. If my cats could speak, if would be a mix of Franglais & Denglish, I suspect. Oh & using Irish terms of endearment, of course.

CatOfTheDay · 03/10/2013 23:33

They know their names (although I suspect Luna sometimes thinks her name is Tuna..).

Also "KIIIIIIITTENS!!!!!!" - DP started that one, it means dinner time!

chubbymummy · 04/10/2013 00:13

Nothing, they understand nothing the useless flea-bags! "Get the fuck off my worktops!" - No response. "Stop climbing my curtains you little bastard!" - Not a flicker. "Take that headless bird out of my hallway right NOW!!!" - just results in proud purrs. "Move your arse out of my face, I can't see the TV" - arse continues to waft from right to left.
They do however understand that the fridge is where the ham is kept and therefore practically take my legs from under me whenever I go anywhere near the fridge door. And just incase I don't get the hint they are all rather vocal at saying "Haaammmm". This was the party piece of the now deceased old boy which the others must have copied as kittens - even cat haters were impressed by how clear he said it and many hours were spent trying to capture his talent on film. The old boy also liked to use the downstairs toilet, he was a shit aim though and mostly pissed on the floor (although dh isn't much better).
I once had a friend who's cat would rap the letter box when he wanted her to open the door to let him in, she swore he waited for her to get in bed before he did it!

yegodsandlittlefishes · 04/10/2013 00:20

If I pat the seat next to me, or my lap, our cat comes and curls up on the exact spot I patted.

She understands her name, and quite a bit else. She obviously thinks we speak the same language the way she persistently mews at me. If I don't get it, she shouts. Definitely a British short hair! Grin

out2lunch · 04/10/2013 00:36

ham here too

2 of mine also sit when asked to 1 knows stay there too

Onesleeptillwembley · 04/10/2013 00:59

Names, pouch, treat, out, show me (ie if squawking for something) and no (if said with meaning). I think they know cheeky and beautiful as well.

Onesleeptillwembley · 04/10/2013 01:02

Yep, the letterbox trick. More effective when quiet, when I'm in bed either at night or during the day on nights. Clever buggers.

Original poster
Sophiedotty · 04/10/2013 02:33

These are great, thanks for sharing. The ham mew is funny. My old cat that died used to stick her head in the shopping box as she knew her tin of tuna was in there. She would sit by the fridge for ages & if we opened if she would try to climb inside. She had a definite mew when she asked for tuna. I managed to video her the last few weeks before she died.

OP posts:
ZebraOwl · 04/10/2013 06:23

Mine call me "Mum". Seriously. It freaked me right out the first time they did it.

notnowImreading · 04/10/2013 06:30

'Bum bum.' She had a prolapsing bowel a year or so ago and when it came out I had to call her over and put it back in. If I say 'bum bum' to her even now she backs up to me and braces herself!

out2lunch · 04/10/2013 18:46

mine too zebra

out2lunch · 04/10/2013 18:47

mine too zebra

CatOfTheDay · 04/10/2013 19:37

One of mine said "Brian" once. I have no idea who Brian is!