Do you think your cat understands what you say to them?

[Toddlerteaplease]

Or do they just respond to your tone of voice. Having an argument with my sister, about whether Cheddar really does understand. I am convinced she does. I asked her to come in, and she did. I also asked Magic to go and find her once, when I couldn't find her and she did.

Mine knows when I ask him if he’d like his breakfast/dinner and jumps up, waiting expectantly at the door. He will also miaow on command - if I ask him what cats say he’ll miaow.
He comes to a whistle or a fork being tapped against a dish.
He’ll also follow me when I sit down to watch tv if I tell him we are going to snuggle. Im sure he knows what I say (or at least that’s what I tell myself).

Oh yes they understand me. They just chose to ignore me!

Even Boycat understands a few simple words & phrases.

Soup
Tuna
Breakfast
Supper time
Stick (Webbox chew sticks) - I think I see a theme here.

But also "come up" to join me on my bed for cuddles (Boycat) or on the sofa behind me for cuddles (Girlcat).

Yesterday we were discussing having tuna and sweet corn toasties for lunch. Cat shot into the kitchen and was miaowing and climbing my leg before I'd even got anything out.
Sadly for her we had 'no drain' tuna on this occasion so she couldn't have the water from the tin.

Yes, they have quite a wide vocabulary but an equally wide ability to ignore!

If I call the younger one in at night by her name she ignores me BUT if I say ‘bedtime’ she comes straight in. She knows exactly what I am saying

Ours understood nigh-nighs & bedtime.

I think they understand tone more. My one is too dopey to understand words I think but no doubt she’s probably just ignoring me. She certainly knows to only get onto the kitchen counters when no ones around.

I think mine understands:
pussycat
din-dins
no

Probably more but chooses to ignore!

Mine seem to understand and hear ‘num-nums’ from several gardens away.

One will always do a little somersault tumble curl thing when I ask him who the cutest puddy tat is

Oh and also, what are you doing up there, then jumps down.

'Don't make me get up and come and see you in that bin'. Silence.

'You can take that poor thing back outside and kill it properly right now'. Part chewed mouse is taken back into the garden.

'Let me go to the toilet and then I'll open the door'. Stays where he is, waits for me to take two steps downstairs and will then get up and head for the back door.

''If you're going to supervise, do it up there instead of under my feet and I'll give you a bit'. Jumps up onto a suitable vantage point and awaits treats.

'Come in or shut up'.

He also responds very well to signals - point and then palm flat - he jumps up to that spot. Point at cat and then move pointing finger down - jumps down before he's in any more trouble than The Look is already telling him . Eyebrows raised over tops of glasses and head tilted slightly - uh-oh. Time to wait for instructions.

Actually, most of the verbal ones are probably backed up with gestures, too. so he understands, but not necessarily the words.

Hmm not sure. Sometimes I think mine does, sometimes not. He definitely knows his name though which is lovely regardless 😃

One of mine responds to my body language a bit like a baby might. So I can 'call' her in from the bottom of the garden by tapping on the patio door so she looks at me then crouching down and doing excited face, and she belts in for a cuddle every time.

mine understands every word. i’m shielding and he has become VERY attached to me.

he understands:

breakfast
teatime
come for a cuddle

and once a day he shouts and shouts and i have to ask if he’s chirpsing me for dreamies. and then he has to show me the paw to actually get them. we’re like the world’s dullest vaudeville act.

Is this the same sister who was rude about Cheddar?

Big cat understands dinner, breakfast, lunch, soup and other food related words. He also understands the words can I go to the toilet alone but chooses to ignore it. 2nd cat doesn't let us know what she understands, she ignores pretty much everything. 3rd cat understands food words, and come up, hugs, and snuggle. The kitten who is no longer a kitten is still in that pretty mental stage and likes to travel via shoulder. He understands get down, what are you doing up there, and do you know your claws are sharp. He understands more when my dad talks to him (we're key workers so still working together but at a distance), and they love each other. If my dad speaks to him, he speaks back.

Yes. I only have one sister and she is always rude about 'shoulder pig' as she called her this morning. (She was siting on my shoulder)

Shoulder pig????
I would say your beautiful Cheddar understands language far better than some people.

Oh yes! He's empathetic too. When I was quite ill in 2016 he put a mouse next to the sofa I was lying on.

When DH had sciatica in 2018 he nuzzled right up to his buttock and rested his paw on his thigh.

Ours know

Brekkie
Lunch
Teatimes
Sweeties
Mooch
Cuddles
Birdies (with a rhotic r)
'Do you want' gets DCat1 running to the cupboard
DS nickname weirdly. They go & sit outside his room.

If you make a certain noise to DCat2 he rolls on his back for tummy rubs.

We have some language.
Dh, who does her food, will lick his lips. She will do that in return. That means supper.
In the morning she will jump on us and say ‘k k k’ for breakfast, it’s the only time she makes that sound.
She also drinks oat milk, we checked with the vet and it’s fine, and will say ‘milk’.

I don’t think she cares what we say.

Mine understands every word I say and I’m sure controls the entire house. Isn’t that normal?

My two were fighting once and I said to one 'go to your room'. And he did.

I hope not or my cat would think I’m batshit ha!