Does Your Cat Understand You?

Coincidence or intelligence?

On Our Vet’s Wall, photo by Annette Teepe

I have lived with cats since I was very young. I grew up with my parents' two Siamese cats. Through the years, these sweet kitties were followed by shelter kitties. My mom’s home always had at least one cat. I love cats!

We have been the proud cat parents of six different kitties, two of which are still with us. Our first dear baby lived to be almost 20 years old, which is impressive for a kitty. Each kitty has brought their unique personality to our home and taught us something about life.

Today, I took one of our kitties to the vet and told her a recent story, and she shared one of her own. We both wondered how much our kitties understood when we spoke.

Grooming (My Story)

One of our fur babies, shown above, is 16 years old and moving a bit more slowly these days. I wondered aloud how she kept her fur in such good condition when I rarely saw her grooming more than a small portion of herself (her chest). My husband said there was too much fur on the chair for her not to be grooming.

Next thing I know, I look back over, and she is grooming every bit of herself, continuing for about 20 minutes. Did she hear me? Why had I not seen her doing this before? Coincidence? She kept giving me pointed looks. If you have a cat, you know what I mean!

Jumping (My Vet’s Story)

Photo by Kimberly Simona on Unsplash

I told this story to the veterinarian today, and she said that we underestimate how many words cats recognize and that they understand more than we think. I agreed that they understand some words, like “treat”, but “grooming?” I don’t use that word in regular conversation, and not with the cats.

She told me her cat seemed to understand something you wouldn’t expect. One of her kitties, also about 16 years old, liked to climb up to the top of the kitchen cabinets. There is a space between the top and the ceiling, which makes for a great perch. Cats love high places with a great view!

One day, she and her family were discussing how the cat used to climb up there, but didn’t anymore. Her son said, “Maybe the cat is too old?” They shrugged it off and went on their day.

The next day, the cat was peering down from the perch again and seemed to revel in showing the humans this accomplishment. The cat hasn’t repeated this feat, seeming to have shown “I can do that!” and moving on! The message being — I am not too old!

Fun Cat Stories?

If you have fun cat stories where your cat seemed to understand things you didn’t expect, please share! Pet stories are fun to read and talk about! There is a reason cat videos are so popular!

Photo by Nguyen Dang on Unsplash