You all have never met my cat.
Look - I’m married, and I’ve tended to regard myself as a dog person my entire life. We got this cat like two years ago because my wife kept talking about a chihuahua, and that is a line I will not cross.
So anyway, we get this cat for her, and he has clearly chosen me as his human. He spends most of his days in my home office. He’s constantly jumping into my lap. If no one else is around, he will loudly beg for my attention. He sleeps next to me. He lets me pick him up and hold him upside down at the furthest extent of my reach. He is my baby cat and I love him.
(It’s okay, we got a very sweet kitten a year ago, and she has clearly chosen my wife as her human. She literally climbs onto her chest and falls asleep with her head on my wife’s shoulder every day.)
hansolo@lemmy.today 19 hours ago
Pets are able to pick up on human language, and can understand dozens of words in whatever language is the default for the house. For the people willing to spend the time and effort to use buttons that make words back, there’s a few instances of dogs and cats both learning a pretty substantial vocabulary and communicating things like likes and dislikes, wants and needs, to their humans using buttons that make the words. Lots of videos online of people with genuine success.
My favorite instance was someone who had the word “litterbox” as a button. When the cat asked for a treat and was denied, it went over, stared at the human, and hit “litterbox.” As a genuine “fuck you” because it was the only “bad” word it had. Cats, and not dogs, apparently also understand that when it’s raining, humans can’t do anything about it. Dogs, apparently, not quite as quick-witted.
wander1236@sh.itjust.works 17 hours ago
Wish my cats knew how rain works
devaly@ani.social 18 hours ago
The cat could also use food / litterbox to report a problem with eating / pooping. I honestly don’t think they would blatantly feel aggression towards being denied food like this. That’s not how any of all my cats worked so far.
hansolo@lemmy.today 16 hours ago
Not aggression. That’s the interesting part. Just displeasure. But displeasure enough to go over and use “litterbox” as a swear.
surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 17 hours ago
And thus, they are better than people. Try telling my kids they can’t have a snack because it’s dinner time, and you’d think the apocalypse was upon us.