Turning to cats, people are accustomed to using the standard phrase “kitty-kitty”. There is a feeling that every cat is inherently obliged to respond to such a phrase and understand what is required of it. But are all the representatives of the feline breed “kitty-kitty” acting the same way?

How do cats perceive sounds?

Cats have a well-developed hearing. They are able to distinguish much more sounds than humans. The organ of hearing consists of three sections: the outer, middle and inner ear. The resulting impulses are sent to the center of hearing located in the brain.

A characteristic feature of animals is directed hearing. The ear "sorts" all surrounding noise. Surely the owners of cats had to notice how actively they move their ears. Moreover, the ears can rotate in different directions independently of each other. Thus, the animal responds to two sounds simultaneously. The flexibility of the auricle is ensured by a large group of muscles, due to which it rotates almost 180 degrees.

The cat's ear contains about 52,000 nerve endings that pick up sounds. Sensitive hearing allows the cat to navigate in space even with his eyes closed or in complete darkness. It recognizes the strength, pitch, deletion of sound and, based on this information, clearly understands where the noise source is located.

Interesting fact: Cats cannot produce ultrasound because they don’t have an appropriate organ, but they can clearly hear it.The range of frequencies perceived by cats varies between 45 Hz - 64000 Hz (according to some reports up to 100000 Hz). This skill is used by animals during hunting.

Do cats understand human speech?

It is useless to argue that cats respond to their names, “kitty-kitty” and other phrases, depending on living conditions and training. But such an "intellect" is associated primarily with the memory of the animal and conditioned reflexes, and not the ability to understand the language.

The fact is that a cat, like many other animals, can be trained. If you regularly call her by name or call on yourself with the standard “kitty-kitty”, the pet will remember these phrases, sounds well and will respond to them. In the same way, a cat can remember any other words.

Also, a certain reflex is formed in the animal’s brain. Over time, it begins to understand that after the “kis-kis” a treat or other pleasant action will follow. Therefore, it runs up to a person after hearing familiar sounds. In addition, hearing in cats works selectively. They can sleep peacefully in a room where loud music is playing, but if they cherish the coveted “kitty-kitty” quietly, the pet will immediately raise its head sharply or, at least, turn its ear to the sound source. The cat remembers that this sound is addressed specifically to her, and the music does not cause any reflexes. But this does not mean that she does not hear her. Roughly speaking, she just doesn’t want to hear. By the way, similar skills are peculiar to a person: concentrating on one action or sound, you can “block” others.

As for the phrase “kitty-kitty”, only the cat who is used to hearing it will react to it. This is a common version of the appeal to the pet for our language - it’s more convenient for us.

How are cats called up in other countries?

Residents of other countries use very different forms, which may seem very strange. For example, among the most unusual “shu-shu” in Japan, “mine-mine” in France, “write-write” in Azerbaijan. Each language has its own “feline” call, to which animals react in a similar way. Moreover, if a pet who knows “kitty-kitty” is contacted “min-min” for two weeks with subsequent refreshments, he will get used to it and will respond.

Interesting fact: In general, “kitty-kitty” is considered a successful treatment. The whistling sound “c” contains an ultrasonic component, so the cat hears it very clearly and loudly. At the same time, other representatives of the cat family (lions, leopards, tigers) do not respond to “kitty-kitty”, because they are not familiar with these sounds and they do not develop a conditioned reflex.

Cats respond to "kitty-kitty", because with the frequent use of this phrase by a person, they develop a conditioned reflex. Kiss-kis is usually followed by a treat or a caress. The phrase also contains the whistling sound “c”, which contains ultrasonic components, and the cat’s ear perfectly recognizes them. In countries where other languages ​​are spoken, other references are used. For example, the French "mine-mine", Japanese "shu-shu" and Azerbaijani "write-write" sound especially unusual for us.In general, a cat can likewise get used to any word or sound that will be often used and cause reflexes.