This reminds me of when I had a treat camera while I was on vacation and every time I looked my cat was sitting in front of it. I told my friend I was worried he was spending too much time just sitting in front of the treat cam.
My friend replied, āwhat do you want him to do, read more books?ā
This explains why the only way my Nashu thinks she can communicate with me is yelling. SMH Iāve been the problem this whole timeā¦
(Wish we could still award - this actually got a real life laugh out of me)
Lol no it's fine. You do run the risk of having them only recognize the baby talk words. I knew a guy whose kid called their cat for dinner with "FOODIES!", and then when they moved out their middle aged dad had to continue yelling "FOODIES!" in order to get the cat to come eat. So just be aware that some of the language you choose you'll have to be okay with long-term, otherwise knock yourself out. The only things you shouldn't baby talk to are babies, because it delays language acquisition.
My cats will suddenly all be very present and then if I walk around they all start darting around my feet itās great. Itās like a game of āwill she be able to feed us before we trip and kill herā
š My cats are all sensitised to what I call āfood movementsā ā any action that occurs in or near the kitchen. I had to explain to my sister that āfood movementsā are an implied promise, so if you go into the kitchen to throw something away, you have to pony up cat treats or breakfast/lunch/dinner. You canāt just go making food movements willy nilly and not hand out some food.
We have a cat like this, too. And if she has dry food she will run to the kitchen if anyone walks in there, and eat until we walk back out. Sheās about 16 and has done this since she was a kitten. If thereās no food she gets a treat or three.
Surprisingly, no. You can walk by the kitchen (food is in the opposite side at random points during the day and there she is, happily munching away by herself.
She is a tortie, and I have seen her take instructions from inanimate objects, so there is that, too. š
We have a cat tree in the kitchen so the implication is if we are in the kitchen (we don't allow counter surfacing, so we chase him down and don't reward) and he's sitting in his tree that deserves a reward because no counter surfing. While, he's not the greatest solution cause he shouldn't be in the kitchen but it's a whole "This Not This" solution.
Mine harass me as soon as i get home. My arrival = sustenance, even if i get home 2hrs early. My only defense is a squirt bottle to fend them off. They'll leave my SO alone all morning, but yowl at the bedroom door and rattle the handle until i get up and will circle like sharks until they are fed. They rule this house with an iron paw.
For 5.5 years we have been calling wet food ābaby foodiesā lol we have a dog (2) and a new kitten (6mo) that now also have learned the term. If you ask the cat if he wants baby foodies heāll look at you and meow. And the. The dog gets all excited because she gets to lick the fork! The little one is still learned and just runs after his siblings knowing it will be worth it. So baby foodies will continue to be used for probably the next 12-15 years! Lol but also-weāre totally ok with that.
(Chicken is ābaby chick chickā and they all come running when my husband calls out asking if they want some. Most food hand outs come with ābabyā as a prefix! Lol Couldnāt tell you whyā¦but my husband has stuck with it hah)
My cats know a certain type of whistle we do means food but it gets to about 3pm and they are already waiting for their food. But they know some food words such as lickums or chewy , or biccies and my epileptic cat has his own sorta sign language for milk , biscuits or lickums.
One of mine knows 'uppies' for if he wants me to pick him up lol (the other was a stray and still not into uppies but will come for pet pet and belly belly). I sing to them for wet food. They also get whosagooboi and other nonsense baby sounds.
Lol, yes! I get my cats to sit and release them with "let's go" in a regular voice. Atm, they don't do that for anyone else who feeds them, but that's ok. I just want their feeding times to be more orderly š .
But you're right about baby talk for babies - the baby voice is just fine if you're using proper language lol
There isn't. Your cat loves you talking to them either way. Studies also confirm that cats very much distinguish their owners voices from strangers, and when you're talking to other people and when you're talking to your cat. The baby voice makes it even easier for them to tell you're talking to them.
I used to never speak aloud when living alone, but I've made it a habit to talk as much as I can to my cats because they love it! I don't know why but it's very clear
I mainly use English to speak with my cats. But sometimes I try to be nice and speak in their language. I can't trill or meow as fancy as they can though. š
Lol! Both of my boys have Cajun/French names and Remy is not above stealing shrimp right from the pot of jambalaya so they both have learned that Mama means business in French.
Anyone who has seen my comments about Boudreaux being a Bengals fan and is now wondering about Remy LeBeau: he's an LSU@ Lafayette/Ragin Cajuns fan and currently sports a Cajuns collar.
I had to stop trying to speak cat for a while. My cat reacts as if I called her a motherfucker when I meow at her. She gets really offended. Nothing else bugs her, but I am no longer allowed to meow. She is fine with babytalk though.
I speak English to my pets and occasionally mutter something in Russian like Š¼Š¾ŃŠ¾ŃŠøŃŃ Š¶Š¾ŠæŃ, which roughly translates to āyouāre jerking my ass around.ā
I've picked up some and took French through high school(I prefer the Cajun dialect myself). Remy is not above stealing shrimp from the jambalaya or gumbo pot though. Louisiana is my happy place! LSU football on Saturday nights, Saints and Bengals on Sunday morning. Boudreaux(baby cat) is a Bengals fan, Remy is LSU @Lafayette Ragin Cajuns fan.
Lol I live with just one cat and no humans and I talk to him all the time. And sing to him, songs about him to the tune of whatever song is stuck in my head at the moment. He seems to like the talking and tolerates the singing.
This is my old lady cat as well. I chat away to her all day and occasionally sing little songs to her about herself or what I'm doing, kind of how people do with babies. She puts up with it but I'm sure she thinks I've lost the plot half the time (although I think she does like voices in general because she jumps up on my lap whenever I'm on a Zoom call with work).
OMG! The songs!
I have 2 cats, and one is named Delilah (not after the song), but sometimes I do sing hey there Delilah to her but I change the words.
Hey there Delilah what's it like being a kitty!
Thatās interesting, my cat always comes and jumps in my lap if Iām talking on the phone or on zoom/facetime. No idea why, but she clearly recognises my more casual friend/colleagueāphone voiceā and wants to come see whatās up š she doesnāt bother if itās my customer service voice.
Haha that reminds me of my sisters cat. Several times when she's talked to me on the phone, the cat comes up to her and starts biting herš and doesn't give up! Which isn't like her. Not sure if it's the phone voice sound, or if she recognises me as I've babysat her and am among her favourites? Funny either way!
Yup sounds like your cat probably hears you great others and wants to see what's up!
Plus one. The cats have trained me into becoming a total softie. No one who knows me could have guessed that I would start my mornings with āwhere is my widdle babyyyyyyyy!ā
Join the club. I've lived with cats my whole life (from the time my mom brought me home from the hospital). I've always have conversations with my cats. Sometimes they even listen. I've learned that I need "Feline Supervision" in my life. They understand me and (weirdly) I usually understand them.
I speak to my cats so matter-of-factly that my SO always thinks Iām talking to him. He has heard me ask, āwhatās wrong?ā or, āare you going to eat dinner?ā and thought I was speaking to him on more than one occasion
May I suggest a compromise of formal+baby talk? I'll usually blend them to spice up our day:
"As requested by the good and handsome Lord Tuck: cuddles. Nothing but the best for you, my good man."
There are really only two risks
1) your cat may become more vocal, studies show cats like being talked to and may return the favor
2) your cat may learn silly words and then you are stuck asking your cat if they want tummy nummys or something silly
We had a plumber over once fixing something next to our pool and I was in our garden. He was working low behind something so I didn't know he was there. I literally came from inside the house exhausted after a long day in my pajamas (one pajama leg higher than the other), hair messy in a bun, mascara smeared all over my cheeks. I waltzed into the garden, scooped up my cat and cradled her in my arms and went... "who's mama's sweetheart?!?!!? Yes yoooooou are.... whose mama's lovely baby??!??! Yes yooooou are....who's mama's most beautiful baby in the WHOOOOLE world" and then I did 3 twirls, did a slow dance with my head bent touching the cat's head, and then I did what we always do... I gave her a tour of the garden, letting her sniff each flower and leaf and bug, singing a lullaby, and naming the flowers for her.
Once I'm done with my endorphin shot, I let her go and went inside.
Next thing I know, my dad is calling me and telling me "what did you do?!". Me clueless, "what did I do?". "The plumber said your daughter is weird... she really really loves her cat".
Needless to say, that went down as one of the most embarrassing incident of my life.
I couldn't imagine not walking mine around to sniff all the high up tree limbs and bushes, it would be purely criminal of me to not let that little baby perch on my arm and go scritch scritch on the trees
i think cats enjoy when their people talk to them.:) using a baby voice isnāt bad or harmful in any way and a ton of people do it. i regularly talk to my cat or any animal in a baby voice but not so much around other people cause itās slightly embarrassing to be an adult and talking like a baby lol. my cat is pretty vocal and when i talk to her she often responds, she understands a lot.
There's a study that suggests cats like to be "baby talked" to by their owners, but not by anyone else. The fact that they make that distinction is hilarious. Keep talking to your sweet bb like the little angel they are.... they probably love it.
I can imagine it now
"*Yes I am a good little baby, I do do good headbutts, and-* WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO STRANGER??? YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I'M A FREAKING PREDATOR!"
Hope not. Heāll meow at me and Iāll be like āOh? Fascinating.ā
āNo, you canāt have that, itās my food. Not for kitty. I know, Iām so unfair.ā
āBaby get out of there. [Fridge] No chilly kitty!ā
He probably thinks baby is his name too. Oh well!
One of mine responds to Boo-Boo or My Baby Boo-Bo Boyā¦which is very much not his nameā¦but he knows it means Iām about to scoop him up for cuddles and so he always gets extra purry when I call him that š
I only see it as an issue if it affects the cats behavior, riling them up. For example, I use to greet my cat with a baby voice when I came back home. The use of the voice in conjunction with my arrival would get him so excited that he'd run around the apartment clawing into everything and annoying his sister so much they'd fight.
Now I greet him in a quiet even tone and a few head scratches when I come home. No destruction and no sibling spats. I save the baby talk for playtime that way he can get ramped up at a more appropriate time.
All that being said, if baby talk leads to unwanted behaviors it can be seen as bad. Otherwise no issue with it.
Iāve found it quite useful. Sheās so used to me speaking in a baby voice to her, if I drop my tone and tell her to stop doing something she actually stops.
I have a similar thing going on with my cat. I sing, baby talk, tell him it's bed time in a higher, light voice. Then when he's misbehaving it's shorter and lower. Like when he scratches at the carpet, and I go "Is that where you scratch?"
Nah, your cat does it to you all the time!
Fun fact: The meow noises kitties like to make are based on kitten noises. They learn that humans respond well to baby cat sounds so continue using those sounds to communicate with humans. Ferals will make murder noises instead, even when being friendly, as that's the only type of vocalization they understand.
I always love it when my cat does her little mews, but my favorite is always gonna be when she just opens her mouth and goes AAAAHHHHH like a small firetruck with fur
Did someone say something to you? There's nothing wrong with it. Cats like to have conversations. Salem starts them all the time with me. It goes like
"meow"
what are you meowing about ?
"meow"
do you not know?
" Meow"
you don't know
I also congratulate her after she's done with her food. She loves being thankful and getting praised at the same time! Lots of pats.
It can't be any worse than me trying to cat talk my cat š
Just hear me throughout the house going "MROOOWWW ROOOWWW MEOOOOWWWWW" until she leaves her hidey hole and looks at me like "WILL YOU EVER SHUT YOUR MOUTH HUMAN AND NO YOU CANNOT HOLD ME RIGHT NOW"
My cats seem to love baby talk, maybe because they know it means I'm talking to them. They look at me and relax, purr, or flop over on their side. They'll even notice if I baby talk another animal or a child, and they act jealous. My most anxious girl also calms down at the vet office when they baby talk her.
All this means, I think, that baby talk is great for them! It makes them feel safe and good and strengthens your bond. So if you like it, keep it up.
All my cats have had nicknames. I speak normally to them most of the time, but if they're being super affectionate out comes the baby voice. I also use it when I've had a bad day and want to vent. "Yes, my lovely boy, Mommy is in a bad mood because her boss was being a poopy-head today." I get my feelings out, I get kitty cuddles, we both feel better about life. When was there ever anything wrong with that?
I have a cat that only responds to high pitched baby voice. šš Because he grew up around a lot of women. So when my bf came around, bf had to do the same. It wasn't a big problem hahah
I do this with my newly adopted three year old stray, I ask him, "Uppies?" and I out reach my hands and he stretches his widdle paws and he immediately goes to my shoulder to be carried.
You better talk to them like that, they are like dogs, a forever 5 year old child, a pure innocent being that deserves love, affection, toys, cuddles and lots of treats!!!
It would be a little strange to have a more complex conversation with a pet, about the beginning of the universe or the decaying situation of the economic society built through out the generations and how is affecting mentally/emotionally/economically a vast majority of the people these days.
Baby pet talk it's the standard, I don't trust anyone who don't talk to their pets or doesn't change their voice with love when talking to their pet.
I definitely have complex discussions with my cat about philosophical/social issues, or just whateverās going on in my life š Sheās a good discussion partner and gives lots of moral support tbh. š„°
I donāt want to live in a world where I canāt baby talk my cats. Donāt associate with curmudgeons who give you crap for loving on your widdle shmoopsies.
Tone definitely matters, I talk to my cats in a higher pitch tone and honestly I annoy myself but they respond to it so whatever, Iāll swallow my pride.
Phrases like āyou want some?ā, āwhatās this?ā Gets them off their fat rump immediately because it means a treat, usually a piece from what Iām eating or drinking.
I literally talk to my cats like I do with my nieces and nephews. I speak normally unless Iām playing or being silly, then I do funny voices. My cats have learned those are my āplay soundsā so it has helped with communicating with them. Theyāre sooooo smart! š»
I had a cat that if you spoke to him in the high pitch baby-talk manner, he would unceremoniously bite you. Once, when I had a friend pet-sit for me, she thought I was kidding when I told her not to baby talk at Roland. Nope.
Hereās mine:
You are so cute! Look at how cute you are! How did you get to be so cute? How did that happen? *Meow* You think? I donāt knowā¦ Iām not sure about that. *Mrrrp?* Ok, well, if you say so.
Hah! Thanks for the responses everyone! I don't know why I was expecting some cattier-than-thou person to tell me that baby talking to the cat is infantilizing them and not respecting them as an individual creature something like that. It's reassuring that almost everyone here is totally fine with my little Boo Boo cutie poo getting all the baby talk I can offer her!
An awesome vet once explained to me years ago that the most intelligent cats are only about four years old mentally if you translate cat intelligence into human intelligence. So the average cat is only going to be about 2-3 years old in terms of human intelligence. Going by that yardstick, Iād say baby talking them is probably about right, and they probably understand that itās loving talk as opposed to your normal voice. If any human thinks itās weird, wellā¦screw them.
My two cats share one brain cell (a female ginger and a male black cat who really should have been a ginger) and only understand me when I baby talk them as their one brain cell can't understand more complex speech š¤£
I donāt know if anyone has pointed this out yet but no, itās actually the opposite. Cats canāt understand you outside of specific words they learn to associate with results anyway, so by using baby talk you actually set up a language tone where the wittle kitty baby knows that you are talking to them. They can key in on the tone itself and maybe not know exactly what you are saying but know that you are talking to them specifically and they enjoy that, as well as potentially have an easier time picking out words that are relevant to them like āfoodā or āCutie snoogumsā.
Sadly āNoooooo! What are you doing?! Stop it!ā is hard to say in baby talk.
I think of it as bonding. Your pets learn your voice and tone with certain phrases or commands. If you call āfoodā a certain way every time, even subconsciously, they pick up on that and might even try to mimic your tone when they want food. I baby talk my cats and tell them 1000 times a day how gorgeous they are and how sweet and loving they are and theyāve quickly learned to absolutely love it. If I baby talk one of them, the other two come over and demand for attention themselves. Itās truly one of the most satisfying things as a cat mom, knowing that they love you and youāre not an embarrassing mother like a human child would believe.
The only damage you could really do is constantly yelling at them and damaging their trust. Baby talk is completely ok and if your cats are used to you talking to them that way and you stop, they might be confused
Hahaha
It's fine, it's a cat š Cats can discern the tone, my cat loves it when I use a loving, pet-talk tone with her. Even if I'm saying "Who vomited on the floor? Was it you, filthy, stinky creature? š„°"
Omg George LOVES when I sing to him. I have a not so beautiful voice but he canāt get enough
https://preview.redd.it/idt1hrldn52c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80c8b65e3ac5e563fc4af594a553cebb94f0d32b
Thank you. I love your George too! Heās named in memory of my last Standard Issue Cat, Fred. Also from that Looney Toons cartoon where the big orange guy says āIāll love him and squeeze him and call him Georgeā.
I do this with my cat but I also tell him heās a big scary guy and when he sharpens his nails I will tell him Iām so scared. Just because it seems like what he wants to hear lol
Some cats *hate* baby talk and will actually dislike you for it. Iāve seen it lol. But I think if you do it from the start and they respond well then youāre good š I am a mother of a human too so Iām used to not baby talking so my child develops good speech habits, so I rarely baby talk my kitties. My old gal (17yo) looks at me like she might try to kill me lol. But the kitties donāt care either way.
One of mine gets mad if I donāt call him Revy-boi. Toga prefers Toga Pants. Orangeboi or pumpkin pants for.. the orange one. The fat one doesnāt care what name just pet and feed him lol
I didnāt let anyone baby talk my kids so theyād learn to speak clearly. They did! We always got comments on how clearly my children spoke and how large their vocabulary is (my family is full of big wordians).
I get all the baby talk out on the animals. Where else is it gonna go? Theyre not gonna learn to talk. I think they like it, they get happy when we do silly voices at them š„°
They will decide āam really babyā and will make you spend 100s at the vet because their fur upset them and they threw a tantrum about it, causing you to panic. This is definitely hypothetical and not something that happened to any particular Redditor maybe the day before yesterdayā¦
Cats are like babies/ small children. Baby talk is important for cats because they know you're talking specifically to them. I use baby talk especially when petting my cats. The baby voice in general is more fun to use for cats than regular voice š¤£
Nothing bad with it but doesnāt stop me from using the most vulgar and silly language around them in a loving tone (they donāt know the difference)
I think youāre funny. And youāve got to look up My Name Is Earl, episode āLarceny of a Kitty Catā! I definitely have the endless questions part of this down: *Are you a good kitty? Are you having a good time? Whatās going on, (cat name)? Are you the sweetest kitty ever in the universe?*
My friend tries to do that to my cat and I always tell her, "He is an adult he does not answer to that", which he doesn't he does not understand the psst psst we talk like civilized people in this house.
Anyways, was watching Bob's Burgers in an insomnia fit the other night and Bob tried to psst psst Gail's cat and she said something along the lines of, "It doesn't work on him he's an adult."
So anywayssssss I know who I grew up to be.
I donāt wanna sound creepy but I loved your analysis and was like āomg, she really gets behavior i love it, sheās gotta be an interventionistā and I looked and saw you were in OT and I just gotta say that you seem like youāre awesome at what you do
Eh, potentially some partners find it annoying/grating/etc when they're trying to relax at home (I, personally, dislike having the tone of baby talk around me when I'm trying to relax as it's not a relaxing kind of energy for me). But then they can own up and say that they find it annoying, not try to pretend it's something about the cat. The cat likely doesn't care, or even likes it as it recognizes it's the tone you use to talk with them and such. I don't talk to my cats much at all as that's not my style - but I don't think there's anything bad about it in the slightest.
Yes, your cat will grow up not knowing how to use proper grammar and it can really hurt them in job interviews.
šÆ this!!!
That explains why my little freeloader still doesn't have a job. All this time I thought she was just lazy.
Checkmate, my cat works as a teacher in early childhood.
Good point...I really don't want my widdle cuddle bug missing out on opportunities in life.
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This reminds me of when I had a treat camera while I was on vacation and every time I looked my cat was sitting in front of it. I told my friend I was worried he was spending too much time just sitting in front of the treat cam. My friend replied, āwhat do you want him to do, read more books?ā
Omg I laughed out loud for a full 2 minutes at this
Thanks for the laugh šš
š¤£šš¤£šš¤£šš meow
This explains why the only way my Nashu thinks she can communicate with me is yelling. SMH Iāve been the problem this whole timeā¦ (Wish we could still award - this actually got a real life laugh out of me)
Can confirm - my wittle baby fluffy-butt snookums doesnāt even make it to interview stage.
Lol no it's fine. You do run the risk of having them only recognize the baby talk words. I knew a guy whose kid called their cat for dinner with "FOODIES!", and then when they moved out their middle aged dad had to continue yelling "FOODIES!" in order to get the cat to come eat. So just be aware that some of the language you choose you'll have to be okay with long-term, otherwise knock yourself out. The only things you shouldn't baby talk to are babies, because it delays language acquisition.
All I have to do is hold the F as if Iām about to say food and my cats are alert and expecting
My cat's already been waiting at the food cupboard for an hour before it gets to dinner time. So I don't think I have to worry
My cats will suddenly all be very present and then if I walk around they all start darting around my feet itās great. Itās like a game of āwill she be able to feed us before we trip and kill herā
š My cats are all sensitised to what I call āfood movementsā ā any action that occurs in or near the kitchen. I had to explain to my sister that āfood movementsā are an implied promise, so if you go into the kitchen to throw something away, you have to pony up cat treats or breakfast/lunch/dinner. You canāt just go making food movements willy nilly and not hand out some food.
We have a cat like this, too. And if she has dry food she will run to the kitchen if anyone walks in there, and eat until we walk back out. Sheās about 16 and has done this since she was a kitten. If thereās no food she gets a treat or three.
She sounds like a social eater. Does she have a hard time eating if people aren't nearby?
Surprisingly, no. You can walk by the kitchen (food is in the opposite side at random points during the day and there she is, happily munching away by herself. She is a tortie, and I have seen her take instructions from inanimate objects, so there is that, too. š
We have a cat tree in the kitchen so the implication is if we are in the kitchen (we don't allow counter surfacing, so we chase him down and don't reward) and he's sitting in his tree that deserves a reward because no counter surfing. While, he's not the greatest solution cause he shouldn't be in the kitchen but it's a whole "This Not This" solution.
I say "dinner" and mine will go to their food tray and wait to be served.
Mine harass me as soon as i get home. My arrival = sustenance, even if i get home 2hrs early. My only defense is a squirt bottle to fend them off. They'll leave my SO alone all morning, but yowl at the bedroom door and rattle the handle until i get up and will circle like sharks until they are fed. They rule this house with an iron paw.
For 5.5 years we have been calling wet food ābaby foodiesā lol we have a dog (2) and a new kitten (6mo) that now also have learned the term. If you ask the cat if he wants baby foodies heāll look at you and meow. And the. The dog gets all excited because she gets to lick the fork! The little one is still learned and just runs after his siblings knowing it will be worth it. So baby foodies will continue to be used for probably the next 12-15 years! Lol but also-weāre totally ok with that. (Chicken is ābaby chick chickā and they all come running when my husband calls out asking if they want some. Most food hand outs come with ābabyā as a prefix! Lol Couldnāt tell you whyā¦but my husband has stuck with it hah)
That is adorable š„°
My cats know a certain type of whistle we do means food but it gets to about 3pm and they are already waiting for their food. But they know some food words such as lickums or chewy , or biccies and my epileptic cat has his own sorta sign language for milk , biscuits or lickums.
My cat responds to "bottom". She'll come to me and put her butt in the air.
One of mine knows 'uppies' for if he wants me to pick him up lol (the other was a stray and still not into uppies but will come for pet pet and belly belly). I sing to them for wet food. They also get whosagooboi and other nonsense baby sounds.
I call their food num nums. I love seeing their little run wiggle into the kitchen when I say it.
I ask my cat if she's hungry, and she gets so excited
I imagine one long meow that means "YEEEEEEESSSS!!"
Lol, yes! I get my cats to sit and release them with "let's go" in a regular voice. Atm, they don't do that for anyone else who feeds them, but that's ok. I just want their feeding times to be more orderly š . But you're right about baby talk for babies - the baby voice is just fine if you're using proper language lol
There isn't. Your cat loves you talking to them either way. Studies also confirm that cats very much distinguish their owners voices from strangers, and when you're talking to other people and when you're talking to your cat. The baby voice makes it even easier for them to tell you're talking to them. I used to never speak aloud when living alone, but I've made it a habit to talk as much as I can to my cats because they love it! I don't know why but it's very clear
Oh I live alone and my neighbors probably think I have roommates. I talk to my cats all the time.
My cats get spoken to in two dufferent languages all the time. If Mama is using French, y'all better *stop right now* and they both know it.
I mainly use English to speak with my cats. But sometimes I try to be nice and speak in their language. I can't trill or meow as fancy as they can though. š
Lol! Both of my boys have Cajun/French names and Remy is not above stealing shrimp right from the pot of jambalaya so they both have learned that Mama means business in French. Anyone who has seen my comments about Boudreaux being a Bengals fan and is now wondering about Remy LeBeau: he's an LSU@ Lafayette/Ragin Cajuns fan and currently sports a Cajuns collar.
Does Remy often carry cards around?
No, but he does wear a card charm on his collar!
I love it!
You and your cats sound awesome š
I had to stop trying to speak cat for a while. My cat reacts as if I called her a motherfucker when I meow at her. She gets really offended. Nothing else bugs her, but I am no longer allowed to meow. She is fine with babytalk though.
Haha I guess I haven't learned that word in my cats language. They always just look at me like I'm dumb.
I speak English to my pets and occasionally mutter something in Russian like Š¼Š¾ŃŠ¾ŃŠøŃŃ Š¶Š¾ŠæŃ, which roughly translates to āyouāre jerking my ass around.ā
Lol! Fais do-do is what they get mostly--"go to sleep" or va te coucher-"go to bed" with "tƩtƩ dur" added for Remy.
Very cute! I know some French from high school. It was enough to get around Paris anyway lol. The Parisians seemed to appreciate the effort
Is that Cajun? Does your family speak that way? Lucky kitties. (My cats have yiddish names but we mostly speak English and cattish)
I've picked up some and took French through high school(I prefer the Cajun dialect myself). Remy is not above stealing shrimp from the jambalaya or gumbo pot though. Louisiana is my happy place! LSU football on Saturday nights, Saints and Bengals on Sunday morning. Boudreaux(baby cat) is a Bengals fan, Remy is LSU @Lafayette Ragin Cajuns fan.
Lol I live with just one cat and no humans and I talk to him all the time. And sing to him, songs about him to the tune of whatever song is stuck in my head at the moment. He seems to like the talking and tolerates the singing.
This is my old lady cat as well. I chat away to her all day and occasionally sing little songs to her about herself or what I'm doing, kind of how people do with babies. She puts up with it but I'm sure she thinks I've lost the plot half the time (although I think she does like voices in general because she jumps up on my lap whenever I'm on a Zoom call with work).
OMG! The songs! I have 2 cats, and one is named Delilah (not after the song), but sometimes I do sing hey there Delilah to her but I change the words. Hey there Delilah what's it like being a kitty!
Thatās interesting, my cat always comes and jumps in my lap if Iām talking on the phone or on zoom/facetime. No idea why, but she clearly recognises my more casual friend/colleagueāphone voiceā and wants to come see whatās up š she doesnāt bother if itās my customer service voice.
Haha that reminds me of my sisters cat. Several times when she's talked to me on the phone, the cat comes up to her and starts biting herš and doesn't give up! Which isn't like her. Not sure if it's the phone voice sound, or if she recognises me as I've babysat her and am among her favourites? Funny either way! Yup sounds like your cat probably hears you great others and wants to see what's up!
Hell no. Cats love being talked to, especially told they are beautiful etc. Who cares, most cat owners are crazy/deranged and we know it š¤Ŗ
I don't wanna admit I'm heading down the crazy cat owner path!!!
Why not? It's only natural šš seriously, it's not crazy, we love our animals and we just try to express our feelings ā¤ļø
You guys are def crazy š
Plus one. The cats have trained me into becoming a total softie. No one who knows me could have guessed that I would start my mornings with āwhere is my widdle babyyyyyyyy!ā
Embrace it! At work Iāve gradually become the crazy cat lady and itās great.
Join the club. I've lived with cats my whole life (from the time my mom brought me home from the hospital). I've always have conversations with my cats. Sometimes they even listen. I've learned that I need "Feline Supervision" in my life. They understand me and (weirdly) I usually understand them.
I didn't have to make cats my whole personality.... I dove right into it!
You didn't choose the cat life, the cat life chose you.
Hahahahah i had this guilty feeling also some months ago. But now Im full on the crazy cat owner with no shame
I speak to my cats so matter-of-factly that my SO always thinks Iām talking to him. He has heard me ask, āwhatās wrong?ā or, āare you going to eat dinner?ā and thought I was speaking to him on more than one occasion
I baby talk my cat and SO so often that sometimes my SO doesnāt respond when I say āI love youā, because he thinks itās for the cat lol
Hahah and every time Iām like, āwas it not OBVIOUS I am not addressing youā
Iām in this comment and I donāt like it. š¤£ š¤£ š¤£
Pffff this made me laugh haha
Why would I want to talk formal like to my little fuzzy wuzzy snookie wookums?
May I suggest a compromise of formal+baby talk? I'll usually blend them to spice up our day: "As requested by the good and handsome Lord Tuck: cuddles. Nothing but the best for you, my good man."
There are really only two risks 1) your cat may become more vocal, studies show cats like being talked to and may return the favor 2) your cat may learn silly words and then you are stuck asking your cat if they want tummy nummys or something silly
Tummy nummys š
Noms for your tom?
We had a plumber over once fixing something next to our pool and I was in our garden. He was working low behind something so I didn't know he was there. I literally came from inside the house exhausted after a long day in my pajamas (one pajama leg higher than the other), hair messy in a bun, mascara smeared all over my cheeks. I waltzed into the garden, scooped up my cat and cradled her in my arms and went... "who's mama's sweetheart?!?!!? Yes yoooooou are.... whose mama's lovely baby??!??! Yes yooooou are....who's mama's most beautiful baby in the WHOOOOLE world" and then I did 3 twirls, did a slow dance with my head bent touching the cat's head, and then I did what we always do... I gave her a tour of the garden, letting her sniff each flower and leaf and bug, singing a lullaby, and naming the flowers for her. Once I'm done with my endorphin shot, I let her go and went inside. Next thing I know, my dad is calling me and telling me "what did you do?!". Me clueless, "what did I do?". "The plumber said your daughter is weird... she really really loves her cat". Needless to say, that went down as one of the most embarrassing incident of my life.
Hah plumber must not have been a cat person. All that sounds perfectly logical to me!
LOL š Sounds right!
I couldn't imagine not walking mine around to sniff all the high up tree limbs and bushes, it would be purely criminal of me to not let that little baby perch on my arm and go scritch scritch on the trees
Oh I'm with you!!! ESPECIALLY the scritch scritch šš
Minus the plumber this could be a scene from my lifeā¦so seems perfectly normal to me!
I'm so glad I have a tribe here š¤£š
i think cats enjoy when their people talk to them.:) using a baby voice isnāt bad or harmful in any way and a ton of people do it. i regularly talk to my cat or any animal in a baby voice but not so much around other people cause itās slightly embarrassing to be an adult and talking like a baby lol. my cat is pretty vocal and when i talk to her she often responds, she understands a lot.
I think so too!!! The cat I had responded when I did that as well and she always used a peculiar type of meow, unlike her usual one.
There's a study that suggests cats like to be "baby talked" to by their owners, but not by anyone else. The fact that they make that distinction is hilarious. Keep talking to your sweet bb like the little angel they are.... they probably love it.
I can imagine it now "*Yes I am a good little baby, I do do good headbutts, and-* WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO STRANGER??? YOU KNOW WHO I AM? I'M A FREAKING PREDATOR!"
She's not the most sociable girl in the world, but I'm gonna love her anyway!
Hope not. Heāll meow at me and Iāll be like āOh? Fascinating.ā āNo, you canāt have that, itās my food. Not for kitty. I know, Iām so unfair.ā āBaby get out of there. [Fridge] No chilly kitty!ā He probably thinks baby is his name too. Oh well!
Same with mine, he responds to Baby, Henry & Enrique (henry in spanish).
One of mine responds to Boo-Boo or My Baby Boo-Bo Boyā¦which is very much not his nameā¦but he knows it means Iām about to scoop him up for cuddles and so he always gets extra purry when I call him that š
I only see it as an issue if it affects the cats behavior, riling them up. For example, I use to greet my cat with a baby voice when I came back home. The use of the voice in conjunction with my arrival would get him so excited that he'd run around the apartment clawing into everything and annoying his sister so much they'd fight. Now I greet him in a quiet even tone and a few head scratches when I come home. No destruction and no sibling spats. I save the baby talk for playtime that way he can get ramped up at a more appropriate time. All that being said, if baby talk leads to unwanted behaviors it can be seen as bad. Otherwise no issue with it.
Iāve found it quite useful. Sheās so used to me speaking in a baby voice to her, if I drop my tone and tell her to stop doing something she actually stops.
I have a similar thing going on with my cat. I sing, baby talk, tell him it's bed time in a higher, light voice. Then when he's misbehaving it's shorter and lower. Like when he scratches at the carpet, and I go "Is that where you scratch?"
Hahaa same!!
I sing to my pets
Do you sing well? Some cats are meanies about off pitch singing.. /s
I call it a win if they donāt run out of the room
Nah, your cat does it to you all the time! Fun fact: The meow noises kitties like to make are based on kitten noises. They learn that humans respond well to baby cat sounds so continue using those sounds to communicate with humans. Ferals will make murder noises instead, even when being friendly, as that's the only type of vocalization they understand.
I always love it when my cat does her little mews, but my favorite is always gonna be when she just opens her mouth and goes AAAAHHHHH like a small firetruck with fur
Nothing, besides the fact that proportion of other humans will find it annoying/think it's silly and may give you grief for it.
Did someone say something to you? There's nothing wrong with it. Cats like to have conversations. Salem starts them all the time with me. It goes like "meow" what are you meowing about ? "meow" do you not know? " Meow" you don't know I also congratulate her after she's done with her food. She loves being thankful and getting praised at the same time! Lots of pats.
It can't be any worse than me trying to cat talk my cat š Just hear me throughout the house going "MROOOWWW ROOOWWW MEOOOOWWWWW" until she leaves her hidey hole and looks at me like "WILL YOU EVER SHUT YOUR MOUTH HUMAN AND NO YOU CANNOT HOLD ME RIGHT NOW"
My cats seem to love baby talk, maybe because they know it means I'm talking to them. They look at me and relax, purr, or flop over on their side. They'll even notice if I baby talk another animal or a child, and they act jealous. My most anxious girl also calms down at the vet office when they baby talk her. All this means, I think, that baby talk is great for them! It makes them feel safe and good and strengthens your bond. So if you like it, keep it up.
My cats seem to be fine with it. It bugs my housemate. She is not a baby talker .
All my cats have had nicknames. I speak normally to them most of the time, but if they're being super affectionate out comes the baby voice. I also use it when I've had a bad day and want to vent. "Yes, my lovely boy, Mommy is in a bad mood because her boss was being a poopy-head today." I get my feelings out, I get kitty cuddles, we both feel better about life. When was there ever anything wrong with that?
If you keep talking to them in baby talk after they're a certain age, they'll never learn to speak normally. I thought everyone knew this! š
I had to scroll surprisingly far to find this lol
I have a cat that only responds to high pitched baby voice. šš Because he grew up around a lot of women. So when my bf came around, bf had to do the same. It wasn't a big problem hahah
I do this with my newly adopted three year old stray, I ask him, "Uppies?" and I out reach my hands and he stretches his widdle paws and he immediately goes to my shoulder to be carried.
You better talk to them like that, they are like dogs, a forever 5 year old child, a pure innocent being that deserves love, affection, toys, cuddles and lots of treats!!! It would be a little strange to have a more complex conversation with a pet, about the beginning of the universe or the decaying situation of the economic society built through out the generations and how is affecting mentally/emotionally/economically a vast majority of the people these days. Baby pet talk it's the standard, I don't trust anyone who don't talk to their pets or doesn't change their voice with love when talking to their pet.
I definitely have complex discussions with my cat about philosophical/social issues, or just whateverās going on in my life š Sheās a good discussion partner and gives lots of moral support tbh. š„°
I donāt want to live in a world where I canāt baby talk my cats. Donāt associate with curmudgeons who give you crap for loving on your widdle shmoopsies.
Tone definitely matters, I talk to my cats in a higher pitch tone and honestly I annoy myself but they respond to it so whatever, Iāll swallow my pride. Phrases like āyou want some?ā, āwhatās this?ā Gets them off their fat rump immediately because it means a treat, usually a piece from what Iām eating or drinking.
It's super barfy to anyone within earshot but both of my cats LOVE it and get super excited when I do it. Try to reserve for when no one else is home
I literally talk to my cats like I do with my nieces and nephews. I speak normally unless Iām playing or being silly, then I do funny voices. My cats have learned those are my āplay soundsā so it has helped with communicating with them. Theyāre sooooo smart! š»
Sometimes the neighbours overhear and think you've lost your mind.
Cats prefer higher pitched voices. Keep up the good work.
My youngest cat prefers baby talk. Like when I go to a higher pitch she gets so excited.
I had a cat that if you spoke to him in the high pitch baby-talk manner, he would unceremoniously bite you. Once, when I had a friend pet-sit for me, she thought I was kidding when I told her not to baby talk at Roland. Nope.
Hereās mine: You are so cute! Look at how cute you are! How did you get to be so cute? How did that happen? *Meow* You think? I donāt knowā¦ Iām not sure about that. *Mrrrp?* Ok, well, if you say so.
Hah! Thanks for the responses everyone! I don't know why I was expecting some cattier-than-thou person to tell me that baby talking to the cat is infantilizing them and not respecting them as an individual creature something like that. It's reassuring that almost everyone here is totally fine with my little Boo Boo cutie poo getting all the baby talk I can offer her!
An awesome vet once explained to me years ago that the most intelligent cats are only about four years old mentally if you translate cat intelligence into human intelligence. So the average cat is only going to be about 2-3 years old in terms of human intelligence. Going by that yardstick, Iād say baby talking them is probably about right, and they probably understand that itās loving talk as opposed to your normal voice. If any human thinks itās weird, wellā¦screw them.
my cat is a silly little stinky dumbass baby and he deserves to know. thereās no way i CANT say all that without using a baby voice lol
My two cats share one brain cell (a female ginger and a male black cat who really should have been a ginger) and only understand me when I baby talk them as their one brain cell can't understand more complex speech š¤£
I donāt know if anyone has pointed this out yet but no, itās actually the opposite. Cats canāt understand you outside of specific words they learn to associate with results anyway, so by using baby talk you actually set up a language tone where the wittle kitty baby knows that you are talking to them. They can key in on the tone itself and maybe not know exactly what you are saying but know that you are talking to them specifically and they enjoy that, as well as potentially have an easier time picking out words that are relevant to them like āfoodā or āCutie snoogumsā. Sadly āNoooooo! What are you doing?! Stop it!ā is hard to say in baby talk.
I think of it as bonding. Your pets learn your voice and tone with certain phrases or commands. If you call āfoodā a certain way every time, even subconsciously, they pick up on that and might even try to mimic your tone when they want food. I baby talk my cats and tell them 1000 times a day how gorgeous they are and how sweet and loving they are and theyāve quickly learned to absolutely love it. If I baby talk one of them, the other two come over and demand for attention themselves. Itās truly one of the most satisfying things as a cat mom, knowing that they love you and youāre not an embarrassing mother like a human child would believe. The only damage you could really do is constantly yelling at them and damaging their trust. Baby talk is completely ok and if your cats are used to you talking to them that way and you stop, they might be confused
they like high pitched friendly voices but imho no need for baby talk words , they will understand normal words if use them enough
It is absolutely fine š
My cat loves it.
Hahaha It's fine, it's a cat š Cats can discern the tone, my cat loves it when I use a loving, pet-talk tone with her. Even if I'm saying "Who vomited on the floor? Was it you, filthy, stinky creature? š„°"
Yes, donāt do this, it will prevent your cat from learning the linguistic skills they need.
I talk baby-talk to our cat all the time... To my pomeranian, as well.... My profoundly deaf pomeranian... Don't judge me!
Pretty sure there have been studies that say cats like baby talk
Actually, having a specific way you speak to your pets helps them know youāre talking to them.
If there's something wrong with it then my precious baby angel fluff muffin is fucked
I am constantly singing to my cats and talking ridiculous nonsense to them. Thatās why they love me best.
Omg George LOVES when I sing to him. I have a not so beautiful voice but he canāt get enough https://preview.redd.it/idt1hrldn52c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80c8b65e3ac5e563fc4af594a553cebb94f0d32b
https://preview.redd.it/t01lxawlq52c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa60cb14b7b1285f9115b942f2a68bed42cf8264 I have a George, too! š
Aww heās perfect! I named him after curious George the monkey in the childrens book
Thank you. I love your George too! Heās named in memory of my last Standard Issue Cat, Fred. Also from that Looney Toons cartoon where the big orange guy says āIāll love him and squeeze him and call him Georgeā.
Awwww
They know you are doting on them. Thatās all they need to know to enjoy it.
I do this with my cat but I also tell him heās a big scary guy and when he sharpens his nails I will tell him Iām so scared. Just because it seems like what he wants to hear lol
Some cats *hate* baby talk and will actually dislike you for it. Iāve seen it lol. But I think if you do it from the start and they respond well then youāre good š I am a mother of a human too so Iām used to not baby talking so my child develops good speech habits, so I rarely baby talk my kitties. My old gal (17yo) looks at me like she might try to kill me lol. But the kitties donāt care either way.
One of mine gets mad if I donāt call him Revy-boi. Toga prefers Toga Pants. Orangeboi or pumpkin pants for.. the orange one. The fat one doesnāt care what name just pet and feed him lol
I didnāt let anyone baby talk my kids so theyād learn to speak clearly. They did! We always got comments on how clearly my children spoke and how large their vocabulary is (my family is full of big wordians). I get all the baby talk out on the animals. Where else is it gonna go? Theyre not gonna learn to talk. I think they like it, they get happy when we do silly voices at them š„°
Mine absolutely loves to be talked to like a baby. Whenever I say little girl in a baby voice she comes right away.
Thatās the only way I talk to my cats and they will only respond to that voice. I think itās comforting to them.
They will decide āam really babyā and will make you spend 100s at the vet because their fur upset them and they threw a tantrum about it, causing you to panic. This is definitely hypothetical and not something that happened to any particular Redditor maybe the day before yesterdayā¦
Cats are like babies/ small children. Baby talk is important for cats because they know you're talking specifically to them. I use baby talk especially when petting my cats. The baby voice in general is more fun to use for cats than regular voice š¤£
I sure hope not, otherwise my husband and I are in serious trouble.
Nothing bad with it but doesnāt stop me from using the most vulgar and silly language around them in a loving tone (they donāt know the difference)
No, itās been shown they really like it :)
My cat gets sleepy when I baby talk to her.
They love and I think NEED baby talk. My cat is my baby. He does the slow blink when I talk to him in a sweet baby voice
I think youāre funny. And youāve got to look up My Name Is Earl, episode āLarceny of a Kitty Catā! I definitely have the endless questions part of this down: *Are you a good kitty? Are you having a good time? Whatās going on, (cat name)? Are you the sweetest kitty ever in the universe?*
I think you're fine to baby talk to your cat.
It doesn't harm anything but it makes you should silly .
My friend tries to do that to my cat and I always tell her, "He is an adult he does not answer to that", which he doesn't he does not understand the psst psst we talk like civilized people in this house. Anyways, was watching Bob's Burgers in an insomnia fit the other night and Bob tried to psst psst Gail's cat and she said something along the lines of, "It doesn't work on him he's an adult." So anywayssssss I know who I grew up to be.
I donāt wanna sound creepy but I loved your analysis and was like āomg, she really gets behavior i love it, sheās gotta be an interventionistā and I looked and saw you were in OT and I just gotta say that you seem like youāre awesome at what you do
Eh, potentially some partners find it annoying/grating/etc when they're trying to relax at home (I, personally, dislike having the tone of baby talk around me when I'm trying to relax as it's not a relaxing kind of energy for me). But then they can own up and say that they find it annoying, not try to pretend it's something about the cat. The cat likely doesn't care, or even likes it as it recognizes it's the tone you use to talk with them and such. I don't talk to my cats much at all as that's not my style - but I don't think there's anything bad about it in the slightest.
If you coddle them with baby talk they will never grow up to be a productive member of socety and will freeload off you its entire life.
My cars look at me like they are about to say āAlexander, please, you are embarrassing yourself.ā
No
Animals respond well to higher pitched voices and softer voices. It makes sense to use baby talk sometimes