Do cats recognize their names?

Question

Hello all,
I have a cat that has been with me for four years now, and I've had him since he was 4 weeks old. I call him by his name, and whenever I do, he comes. But when my boyfriend calls him, it's as if he doesn't even recognize the same name. This is not the case with the dog, he responds no matter who calls his name. At first I considered that he just doesn't like him, but his behavior doesn't indicate that at all (it's the exact opposite surprisingly).
My boyfriend told me that it's because he doesn't really know his name, he is only responding to the tone of my voice and the way I say it. I find this hard to believe since he hears me talk all day, and only comes when I say his name, but since I am not an animal expert, I thought I'd ask, do cats recognize their names?

Answer 1

No. The repetition of a pet’s “name” merely provokes a learned response, depending on how the owner vocalizes the name. To a pet, it may mean anything from “come along, now” to “time for dinner.” Try saying your pet’s name disapprovingly, and he may bow his head unhappily as though he’d done something wrong.

In the case of having more than one cat, each cat will eventually have a learned response. One cat–and only one cat–has learned to respond when a certain word (his or her “name”) is spoken. That’s when he or she–and only he or she–will be rewarded with favorable attention or with a treat, etc. during the learning process.

hope this helps!

Answer 2

I love this question.

I have no answer for you, but I have a similar situation. My cat, Ernie, was adopted from the SPCA when he was about a year old. I've had him for three years now. He was a stray when he was found and they believe that he never had an owner before he was found.

So we named him Ernie, which he never really responded to. Now my boyfriend has this weird way of saying Ernie, where he says it in an Arnold Swarzenegger (sp?) kinda way when he's fooling around...kinda like UHnie, and the cat always responds. And I work with an ENT doc whose name is Ernie, so from time to time I'll call our cat "doc" and he'll look up.

Cats are strange. Our other cat, Oscar, always comes when you call his name with his tail wagging. And he drinks out of the toilet and plays fetch- he's a dog in a cat's body. Another curious thing about Oscar is that when we adopted him he was also about a year old, and had been previously owned with a different name. If we call him by his old name (Cubby) he doesn't respond at all.

Good luck finding your answer...its probably one of those things that you'll never really know.

Answer 3

Of course they can. Cats are very intelligent animals and can quickly recognize a name given to them. It's more the tone, though, than the actually word. And the more you say their name to them, the quicker they'll learn it. Cats can also have their names changed, which is why you don't have to keep the name of a shelter cat that you adopt - no matter what age the cat is.

Answer 4

I know a dog that does exactly the same thing. He is perfectly friendly towards people but he does not register his own name except when called by his owner.

If other people persist, he eventually hears them and goes to them. If your cat is only used to hearing you call him then it may take some practice until he recognizes that your boyfriend is also calling him.

Some animals are just more specialized than others and your cat may understand to come when you call him but can't generalize that to your boyfriend without more practice. Maybe your boyfriend can try feeding him for awhile and see if that helps your cat make the connection.

Answer 5

Cats know their names, just like dogs. Except cats are more perceptive and more independent. Out of the three people in this household my cat will only go to two and run from the third.

Dogs crave attention no matter who it comes from, who knows there might always be a cookie in it if he comes when called.

Answer 6

I have had my cat for 8 years now. She is an outside cat. No matter where she is or what she is doing she comes or at least looks to see what I want when she hears me call her name. She does this no matter who is calling so I think they know their name.

Answer 7

Cat's will recognize the tone more then the actual word. You could probably call your cat 13 different names and as long as you are saying them all with the same tone - the cat will respond.

Answer 8

Try calling your cat (in the same tone) by a similar name and see if he responds.

Answer 9

my cat comes when i call her name she comes running but when my husband does it she's slower to come so he normally tells me to call her. maybe it's the higher pitch of a womans voice or maybe you are around the cat more and it's more use to you. my husband was also deployed for a year and always working late so this could add to why my cat doesn't respond as good to him.

Answer 10

I think it really just depends on the cat themselves. They are very independent creatures and do what they want whenever. I have 4, one comes everytime I call him, 2 others will come but only when they feel it is convienent to them and the 4th is still too young to know anything. I wouldnt put too much thought into it. Cats like I said, do as they please.