Our feline companions can learn words and associate images with words much faster than anyone previously thought. The findings are the result of a groundbreaking new study published in Scientific Reports — and the revelations are sure to interest cat people and animal lovers alike.
The research shows cats can link words to pictures after just brief exposure — they only required two nine-second trials showing the image and word pair to make the connection. In comparison, human babies needed four trials with 20 seconds of exposure to understand the link.
Realizing the connection between an image and a word is essential for word learning and understanding language and this ability extends far beyond humans. Studies have shown that bonobo apes can associate words with symbols, some parrots can understand verbal instructions, and companion dogs have been shown to have the capacity to learn the names of objects.
Previous investigations have shown cats can learn the names of their cat friends, recognize the voice of their human companion, and even determine their human’s location based on their voice. But now knowing they can associate words with pictures changes what we thought we knew about cats’ cognitive abilities. The study’s lead author, Saho Takagi, thinks one thing is clear — you should talk to your cats more.
“This study suggests that cats pay attention to human speech and may understand the meaning of words,” Takagi told Newsweek. “It is possible that cats understand much of what humans say, just not react to it.”
Lady Freethinker applauds Saho Takagi and the other Azabu University animal scientists for proving what most human guardians of cats have known for a long time — cats are more intelligent than many people realize.
