Getting Your Cats To Recognize Their Names?

[saleri]

So I got two kittens, you can see in my profile picture. Trying to get them to know their names.

The older one, Lilo, 7 month I've practiced in the past with saying name give treat. She always comes when I shake a bag of treats, but only does half the time when I say her name, and it usually works better when I'm in a different room.

Haven't practiced with the 5 month Sawyer yet, although he seems to sometimes recognize it.

Will continue now, with saying name, give treat. Anyone have any tips?

 

[jen]

I don't think its as much that they aren't learning it, just that they don't care

 

[DreamerRose]

Say their name every time you put their dish down to feed. My Lily learned her name that way in a few weeks.

 

[danteshuman]

Try saying the other one's name LOL my punk ignores his name but comes running when I say his brother's name ... you know in case I'm handing out treats

 

[neely]

Be patient, most of our cats have been rescues that we adopted but all of them learned their names eventually. I recommend saying it frequently especially when you are petting them and they are purring or as others have suggested when it's feeding time. Good luck!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Last cats learned by default. I'd address them, and pet them.
The last one we got we went a different route that's probably more unconventional in the cat world but really conventional with dogs, I used a clicker and food on my crazy food obsessed maniac cat by saying her name out of the blue so the sound would make her look at me, click, treat, rinse, repeat.
It worked, and it was fun!

 

[Desertmouse]

I’ve been told that cats (and dogs) have a easier time learning their name if it ends in hard e (Smokey, zoie, Jackie etc). I don’t know if this is true but most of mine have had hard e names ‍.

Have you tried taking the treats out of the bag and just keeping them in your hand for awhile until they lose interest then try calling and rewarding? Sadie always comes running when she hears the treat bag (or anything that sounds like it ) too.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I’ve been told that cats (and dogs) have a easier time learning their name if it ends in hard e (Smokey, zoie, Jackie etc). I don’t know if this is true but most of mine have had hard e names ‍.

Have you tried taking the treats out of the bag and just keeping them in your hand for awhile until they lose interest then try calling and rewarding? Sadie always comes running when she hears the treat bag (or anything that sounds like it ) too.

This is interesting to me, because a lot of my non-E ending cats (and dogs) have unconsciously been given a nick-name much like their given name that ends in a hard "E" sound. Names like "Cooper" can be sing song-ed as "Coopie" and names like "Flash" can be "Flashy", or more human names for pets like Brooke or Dan can be "Brookie" or "Danny", etc. Names like this are easy to sing-song and kind of "rolls off the tongue" so to speak. I just never realized I did this before until now!

 

[jen]

Interesting to me too because I call my cat Nora "Nosey", Kinks I call "Kiki" and Eos I just call "E" which I never thought about that either. Although they all always responded to their names too hahaha!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Interesting to me too because I call my cat Nora "Nosey", Kinks I call "Kiki" and Eos I just call "E" which I never thought about that either. Although they all always responded to their names too hahaha!

The only one I can't think of having an "E" name in our group is a half-wild cat named (non-creatively) Tiger, and he's just "Ty". I wonder if "I" is close to "E", as he ignores "Tiger" and responds to "Ty".
He's also part fainting goat, as he'll collapse onto his side at my feet but acts like I'm made of electricity and cattle prods if I attempt to pet him too long =(

 

[Kid Indie]

I just called her by it so many times I think she kinda just got the idea that I was speaking to her. Sometimes she ignores me but the first time she turned her neck to look at me, locked eyes. I called her by it about 14 more times.

 

[lalagimp]

Kid Indie
Hang on. You're Samus Aran's dad? I had to check your location and you're not Samus Aran's dad. I left her and her brother Ashley J Williams with their new dad 10 years ago in Phoenix.
HAHAHAHA. Too cool.

 

[Kid Indie]

lalagimp

There can only be, one.. ;D

 

[abyeb]

Charlie learned his name fairly quickly; I would keep calling him until he came, and then I fed him. He got the hang of it after a few weeks, but over eight years later he still hasn’t figured out fetch. Each cat is an individual.

 

[Desertmouse]

The only one I can't think of having an "E" name in our group is a half-wild cat named (non-creatively) Tiger, and he's just "Ty". I wonder if "I" is close to "E", as he ignores "Tiger" and responds to "Ty".
He's also part fainting goat, as he'll collapse onto his side at my feet but acts like I'm made of electricity and cattle prods if I attempt to pet him too long =(

Yes! I had a cat named Oliver who quickly became Ollie