Reptile & Amphibian Forums

>>Munchie is cute though. She will "bless me" when I sneeze. She gives out the cutest little meow...totally different than any other meow...whenever I sneeze. The I say 'thank mew" and she meows back slightly differently as if to say "welcome".

LOL!! As soon as I read this, I just had to try it. I've been faking sneezes all morning. So far, no kitty has blessed me. They give me those "What are you doing?" tilted-head looks. Maybe they know I'm faking. Can't wait to sneeze for real and see if it works. Hee hee.
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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

They completely ignore me when I sneeze...
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Bob, Daisy, Karla and the Goldfish

Fluffy replies with a meow whenever I say hello to her, almost everytime I say her name, etc. Speaking of saying her name, whenever I say it, she usually comes running to me. I can't believe that Fluffy actually comes when called! She usually listens to me better than my dog, Dodger, does! It's amazing!

When I say "Hello, Fluf!" she says "Meow". When I say "What?" she says "Meow". When I tell Fluffy "No", she listens to me-- but not without backtalking with a cute "Meow". I can't believe how vocal she is! It's adorable how she is!

Jeopardy hardly ever makes a sound. Octavia greets us at the door with a nagging squawk when we've been gone (Hence, the nickname Squawktavia) and has a definite "nuh uh" when we pick her up and interfere with something she is doing (like stalking Catiya or heading for people food). Catiya has the soft little conversational mews back and forth. Sometimes we can figure out what she wants (the door open so she can bird- or bunnywatch through the glass) but other times she just seems to want us to talk back to her. I wish they would meow when we call them but they don't although sometimes they do come to see what we want.
Once, Catiya got locked in a closet. I had no idea she could meow that loudly but was very glad to hear it and know she could!

>>Fluffy replies with a meow whenever I say hello to her, almost everytime I say her name, etc. Speaking of saying her name, whenever I say it, she usually comes running to me. I can't believe that Fluffy actually comes when called! She usually listens to me better than my dog, Dodger, does! It's amazing!
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>>When I say "Hello, Fluf!" she says "Meow". When I say "What?" she says "Meow". When I tell Fluffy "No", she listens to me-- but not without backtalking with a cute "Meow". I can't believe how vocal she is! It's adorable how she is!

You don't know how great this is!!! PHMeowzers recently had a situation where one of her cats opened a door, and two of them scurried out. Because she had specifically taught them to come when called, all her husband had to do was say, "Come back here," and the cats trotted back in the house.
I have taught my cats many tricks just for fun, but never taught them to come when called. Sometimes when I say their names, they do come to me. Other times they simply look at me or meow a reply. I've just started working on specifically training them to come when called, I'm using the word "come" as a command and training it just like I have other tricks. One cat is catching on, the other is going to need lots more tutoring Hopefully if we ever get in a situation like PHMeowzers did, it will work.
Fluffy sounds like a very sweet kitty!
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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

Gonzo comes when I call out "moobits" but he won't come when he hears his name. Maybe I should change his name to make him look trained.

Stumpy comes running when I say "Dumpy doo I love you" He charges me at top speed and jumps on top of me.

TIgger ignores me.

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As far as talking to me Stumpy talks all the time, or should I say he squeeks. a lot of times he moves his mouth and no sound comes out at all.

Tigger screeches blood curdling howls most all of the time. She especially hates to be picked up.

Gonzo has tons of maine coon sounds. His best sound is his bark. He sounds like a barkless dog. He does the sound when he gets worked up playing hard with his humans. It is kind of like a cough sound.
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Gonzo, Tigger, and Stumpy

Hey, PHCurious. There is more than one way to get your cats to come to you. I'm sure you'll be able to get your cats to come when called, but I also like to have a back-up plan for Fluffy. It's great when cats come when called, but occasionally, even trained cats don't come when called. So, I recommend that everyone teaches their cats this simple trick-- just like I taught Fluffy. This is the back-up plan:

1. Always shake the bag of treats before giving one to your cat.

2. Your cat will learn the sound and will come running to you every time you shake the treat bag.

3. When your cat won't come, shake the treat bag. He/she will come running to you. When your cat comes right away (which she will) give her a treat.

This back-up plan works every time! And as for getting your cats to come when called, always praise them and pet them when they come. Then when you call them, they will think you are going to pet them, and they'll run to you.

I try to think of Fluffy the same way that I think of Dodger. Way too many people think that cats are very different from dogs, but that's not 100% true. Dogs need treats and praise during training; cats do too. Dogs can learn to come when called; cats can too. Plenty of dogs love attention; plenty of cats do too. Cats and dogs and very much the same, yet very much different.

Do you have cat training tips or any kind of tips? I'd love to hear them, and I'm sure others would too. Please post!

>>Do you have cat training tips or any kind of tips? I'd love to hear them, and I'm sure others would too. Please post!

You gave some great tips!! All animals can be taught to do tricks and learn new behaviors. Many people hold the false assumption that only dogs and chimps are capable. Not so! What you outlined above is basically that the key to teaching new behavior is to use reward, not punishment. The trick is to figure out what is rewarding for each animal.

I've taught my cats to do many tricks. Even the not-so-smart kitty can do about six or seven (sit, shake, jump through a tambourine, wave, etc.) The smart one can do even more! The best tip I can give is to hunt down a book called Show-Biz Tricks for Cats. It gives the best and most detailed description of how to teach cats to do tricks that I've ever seen. Unfortunately the book is out of print now. If you ever see it in a used book store or at a garage sale, grab it!
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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

Boris is not much of a talker. He will give a resounding MEOW when he is told "no" for something. He definitely does not like that word. Not that he is spoiled or anything like that.
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Boris's Human, Pam

Just realized I never answered this for my own cats!

One of mine is very smart and talks all the time. Like some others here, he has real conversations. He meows, I reply in words, he replies in meow, and so on. His vocal range is quite large, and it's fairly easy to distinguish what he's trying to communicate with his different meows. He even talks on the phone! Luckily his paws are too fat to dial numbers...

My other kitty really only meows when he wants something specific, usually food. He starts meowing about an hour before breakfast and dinner every day. He'll also meow when he can't find my other cat. Other than that, he's pretty quiet.

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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

SamM is a talker. Of course he meows/yowls/etc. when he wants something, but we've had a few conversations.

He has meow that sounds like "val," when he wants my attention when I'm nearby not paying attention to him and a sharp barking meow that means "no way." We have had a few conversations in the morning when he's demanding I get up and I tell him to shut up. That one would be funny to get on tape.

He's getting to meow? on an upnote (like a question) when I say "water? Sam, water?" and come trotting over to the sink with an inquiring look on his face. I call it his "really?" meow.

He sometimes chirp/meows and/or comes when I call his name. When I play hide and seek with him (I come home from work, greet him, then sneak behind a door when he thinks I'm following him to the bathroom for his water fix), he wanders the condo with a crying mews interposed with sharp meows and mournful meows (where are you? Get yourself out here & take care of me! She came home and just disappeared, poor me.)

I don't always understand his conversation when's he's just yammering away, but then I can tell he sometimes can't figure out my jabbering either, and figuratively shrugs his shoulders as if to say "those humans."

Val
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Sam the Monster Cat from H*LL, a real hunka hunka he-man-kit who ain't afraid of nuthin'.

Captain Video has become increasingly talkative the longer I've had him. He was a stray when I got him, and didn't say much at all, but I talk to him a lot and respond when he meows, so he gradually started meowing more and more. He's quite the chatterbox now.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

Gracie talks to us all the time. When we come home, she is normally asleep upstairs. She starts meowing these long, pitiful cries as she slowly comes down the stairs. Then she gives a last mournful wail and throws herself at our feet to be petted. If you call her name, she often answers. Then she will talk to herself. Sometimes she starts talking at 5:30am. That is not so great, but if I can get her to come up on our bed where I can pet her, she quiets down.

Interestingly, she never talks to Voodoo, though they clearly communicate by nonverbal means. Do your cats ever talk to each other the same way they talk to you?
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ellen

gracie & voodoo

>>Interestingly, she never talks to Voodoo, though they clearly communicate by nonverbal means. Do your cats ever talk to each other the same way they talk to you?
>

Star and Quentin don't talk to each other, either. Any communication is done nonverbally. Star will sometimes hiss and growl at Quentin when he annoys her, but that's as far as the "talking" goes.

Ellen

Star doesn't talk much at all. She'll occasionally meow when she wants food, but mostly she just sits by her bowl. When she wants something, she'll pat me on the leg rather than talk.
Quentin is a bit more talkative. He'll meow loudly when he wants food or attention. He can get very demanding at times. Sometimes he'll walk around the house talking to himself. He's not as vocal as a Siamese breed, but lets me know when he wants something.

Ellen

My cat, Zoe is a 2 year old tortie point, american short haired. She's been pretty talkative from the day I brought her home. She'll talk to me to tell me she's hungry. She replies when I talk to her. She chirps; which I get the most kick out of, and she whines when she doesn't get to come outside when she sees the rest of us out there. She is spoiled and loved at the same time. And she KNOWS this!

>> She is spoiled and loved at the same time. And she KNOWS this!

In my humble opinion, what you have described right there is perfection. Everyone's happy.
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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

My cat is not vocal at all except to say hello in the morning and hello if I have not seen her in a while (a very tiny, tiny meow), or very very rarely, if she is feeling lonely, she will let out a "please pay attention to me" tiny meow. The pay attention to me meow is a little louder and longer than the hello meow.

Did anyone see The Tonight Show last night? I have a feeling Jay Leno's new cat is reading this board. Jay was discussing a new kitty who just moved in. The cat is walking across the phone, stepping on numbers, and making calls. Tee hee. Jay complained that his cat is calling Guam now, but I thought it was cute.

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PHCurious
Cat Chat Host

My Molly meows quite often. She is very talkative in the moring and when I come home from work (probably because she wants me to pay attention to her and feed her). I will talk - or meow back and she has a continued dialogue with me. Molly also has this cute, soft purrring meow - which I call "talking to herself outloud". She only talks like this when she's happy or pleasantly confused (at least that is my take on it), often walking while talking and looking back at who is following her. I now have a little kitten friend for Molly and she talks to him all the time (Ziggy). He is not as vocal yet (is only 7wks old) - but he does make his tiny "meow" heard when he feels left behind. They are very cute and I love them both.