Cats remember not only their own names – scientists have made a new discovery

Researchers at Kyoto University have found that cats can remember the names of people and other animals, associating them with specific individuals. In a series of experiments, animals looked longer at a screen when a heard name did not match the image. Domestic cats showed a stronger reaction than residents of cat cafés.

Researchers at Kyoto University conducted a series of experiments showing that cats can remember the names of people and other animals, associating them with specific individuals. In the first part of the experiment, 48 cats participated: 29 from cat cafés and 19 domestic pets living with at least two other cats. The animals were played a recording of a familiar cat's or person's name, after which a photo was shown. When the name did not match the image, the cats looked at the screen longer, indicating recognition of the mismatch. Domestic cats demonstrated a stronger reaction than residents of cat cafés, which researchers attribute to the stability of the environment. In the second part of the experiment, 26 cats from families with multiple people similarly reacted to a mismatch between a person's name and their photo. The reaction was stronger in cats that had lived longer with their owners. Researcher Saho Takagi noted that the work provides evidence of cats' ability to associate a person's name with their face without special training.