Cat Chat Feline Forum

Among the various toys my cat has is a ping pong ball, we pass it back and forth together from time to time. The other day I noticed it wasn't where it normally is so I started looking for it. I couldn't find it anywhere. I said to the cat "Find the ball" after a couple of second he got up from where he was laying on the carpet, went behind my desk and along the back of the sofa. I then heard something hard knocking against the skirting board at the far end of the sofa. There was just enough room to get my arm down there and next to his paw was the ping pong ball. Did he really understand me?

He knew. Cats never fail to amaze me.

Of course he knew - probably hid it there to show his superiority as a hunter!

I don't think they always understand words but if a cat is tuned in to you they can read intention very well. One of my cats, if I think her name she almost always turns one ear towards me and if I tell her to relax it's ok when she is alerted by a strange noise or something she often does.

If this ball is important to both of you and he picked up that your attention was focused on it with the intention of having a game with him, he could well make the connection and go and help you find it.

Georgia will lie down when I ask her, especially when it's snuggle time.

Tilly-cat learns by observation. When the dogs were young I taught them to sit and politely take turns for treats. A few days in Tilly, who had been watching carefully, joined the row, sitting neatly - if that was all it took to get something delicious she was not going to miss out!

My Molly knows words. Very soft handclapping and the words 'ininininin' or 'upupupupupupup' get her out of the garden or upstairs. I had to put her upstairs the other day when the grocery delivery came, and the poor driver looked at me as if I was bonkers ...

Well, I am ...

They sure can get to recognise words, especially Teatime! An old girl of mine knew Wait and Huppycome - useful as she was a shoulder climber and it just gave me time to get ready for the big leap without the terrible claw scramble panic.