Who You Calling Arf?

bash · Post by **bash** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 3:31 pm

For the pet owners out there, consider this. It's obvious an understanding of name and identification exists in the pet psyche. You call their name, they come. You speak there name and they look at you. So, assuming this is true and many of us interact verbally with our pets (my cat is very call-and-response chatty), isn't it safe to assume that they have also named you and are saying your name when they speak back to you or when refering to you during conversation? To make matters more complex, I've come to learn that my cat communicates many things non-verbally (she dims her eyelids to say *you're OK* and touches her tongue to her nose when she wants whipped cream, among the more obvious like purring). So could that mean my cat-given name might be a gesture rather than a sound?

Liquid Fire · Post by **Liquid Fire** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 3:34 pm

Now that you mention it, my cat does make a wierd sort of high pitched mrrr! noise when he sees me. He doesn't speak to anyone else. Maybe it's the fact that I'm the only one who doesn't beat him up.

HaAGen DaZS · Post by **HaAGen DaZS** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 4:27 pm

i would have to agree. my GF's dogs, when they want some food, they give ya the big puppy-dog eyes, and look like their gunna cry and act all friendly and stuff... noticably, they are also both females... damn manipulative bitches!

i hope i gets a pup...

Mobius · Post by **Mobius** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 4:47 pm

Love your avatar Bash!

I like cats: they're delicious!

DCrazy · Post by **DCrazy** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 6:04 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Liquid Fire:
Now that you mention it, my cat does make a wierd sort of high pitched mrrr! noise when he sees me.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Same for my two. Also happens when they jump up on ledges, etc.

Scorch · Post by **Scorch** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 6:24 pm

My cat goes "mrow! mrow! mrow! mrow!" in a very nasal annoying voice when he sees me, so that could be his name for me, I suppose. Or it could just mean "Pet me! Pet me! Pet me, human! Now!"

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 8:24 pm

Possibility, but since pets don't have inner monologue they relate you to an interaction or smell or gesture or whatever.

Like, if you play with them a lot they know you as the one who plays with them and cares for them.

Dedman · Post by **Dedman** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 9:07 pm

Dogs have masters. Cats have staff.

Vertigo 99 · Post by **Vertigo 99** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 9:22 pm

my cat does some weird things:

raising her paw up and letting it sort of hang in the air (while looking up at a nearby human) means she wants to go outside, or wants to eat food.

for food, she'll stay near the fridge if she wants 'wet' food, or go near the counter for 'dry' food.

she does other things too, that are (i think) pretty unique to her, but I can't think of them ATM.

Tyranny · Post by **Tyranny** » Sun Feb 08, 2004 11:11 pm

Most of the stuff dog or cat related usually is in the form of gesture responses. Cats and Dogs recognize the noise associated with you saying their name, but do not recognize the name specifically. Thats why sometimes you can say something similar in tone to their names and they respond (especially dogs) much like we use sound to distinguish things, but unlike them we understand the meanings.

They relate sounds to deeds or objects. Its all very simple childlike learning development. You teach a dog to rollover by showing the action and showing that the action will warrant a reward. The verbal commands also help the animal distinguish which act to perform, even though they don't know the exact meaning of what you are saying, they understand that the sound you are making is the same one you used when telling them to perform the certain action, which in this case is rolling over, and they know they'll get a treat afterwards.

If I leave my bedroom door open my cat will come looking for me and when he finds me he makes noises that he only does when around me. I also have him trained to jump on top of certain places he likes sleeping, my hamper and bed. When I tell him "bed bed" I point to the bed and he makes his little noises and he jumps up on the bed but he also bows his head and his ears lean back like when I get after him for something because he also thinks I'm saying "bad" because they both have the same sound to him.

The only reason he knows to get on the bed is because I'm using hand gestures to illustrate where he needs to go by pointing ;P

bash · Post by **bash** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 12:51 pm

I can't get my cat to figure out the pointing thing. She thinks I must be holding food and will concentrate on *the hand* (aka her boyfriend) rather than follow where I'm gesturing to. But in keeping with the topic, the most cute thing is she can say her name (Uma, which comes out mooo-MA) and she says it at correct times like when she's getting lots of attention. She'll just purr it all up and repeat mooo-MA, mooo-Ma, mooo-Ma. She really has a very large vocabulary but mostly she is not very articulate (or so I think). She does a lot of grunts, harumphs and mumbling sounds, which has earned her the nickname Slingblade Kitty. The weirdest thing, however, is she talks to the squirrels in this really strange voice (ca-ca-ca) with her head bobbing. The squirrels don't respond. I've theorized that because I rescued her as a feral kitten in the park, she may at one time have thought of herself as a squirrel and is asking about mom.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 4:30 pm

my two cats, both respond to their names, "Bob" and "Dave". both respond to verbal prompts such as "Food", "go outside", ( Moms favorite) --> "NAP TIME" , i just shortly ago taught bob to respond to "Rub your belly" and he follows me into a garden window and flops over on his side so i can rub his belly. Dave, is still alittle goofy despite being 2 years old now. his most annoying thing is, when he sits up on top of the couch behind mom, he starts to flip his tail allover the place and winds up beating on moms head soo hard with his tail, she has to literally throw him off the couch and make him sit somewere else.

both are trained on where they can walk, jump, sleep, eat, and litter. dad accomplished this with a small water gun. everytime bob or dave ( when we got them as kittens ) would do something that was wrong, dad would squirt them with the water pistol a couple of times and they have since learned those spots and certain things they cannot do. dave still has a few bad habits, but they are disapearing quickly.

one of bob's strange habits is, during the summer time, he will go outside int he back yard ( which is fenced in ) and search for Lizards, once he catches one HE WILL NOT LET IT GO until dad has seen his catch. yes only dads view will signal bob that "okay you saw what i caught ill let it go now" but usualy by the time mom has been trying to pry it out his mouth bob inadvertently killed it by biting harder. another habit of his is he will chase squirrels and sometimes jump and climb up and over the fence in the backyard, however when we start yelling "BAD BOB!!" he jumps right back over into our yard, and mom gives him a quick "spank" for leaving the yard.

now dave, man dave is still a character. the most bad habit he has is......... HE IS A PIG! he will eat..eat...eat...eat...eat and eat somemore then he tries to steal bob's food by fighting with him.

mom once caught him eating a chalupa that mom bought from TacoBell, and he ate everything but the pita bread!

needless to say he had a field day with the litter box later on that night.

we have stopped them fighting by separating them when it comes to food time. we keep them both on a 3 meal schedule. moist food poutch ( Whiskas ) in the morning for breakfast, and a 20oz. bowl of dry food for lunch and dinner ( also whiskas ). during holidays they get extra treats as they become available.

Tyranny · Post by **Tyranny** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 4:51 pm

You've also taught them the "anal probe" command quite well haven't ya?

DCrazy · Post by **DCrazy** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 5:35 pm

Bash, my housecats do the same "ca ca ca" noise at squirrels and birds. It's like they're barking at them.

Mobius · Post by **Mobius** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 8:19 pm

From Gary Larson;

What you say to your Dog:

Holy Shiz Rover - you bastard! You went through the trash again didn't you? Rover - I'm gonna beat you senseless - you bad dog Rover! Bad dog!

What your dog hears:

Angry Master says "Blah Blah MY NAME(!) - blah blah. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. MY NAME(!) - blah blah blah blah. Blah Blah MY NAME(!) blah blah."

Kyouryuu · Post by **Kyouryuu** » Mon Feb 09, 2004 9:58 pm

Sort of like in the book 101 Dalmations where the dogs believe they are taking their humans for a walk.

AceCombat · Post by **AceCombat** » Tue Feb 10, 2004 1:21 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Tyranny:
You've also taught them the "anal probe" command quite well haven't ya? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

ENOUGH

Testiculese · Post by **Testiculese** » Tue Feb 10, 2004 10:17 pm

So what other 'tricks' does your cat turn? I mean do?