Cats know their names

https://news.yahoo.com/clever-kitty-cats-know-names-143211189.html

AFP•April 4, 2019

Cats are able to distinguish their own names from other similar-sounding words, even when said by strangers, according to new research released Thursday.

While dogs' ability to respond to verbal commands from humans has been known for centuries, much less is understood about how cats react to spoken cues.

Researchers in Japan decided to test how well cats are able to distinguish the meanings of words that sound similar to each other.

They studied 78 cats from households and a cat cafe and found most were able to recognise their own names from other words that had the same length and stress -- even when an unfamiliar person was speaking.

"Many cat owners know that cats understand their own names," said Atsuko Saito, from Sophia University's Department of Psychology, told AFP.

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