Why cats respond to "kitty-kitty"

Cats are one of the most popular pets. They live next to humans for 10 thousand years. The world knows about two hundred different breeds. Ancient burials of cats were discovered in Cyprus, in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs.

They were worshiped and elevated to the rank of deity. During their existence, they settled throughout the planet. According to official data, there are 600 million domestic cats in the world, not counting their wild relatives.

Cat hearing organs

The auditory organs of cats differ in their structure from human organs. Their structure contains an external, middle and internal organ. The auricle can rotate 180 degrees, and one ear can be directed in one direction, the other in the opposite direction.

A cat's hearing is capable of picking up audible rustling noises, helping them in the hunt. The outer ear not only detects vibrations of sound waves, but also amplifies them. From the inner ear, the impulse travels to the part of the brain responsible for hearing.

A cat's ear consists of 30 muscles, with the help of which it controls, turns, and presses them. Cats, unlike humans, can perceive high-frequency sounds; they can distinguish even a tenth of a tone.

Scottish Longhairs: “Pussies with character”

Photo: author's cat - Belisarius Flavius If anyone has long-haired representatives of the cat family at home, they clearly know that they require special attention. They need a separate approach, not the same as other cats. Scottish longhair cats are considered the friendliest. However, several features should be noted. You shouldn’t be offended by them, much less scold them. The features may indeed seem strange and even alarming. But believe me, there is no other way with them. The Scottish breed is royal. Therefore, you need to treat them with respect and reverence. Let's start with the fact that long-haired Scots do not like to be cuddled and picked up. They can easily paw even the most loving owner... and not just anywhere, but in the face. The king is the king, and he does not tolerate anxiety. It is recommended not to touch these cats unless absolutely necessary. It’s also not worth picking them up very often. They may not tolerate this and perceive it as an insult. You should pick them up only if they themselves climb with affection. And this, by the way, also happens. But if you tear the sleeping “king” from his sleep, you can run into a harsh answer. Longhaired Scots should be respected and this is no joke. They need to be fed exclusively with special food, preferably foreign. They won't eat from the table. In addition, long-haired Scots have an extremely sensitive digestive system (if they eat cheap food, it can even threaten poisoning). It is recommended to buy food with a note about sensitive digestion. In general, in the case of long-haired kitties, food should be treated with greater responsibility. Veterinarians should be consulted regularly. Let us remind you that almost every pet store has its own doctor. They never charge for consultations and can give a lot of useful advice. Next: Longhaired Scots are domestic cats. They are not adapted to survive on the streets and in dachas. In rural areas, it is highly discouraged to release them into the wild. But running a house is easy. They are even better off in big houses. They perceive this entire territory as their small (or maybe large) kingdom. But on the street they are usually scared. We do not recommend taking them out for walks and forcing them to be friends with other cats. However, even more so with dogs. Once again it is worth mentioning that longhaired Scots are domestic cats; homemade in the truest sense of the word. If you notice that your furry pet has not wanted to sleep in the same bed with you for a long time, this is normal. Long-haired Scots don't do this kind of thing. They are very independent and individual. They will sleep next to each other on a table, on a chair or on a carpet, but not in the bed where the owner lies. And is he the master for such a royal furry? It is likely that the cat himself feels like the owner. And those around are nothing more than his courtiers. Is it true? Maybe yes. Or perhaps not. But in any case, they will not sleep with a person. Despite all the “arrogance”, long-haired Scots are very attached to their owners. Without them, they begin to get very nervous. If the owner leaves for several days, it is already a tragedy for them. They may start to feel sad, even cry. And under no circumstances will they enter the room where their precious one slept. It will be taboo for them. Why do they do this? Perhaps no one knows. But apparently their attachment is really serious. When the owner comes home after a long absence, cats do not express their joy. They may be offended and even turn away. Why, one wonders, did your faithful friend leave you for a whole week? But if you approach them with affection and talk to them, the resentment will immediately melt away. These are our interesting little brothers. It's always a pleasure to study them. And it’s even more pleasant to maintain friendship with them. Longhaired Scots, despite all their oddities, are very kind creatures. They also have something that even many dogs don’t have – unconditional devotion to their owner. If they feel that their friend is in danger, they can intercede. One wonderful example can be given. One man got a job where the boss was fierce like an animal. Moreover, it came to assault. But this man was forced to travel to this job to feed his family. One fine day, leaving for work in the morning, he could not leave the room. His Scotsman blocked his way and wouldn’t let him in. The cat felt that something terrible was going to happen. But the man went anyway and soon regretted his decision. On this day, he was beaten by company employees. But the cat already felt and knew this. Longhaired Scots are very aware of what people say about them. And if, for example, there is a scandal in the family, the cat begins to meow heart-rendingly and scratch the furniture. Thus, he tries with all his might to stop the quarrel. So you need to talk to these cats like people. And they understand everything, absolutely everything that a person says, even though they do not know his language. A person cannot pretend that he loves a cat. He will immediately feel the pretense. And the Scots always respond to love only with love. This is why longhaired Scottish cats should be valued. They are kitties with character, but they are kinder and more faithful, perhaps, no one in the whole world.

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How does a cat perceive sound?

Why are white and blue-eyed cats deaf from birth?

It is a mistake to think that cats respond to the high-frequency “C” sound present in the “kiss-kiss” call. Among different peoples, it differs from the word we are familiar with and does not contain any hissing or high-frequency sounds.

It’s just that our pets have been hearing this sound since infancy, when they are called to a bowl of food, asked to join in the game, or simply caressed. They get used to it as well as to their nickname and respond.

Assumptions

Felines have a well-developed hearing system, and the structure of their ears is very different from that of humans. The auditory system has a complex structure, which allows animals to distinguish a huge number of sounds, thereby orienting themselves on the ground and in the dark. Cats are also good at distinguishing, for example, the sound “s”. However, some peoples of the world do not have this sound in their cat calls.

Felines distinguish a huge number of sounds

At the same time, a hissing sound appears in such languages, similar to the rustling of mice. And cats, as you know, are predators by nature, so they run “after prey.” In fact, these factors are not so important in answering the question: everything is much simpler.

Cat training

Why don't cats always respond to their name?

Not only domestic cats, but also street cats respond to the sound. They know that a weasel may follow this and be fed. A kitten can be taught to respond to any sound consisting of a set of letters.

Pets are easy to train, maybe just slower than dogs. For them, any constantly heard call, even “chick-chick,” will be a sign that a tasty treat will follow.

Habit

In fact, cats have been accustomed to responding to “kitty-kitty” for a long time. The people themselves contributed to this. As you know, all the most stable habits are formed in childhood, kittens are no exception.

Kittens get used to such treatment from childhood.

Since childhood, they hear the notorious “kitty-kitty”, and then receive hugs, affection or something tasty. This is why cats respond to such calls even as adults. If you do not train your pet to do this, it is unlikely that he will run to such a cry. And even more so if he regularly received negative emotions after such a call. The same is true with other animals.

How “kiss-kiss” sounds in different countries around the world

Why do cats bring caught mice and birds to their owners?

In different countries, the familiar “kiss” sounds completely different. Israelis call their pets with the sound “smack-smack.” Czechs and Poles – “chi-chi-chi”. American and English cats respond to “kiri-kiri”, and French cats to “minu-minu”.

In India, they didn’t come up with anything, they simply repeat their “meow-meow” after their furry pets. The Dutch call their pets “puss-puss”.

In Korea, to get a tasty morsel, you have to run to the sound of “nabiya”, in Japan to “oide-oide”. Among Arabs, cats respond to “shoo-shoo,” which is a more familiar sound for us to scare away.

Do cats understand human speech?

It is useless to argue with the fact that cats respond to their names, “kitty-kitty” and other phrases, depending on their living conditions and training. But such “intelligence” is associated primarily with the animal’s memory and conditioned reflexes, and not with the ability to understand language.

Interesting: Why do animals like to be petted? Reasons, photos and videos

The fact is that a cat, like many other animals, can be trained. If you regularly call her by name or call her to you with the standard “kitty-kitty”, the pet will remember these phrases and sounds well and will respond to them. In the same way, a cat is able to remember any other words.

Also, a certain reflex is formed in the animal’s brain. Over time, it begins to understand that after “kiss-kitty” there will be a treat or other pleasant action. That’s why he runs up to the person when he hears familiar sounds. In addition, cats' hearing works selectively. They can sleep peacefully in a room where loud music is playing, but as soon as they quietly say the cherished “kitty-kitty”, the pet will immediately raise its head sharply or, at least, turn its ear towards the source of the sound. The cat remembers that this sound is addressed specifically to it, but the music does not evoke any reflexes. But this does not mean that she does not hear her. To put it bluntly, he just doesn’t want to hear. By the way, humans have similar skills: by concentrating on one action or sound, you can “block” others.

As for the phrase “kitty-kitty,” only the cat that is used to hearing it will react to it. This is a generally accepted way of addressing a pet in our language - it’s more convenient for us.

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Cat lovers take a responsible approach to choosing nicknames for pets, basing the choice on the character of the animal, its habits, and appearance. But no matter what funny or noble name you give your pet, the invariable “kitty-kitty” sounds in every home where these amazing cute creatures live. So, why do cats respond to “kitty-kitty”?

Have you ever wondered why almost every cat you meet responds to the call of “kitty-kitty”/ “ks-ks”? Some do this even more willingly than using their nickname. Let's figure out why this happens and whether all cats really respond to these sounds.

There is a version that all cats react to the high-frequency sound “s”. Others claim that they are attracted to hissing sounds similar to the rustling of mice. But if you try to call a cat abroad, you may not get anything in response to your “kiss-kiss” - the cat won’t even move its ears. This means that the issue is clearly not the “s” sound. And what?

In fact, everything is very simple - in Russia, cats get used to this call, since they hear it from childhood and associate it with something pleasant. By pronouncing the cherished “kitty”, we invite our pet to dinner, to play, to affection. Everything that we can do pleasantly for them - treat them, play, pet them - we ourselves confirm with the sound that has remained unchanged since time immemorial. They remember that when they are called that way, they then give them food or play with them. Then it becomes clear why even street cats in our country respond in the same way as domestic cats to “kitty-kitty.” We just taught them to do it ourselves. Even a child knows how to call these animals, and the child takes an example from us adults. That's why they react to "ks-ks."

Cats are quite difficult to train, but it is not difficult to accustom them to simple sound signals. Owners of expensive breeds are often concerned that their pets respond to the traditional “kiss” and, as a result, may be kidnapped or suffer from cruel treatment by ill-wishers. In this case, knowing that while still a kitten the animal can be trained to respond to a certain set of sounds, you just need to replace “kitty-kitty” with another call. The little pet will learn to respond to any sound, and happily rushes to “chick-chick”, “woof-woof” in the hope of getting a tasty morsel or chasing a candy wrapper on a string.

Signals for cats in different countries

It is informative to find out what calls mustachioed pets respond to in other countries of the world:

In Israel, the Russian “kis” sounds completely different - “smack-smack”.
In Czechoslovakia and Poland you will hear “chi-chi-chi” from “cat people.”
French cats and female cats receive a treat after calling “minu-minu”.
The Americans apparently adopted the “Kiri-Kiri” call from the British, along with the language.
Indian “cat people” didn’t bother racking their brains at all, but simply said “meow-meow” like a cat, i.e. “Who’s going to get a tasty piece now?”
Korean cats receive treats accompanied by a strange "nabiya'-nabiya'."
Japanese “Murziks” are simply fascinated by the magical “Oide-Oide”.
Dutch purrs prefer to be called “puss-puss”.
In Italy, the pussy will only respond to “michu-michu.”
In China, when calling a furry pet, they click “tsk-tsk-tsk.”
Serbian kittens, still fluffy balls, are accustomed to the call “matz-matz-matz”.
In Arabic, they call a murok with the word “shoo-shoo,” which scares us away.

Thus, it turns out that “kiss-kiss” in any language is perceived by a cat as a middle name. And it makes no difference to her whether the owner pronounces her name or says “Oide-Oide”, “Kiri-Kiri” or even “Shoot-Shoot”, the main thing is that the piece is tastier and the hand is gentler.

Where they say “kiss” almost in Russian

With similar calls as in Russia they call furry animals in some countries of the world. In the usual “kiss-kit” they agree with us:

in Sweden - “kys-kys”;
in Germany - “ks-ks”;
in Finland - “kisu-kisu”;
in Ukraine - “kys-kys”.

No matter what language and no matter how strangely you call your mustachioed pets, the answer will always be a joyful “Meow!” But here, too, not everything is so smooth. It turns out that cats respond differently in different countries. Why is this happening? The answer is simple - we, people, voice them ourselves and, according to our language, we divide the sounds of animals in different ways.

What do cats say in different countries?

It is clear that Murki and Murzik all over the world speak the same “cat language,” but it is also interesting how people perceive this sound:

In Sweden and France, cats clearly pronounce “meow”.
In England and Vietnam, it’s almost like ours, but with a foreign accent - “meu”.
In Spain they say “miau” in a drawn-out manner.
Italian mustaches echo them with “miao”.
Korean cats respond to their owner in purely Korean language: “yeong.”
In Japan, polite purrs say "nyan".
Estonian cats meow importantly “nau”.