name recognition?

do cats ever really learn their names like dogs? i know penelope will come to me if i call her (if im lucky.) but i think that has to do more with voice tone recognition and she will come to me by hand signals (sort of like the chicken dance hands) but seems to not really get the name thing, unless shes just ignoring me, which is entirely possible.

do your cats know their names?

I was wondering the same thing... I don't think mine does... but I'm curious to see what people say.

Trust me...they DO learn their own names.
Toby and Tedy know for sure which cat I`m hollering "NO!" to. I use their names, and now that they know who`s name is whose....the non offender will hardly even flick an ear when I yell. They`ll just sit down and watch the other cat to see if he`s going to mind .
Linda

I think both of mine understaind certain sounds. Duke seems to not come whenI call Duke but will come when I say "Dukieduke". Sibohan (pr. She-Vawn) hears the "shhhh" shound and comes... which is sometimes not a good thing when i'm trying to quiet her and "shhhhh" she seems to think I want to play.

Rosie and Sophie always turn round if i call their names, especially when i shout upstairs " WANT SOME DINNER!! "

Sleeves definately knows his name! I used to have to rattle a tub of his 'sweeties' if I lost him but now I just shout him and he comes running out. He also know what 'sweeties' means...

My ferals all know their names, and the insiders do too. Especially Pete, because when I yell "Pete" he hunkers his shoulders down and slinks away, because he has just turned over the water, dropped something off the table, spilled my coffee, growled at Diddo, etc., etc., etc. Oh yes, they know their names.

My girls know their names and "Treat" and "Eat"!

Both Lemur and Monkey know their names. I will have lemur right next to me and when I call monkey she will not move but monkey will come running. Then if I say lemur she will get right up. Its the same to say for babies, they know their name when their mother calls them. I have even tried saying it different ways but with pretty much the same tone...like instead of monkey ill say...money....or donkey......or even just say eee...and she will not pay me any attention..she looks at me like im crazy...lol

I wondered the same thing. So when the cats are just sitting quietly, I try experiments. I call them without using their names. And then, trying very hard to use exactly the same tone of voice, I call them using their names. I have decided that Sam does know his name, but Bailey doesn't, she responds to tone of voice. It actually doesn't make any difference, they still both know when I am talking to them.

Sam responds best to "want some food?". He meows back at me every time I ask him that.

Harley hardly ever comes to us when we call him by his name!

But my neighbor that always watches him, says that whenever he calls him by name, he comes running right away...funny-he never does that for me!
What frusterating is that I snuck over there last time they watched him, and he called him and he came running right away...I tried, and nothing....ugh! My neighbor was pretty happy that Harley loves him that much-HA!

Oh well....maybe he will learn someday

Bijou and Mika definitely know their names and will usually come when called.

Mine do. They almost always come when called.

Pushy and Wiggies both respond to their names. Pushkin is really good whereas Wiggs usually only comes when I call in a certain excited way, which he recognises as "the spider call"!

I can't tell if he knows his actual name, but he understands when I'm calling him, and comes running. Does he recognize that his name is Simba? Who knows, but he understands the tone, length and syllables when I want him to report front and centre.

On a side note, he also understands swearing when it's directed at him (understands it means quit tripping me...get off counter...)

Garfield knows he's in trouble when called Garfield. DD said his name from the front room, a 30 foot hallway away from the kitchen, and he jumped off the table. But to call him to me, I call him Schmieldio in a sing song voice. Sugartoes answers to Sugie, and Festus knows her name is Festie.

Even the outside cats that are friendly, Josie and Will know their names, and each others names. And I rarely call Will "Will". He is Wilberforce, Wilbur, and even Wildebeast when he chases Josie. And Man-kins when he purrs and rubs and is my little man-kins.

BabyHarley, Harley does love you more than the neighbor, he is just "training" you different than he is training her. He probably thinks you are smarter, and has you on the advanced training program for cat owners, where you have to use his name AND treats to get him to come.

According to some sites I've visited, cats respond more quickly to names that end in the "eeee" sound, like "Monkey" or "Josie." I'm not sure if that's true or not; I only know a few cats whose names end that way, and I don't really notice a difference between their response to hearing their names, and the response of say, my cats (whose names are Spike and Oz). I do know that most experts suggest you call your cat one thing and stick to it. Not that I do that either ... My cats have a tonne of nicknames.

Spike does come when he's called, but he's definitely responding to the tone, and not to his name (because, as I've said, he has a lot of nicknames ... he'd come if you yelled "pill time!"). Oz, on the other hand, is more likely to respond to his own name, but only if he's in the mood. He'll always look at you when you say his name (and ignore other names or words), but he won't necessarily make an effort to get up and come over to you. He's laaaaazy.

My parents' cat, PJ, won't come when she's called, but if my younger sister sits down at the piano and plays a certain sequence of notes, she'll respond to that. And it's funny, because she never gets treats or pets or anything when she responds to the music; it seems like she just likes sitting with my sister when she plays the piano. A feline music afficionado, perhaps?

My cat's know their names. I read somewhere that while you are holding them or if they are not a lap cat just sit and pet them keep on saying their name over and over again. I always have a certain way of saying each of their names so that also helps. I could say 'Dakini' (that name means little princess) and she will more than likely come running from wherever she was hiding. cats are just more uhh how do i say it...i think snobby is a good word. if they are busy they will come when they are good and ready unless they know they are getting something.

Well, my oldest cat, 2 1/2 yrs, knows when he is called, but doesn't always come.

My other two cats hardly even notice being called. They probably don't know what their name is yet, they are only like 7 and 5 months old.

I read somewhere that cats can't hear consonants all that well.. so to them the words "treat" and "eat" sound the same, basically it just means some type of food. They can't actually discern whether they'll be getting a treat or just a bowl full. They would be able to tell between the words "treat" and "food" or "dinner" though.

My two birmans definitely know their names. Whether they choose to respond is a different story. Sasha could be asleep on the chair whilst I'm calling out to Cleo and she won't even blink an eye yet Cleo will come running.