When will she respond to her..........

name being called.My 5 year old cat Max comes when called but Ashley who is 11 weeks doesn't respond at all she doesn't even look at me when I say her name.Are there any tips or advice?

As funny/weird as it might sound, perhaps Ashley doesn't LIKE her name! When we first got Spooky, his nickname was Topper (part of his registered name); and he as a kitten never responded to it. My ex was the one that came up with "Spooky" (being he was all white). And when we used it, his ears perked up and he responded right away.

So maybe you could try some other names and see if she responds to another

The only words that get my kitties to come running are the words: "Supper" and "Bowl," as in "Come get your bowl!"

I agree with Golden ..

I had to change many names over the yrs..lol... evan my bettas .. he comes swimming over now

Originally Posted by GingersMom

The only words that get my kitties to come running are the words: "Supper" and "Bowl," as in "Come get your bowl!"

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HAHA i can only get my cat to come when i shake the bowl her supper is in, or if i open the closet that the food is being kept in.

cats are freakishly independent animals. Often times they wont respond to a name because its not in their nature.
My youngest cat, well we call him kitten. His offical name is Buddha (cuz the way he sits) but he only responds to kitten cuz we'd always yell "GET THE KITTEN!" "KITTEN NO!" BAD KITTEN!" when he was a baby.

From the beginning we started calling our cats by whistling for them. When it's dinner time if they aren't there already which is rare, they get whistled up. None of them know "here kitty" at all.

After we eat, when I'm getting the bowls ready, most times I'll just call out SUPPERTIME and no matter where they are in the house, everyone heads downstairs to eat

Haha I simply refuse to adopt a cat that doesn't respond to my voice or to sound. When it came down to a choice between three kitties, two of them sat there staring blankly when I snapped, and the other(miss Trina!) had the decency to look interested in what I was doing!

You don't necessarily have to change the name, but you want to associate it with petting. I always repeat my kitties names to them when I pet them, so they always come when I call unless they're asleep or eating. You could try that! But kittens do have major ADD.. so.. good luck!

I think your kitty is young enough she still needs some time to realize you are talking to her. They just pick up their name after a while all on their own. Enzo will come running any time I say his name, he just loves being petted!

I read somewhere that tests have proven cats will respond more readily to a name that ends in an ee sound. Kitty, Spooky.... Frisbee? You get the idea.

I've also heard that cats respond to names with a "sp" sound in them. But it does depend on the individual... I think some names are harder for cats to hear and make out, and some cats just don't catch on. It might also take time... if a cat has only had a name for a little while, s/he's less likely to know it than a cat who's had his or her name for 10 or 15 years. At only 11 weeks a kitten has yet to learn almost everything.

They also say that tone of voice is important, with most cats responding more to high-pitched sounds.

Haven't you heard? Dogs come when they're called, cats take a message and get back to you.

Seriously, she is young and it may take her some time to get used to her name. Bijou and Mika both know their names very well, but that doesn't mean they'll come when they are called.

i have six cats. when i call out for one by name, usually at least three show up. :-) i don't think they care about their name or even recognize it. what they recognize is your "call" in general.

I'm going to have to agree, they don't really know it's their name but they may know the word is directed at them and they'll get food/pettings/attention if they respond.

Sho doesn't come if I call Sho, but he'll run right over if I say Sho-Cat. That's because he knows the word cat is directed at him somehow even if he doesn't know that he is a 'cat'.

Thanks for all the replies.
All of them give great advice
I appreciate it

Well with my rexes if you called one by their wrong name they would ignore you.

golden, i believe you. there is a difference when you start getting into the more exotic breeds though. i learned that with the Ragdoll i'm currently kitty-sitting. he *does* respond to his name, almost always. however, all my other "regular" cats suffer from a severe case of "selective hearing". :-) it's not that they don't know their name, i think they do. it's just that they are stubborn, independent, and must have been put on earth for the sole purpose of driving their humans crazy..... ;-)

Charlie and Ling always come when their name is called, or at least answer with a meow if you ask "where are you?"

Ling's not a pedigree but Charlie is Maybe I've just chosen the "right" names for them

Both of mine know their names perfectly well but will only respond if they feel like it (ie if they think there's something in it for them). Sometimes Mosi is just too busy to bother acknowledging his name but he knows that I mean him when I call "Mosi". Actually, I've discovered the best way to get Jaffa to come is to call Mosi (or Magpie, his brother, when he was alive). Nothing like making him think someone else is getting something to get him to come.