The other night I was sitting in the family room and our (formerly) male cat, Zack, was sitting on my lap enjoying me showering affection on him. As I’m petting him I’m talking and, mostly, using his name and telling him how much I love him and what a good cat he is . . . and he is, perhaps, one of the best cats I’ve encountered in my life. He is one of those cats that craves human company and follows us around the house seeking it. He’s really a great cat.
I was just relaxing, no doubt getting as much out of giving affection as Zack was out of receiving it, and I found myself thinking about how I communicate with him. He clearly knows his name, or does he? He responds when I call him, frequently by loping over from wherever he might be to receive a quick pet or a scritch. However, he’ll do that pretty much regardless of whether I’m saying his name or using some other term of endearment – and there are many, including just cooing at him in stupid, abject drooly-talk.
He seems to recognize all of them, so is he responding to his name, one of his many nicknames, some blathering expression of unbridled affection, or just the sound of my voice, which he no doubt also associates with food? Actually, given that I’m not really engaging him in meaningful conversation, does it really matter? He seems to always get the message. Maybe it’s just that he’s a slut for affection. I know all about that :).
Systems Savvy 
May 24th, 2012 at 7:18 am
Our cat always seems to know when he is being talked about, even when he is “asleep”, or at least with eyes closed and unable to see visual cues. I’m sure it has partly to do with subtle changes in the pitch of our voices that we’re unaware of, or hearing the exact direction that our faces are pointed. We rarely ever use his actual name. He always mrowrs as if to say, “I know you’re talking about me. Better not be anything bad.”
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May 24th, 2012 at 4:01 pm
He’s probably actually saying “I sure hope you’re going to refill that food dish pretty soon.”
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December 23rd, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Communication for people = 9% message + 37% tone and inflection + 54% body language. I wonder how this ratio works out for our pets. I guess we’d need to add a 4th variable for scent.
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December 24th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Good point! Scent is obviously important for humans as well, though probably not nearly as nuanced and informative as it is for non-humans. Old Spice, Obsession, Chanel N°5 . . . the list is endless, though I think the message is always related to sex. I think, with non-humans, the message is frequently “where the hell have you been?” or “what have you been up to?”. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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November 29th, 2010 at 9:08 am
Communication for people = 9% message + 37% tone and inflection + 54% body language. I wonder how this ratio works out for our pets. I guess we’d need to add a 4th variable for scent.
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November 29th, 2010 at 11:26 am
Hi Mark – Your comment reminds me there was a much more protracted line of thinking that came with this concept, but it happened very late one night and, by the time I got around to writing about it, I had lost some of what I was thinking. Scent is surely an important part of how many animals, especially domesticated pets, communicate. I also found myself thinking about communication in terms of chemical reactions, DNA sequencing, gravitational influence, etc. I’m still mulling it all over, searching for that Grand Unified Theory of communication I expect to get that Pulitzer . . . or is it a Nobel . . . prize for. Stay tuned! Thanks for the visit and the comment.
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November 23rd, 2010 at 5:53 pm
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Rick Ladd and knowledgetank, knowledgetank. knowledgetank said: The Ubiquity of Communication http://bit.ly/eMEawW #km #kmers […]
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November 23rd, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Awww, hello Zach! So cute, he does sound great. Who says cats are aloof and don’t need us humans?
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November 29th, 2010 at 11:31 am
Hi Trisha – Thanks for dropping by and commenting. Zack’s sister, Weezy, is pretty aloof but I think that’s in part because he’s managed to terrorize her over the years. She just no longer is comfortable being touched, though she’s getting better.
As laid back and gentle as he is with us and the children, he’s a monster when it comes to his sister. I’ve had to smack him around a bit to try and get him to leave her alone. She just sees him sometimes and immediately hisses a warning, which he is just as likely to ignore, especially since he’s got to be 25% more massive than she is. Ah, the complexity of it all.
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