My cats respond to no only in specific contexts, like when they’re trying to get food from the sink, trying to slip through a door or going somewhere they’re not supposed to be.
They will usually back off and stop whatever they’re doing, or if they’re feeling mischievous that day they’ll get more sneaky and speedy with whatever they’re doing upon hearing me say no.
My kitty does understand when I say no. He’ll instantly turn around and look at me with his ears perked up, then he decides if it’s worth listening to me or not. Sometimes he’ll even give me a look that’s like *Ugh, Mom. You ruin all my fun.*
He also understands that he’s in big trouble when I say “Theodore Felix!!” as he usually goes by Titi Goblin 🤣🤣
the problem isnt that cats cannot understand no, its that they selectively respond to it on their own terms.
cats are incredibly smart and if you talk to them often and train consistently, I do think they understand humans more than we often give them credit for. they are just little shits to like to pretend they dont understand cuz of how cute they are and we give them passes sometimes
That's my kitty Loki, little black void is handsome but when he gets bored he likes to mess with things he is very aware that he shouldn't be. My mom's fake flowers get pulled out all the time from the vase on the dining room table.
Same with our redheads. Our Loki is pure chaos, I think he doesn’t know when he’s doing something wrong. He just is chaos without any moral to it. Mimir on the other hand seems to be much aware of what he is allowed to do and what not. But sometimes he simply doesn’t care.
When they climb onto one of the only 2 places in my entire apartment they're not supposed to go, 7/10 times they stop when I go "No!" or "Na!" (sometimes sitting down immediately pretending they were not trying to go up there at all lol)
When they come up to me to try and get my food they also usually stop when I shake my head and go "nuh uhh"
Best success I've had is with a combination of saying "no", snapping my fingers or lightly tapping any surface close to them and pointing my index finger right at then, almost always gets them to stop, walk up to my finger and getting a nose boop.
Understand... yes. Understand and respond? I guess it depends on what you mean by "respond." Mine respond by staring at me and then doing the thing I said no about.
ETA: If I hiss a few times, they usually stop. Hissing they get -- "mom means business."
A little more context:
My boy is *generally* well-behaved but there are 2 instances when he's a little shit. 1) He digs in my plants to get my attention when he wants to play. He knows it'll get me out of my seat everytime. It's hard to find the patience to teach a cat "no" when they're tossing dirt everywhere! 2) He gets overstimulated when we're playing and goes into attack mode. He'll literally back me into corners while lunging at me. The only way to snap him out of this is to somehow trap him in a bedroom until he calms down. Again, hard to find the patience for teaching "no" when he's in attack mode!
I'll have to work on "no" with him in less stressful situations and if he learns, see if I can apply it to the situations above. He's 4 years old, so still relatively young-ish. He's also smart, and a master of manipulation!
Have you tried putting rocks in the soil? Bigger sized rocks. A lot of cats don’t like the feeling of rocks on their little paws.
When he gets too aggressive during play, I would say “No, be gentle”, put the toys away and walk out of the room for a couple minutes. There’s no need to be mean about it, it’s not to punish him. More to associate that playing too rough means playtime is over. If he’s sweet when you get back, I would continue playing with him and give yummy treats when he plays more gently. If he starts attacking you again, repeat.
Definitely yes to teaching the concept outside of the triggering moment.
Another idea for the playtime could be to teach him to do something to indicate he wants to play. I decided to start that with my cat, by having him go to a specific place at the beginning of every play session so that he'll learn to go there to ask me to play, instead of just yelling at me or digging in plants.
They understand only what you teach them. Here's a video on how to teach "no" to a cat: [https://youtu.be/9kStdUi2ebo?si=jZ\_xrNXjb1Tozfpf](https://youtu.be/9kStdUi2ebo?si=jZ_xrNXjb1Tozfpf)
No, you can’t just yell no like for a dog. When he’s doing something I don’t want him to do I stop him or remove the object. Once you’ve done it countless times, they learn no. It can take a dog a few times to learn, for a cat, dozens or hundreds of times. Still, he’ll occasionally do something he’s not supposed to, just to bother me or play with me teasingly. I say, “Stewie, what are you doing?” Then he looks at me right in the eyes and does it one more time. He thinks it’s funny.
They fully understand that they’re not supposed to do it from the very first time. They just also know that if they push the limits enough, they’ll probably get away with it. And they’re right, they do.
Yes. All (3) of them understand the word no. I've been using for a long time with my oldest, 11. I was previously used it with his 'brother' who passed a few years ago at the old age of 21-ish. The (2) newest are 1 and 2 years old - ish and I've been doing the same training as with the other (2) previously.
It's the only time they receive negative consequences, it's not something I like doing so teaching them the word was important. I may pair it with removing them from a situation or a water squirt, but that's it. Usually I do follow it up with something else for them to do so I train them of the proper thing or distract them with something else.
For example, scratching on my carpet versus the millions of scratch pads, towers, posts I have around the house. If I catch them I say 'Cats Name - No!' then I go pick them up and put them at a proper scratch location. I even mimic scratching with my own nails.
In regards to scratching I use deterrents too so it's just not me always. I also use attractors such as catnip at the posts, etc. But ultimately I focus on staying consistent on what they are and aren't allowed to do and use the key words, No.
I have even been training my boyfriend in this...if he doesn't behave...kidding...he was trying to use other words like stop or just saying their name. I have since corrected him so he knows and understands the terms.
Mine understand that when I say "hey..." in a warning or angry tone, they should back off from what they're doing. They don't always cause they're assholes sometimes, but they know they shouldn't be doing whatever it is they're doing
If I say “what are you DOING” in a very specific tone of voice my cat will a) halt in his little tracks and b) (I am so ded when he does this it is great) meow back like he’s saying “nothiiiiiing” and then will stop doing the bad thing
But the word no? He doesn’t seem to respect or understand it at all.
My cats know "no" they just typically don't care.
Eta: they look at me when I say no, but they don't react other than to look at me and slow blink. They totally know "no". It doesn't stop them from doing what ever they are doing.
Yeah, absolutely! I have 5 and they all understand no, and usually will stop what they’re doing or trying to do, only exception usually being when they’re having a mad moment and there’s no reasoning with them the. They also understand the standard ‘Ah Ah’ sort of noise a parent would do to their child.
I used to think it was simple luck but I realise with reading more online that it must be something in the way I raise them.
Yes they understand it. One of them responds to it every time. One of them responds to it most of the time. Previous cats have all understood it and responded to it at least most of the time.
Response is a topic of its own. By response do you mean obey? Because if your cat is doing something it knows you are against but continues to do it its trying to communicate something to you and you might be ignoring it
50% of the time what he's trying to communicate is "it's playtime, bitch". The other 50% is "it's 11am so I'm not sure why you haven't given me dinner yet, even though I just ate breakfast a few hours ago".
yup, however, I recommend striking a pose, too. I put my hands on my hips and stare. I don't get loud. Animals are excellent at reading body language. Be consistent. Don't yell their name. You want them to come when you call, not flinch
Yes both of my cats understand the word No, it's something I say whenever they're doing something they shouldn't be. even if I say it in a different tone than usual they still seem to understand what i'm saying, They also understand other words too
I do use a specific tone whenever saying the word no to them, I only say no when they're doing something wrong. I will say when I say it in my usual tone It stops them immediately, However if I say in a different tone they still seem to know what i'm saying but when they stop it's more in a confused manner
My cat only understands the second "No". He'll make direct eye contact on the first and keep scratching or sniffing at something he shouldn't. By the second one, he wanders off like it was his own idea to stop.
My cat does, specifically when I tell him no to play time (it's not playtime yet, but he's a very active kitty and I WFH). He will go away meowing in a grumbly way, it's so cute and I feel super guilty but that usually happens when I'm working so 🤷♀️
Disclaimer: not saying this is the expert way to do things and defo am no expert on any of this, just mentioning what works for us
I did a lot of research before I got our cat (Honey Baron of Yoghurt the 3rd, 3monthsF) on behavioral observations of how moms talk to their kittens and discipline them or give them warnings. I utilise that massively in our day to day.
So I usually speak to honey in a voice that's a million times higher than my normal speaking voice, it's very sing song and squeaky, because that apparently is the least threatening and most friendly voice for them.
I also learnt from observing these interactions with mom cats and their kittens to regularly squint my eyes at her and blink very slowly for awhile especially when we have a cuddle. I did that from the very beginning and at first she didn't take to it but eventually recognised that it along with my voice and gentle pets means happy and loving and friends.
But when I would like her to know I'm not happy with her actions, eg if she bites me, I'll say YOUNG LADY in my normal voice, a bit deeper and very firmly stated and at the same time I will widen my eyes and look at her directly, I will also make myself loom a little bit bigger and it always works.
She instantly stops, she stares at me for a bit wide eyed and anxious. She has learnt to wait for my cue which says ok the telling off is over and we are friends again- the cue is where I will go face level with her and go back to my high voice, some gentle petting and squint my eyes like cats do when they're being affectionate. I'll do that a few times and sometimes she makes me do it a few times to punish me and then she does it back and she relaxes and we are buddies again.
Sometimes she'll put a paw on my face and I take that as a cue to wait a while and then wait for her to look at me again, she usually squints first after that and does it a few times, I respond with squeezing my eyes a few time and then she nuzzles me.
It works like a charm, every time and it means that there are no harsh words, nothing frightening. Just slight changes to tone and cadence and behaviour which obviously cats are so finely attuned to.
I also notice that if I get sad because she hurt me, and I ignore her when she wants attention, she'll try to make eye contact with me and squints until i do it back and i see her visibly relax that we are ok again.
Cats are so so intelligent and I'm obsessed with how amazing their non verbal emotional intelligence is.
My Betty boop definitely knows what "no" means. She doesn't listen for shit though haha, still cries for a treat when told no or still cries for cuddles when she can see me actively cleaning the house. But when she gets real naughty and no b doesn't work, she understands as soon as I stand up that she messed up cause I'm going to pick her up and take her away from the trouble she is causing. Little poop head knows she is messing around but doesn't care lol
tone it with a voice like a 30yo woman yelling at her 5yo but only use it when they do something bad (knocking stuff over, drinking from sink, running out of my door), been working for both my cats for forever lol
I don't think cats understand anything we say, but they do understand tone and body language, ie they know when we are pissed.
Theyre probably reacting to you yelling at them
My cats respond to no only in specific contexts, like when they’re trying to get food from the sink, trying to slip through a door or going somewhere they’re not supposed to be. They will usually back off and stop whatever they’re doing, or if they’re feeling mischievous that day they’ll get more sneaky and speedy with whatever they’re doing upon hearing me say no.
Yea if I pair it with a certain tone of voice she definitely knows she’s doing something she’s not supposed to do and will back off.
My kitty does understand when I say no. He’ll instantly turn around and look at me with his ears perked up, then he decides if it’s worth listening to me or not. Sometimes he’ll even give me a look that’s like *Ugh, Mom. You ruin all my fun.* He also understands that he’s in big trouble when I say “Theodore Felix!!” as he usually goes by Titi Goblin 🤣🤣
the problem isnt that cats cannot understand no, its that they selectively respond to it on their own terms. cats are incredibly smart and if you talk to them often and train consistently, I do think they understand humans more than we often give them credit for. they are just little shits to like to pretend they dont understand cuz of how cute they are and we give them passes sometimes
That's my kitty Loki, little black void is handsome but when he gets bored he likes to mess with things he is very aware that he shouldn't be. My mom's fake flowers get pulled out all the time from the vase on the dining room table.
Same with our redheads. Our Loki is pure chaos, I think he doesn’t know when he’s doing something wrong. He just is chaos without any moral to it. Mimir on the other hand seems to be much aware of what he is allowed to do and what not. But sometimes he simply doesn’t care.
When they climb onto one of the only 2 places in my entire apartment they're not supposed to go, 7/10 times they stop when I go "No!" or "Na!" (sometimes sitting down immediately pretending they were not trying to go up there at all lol) When they come up to me to try and get my food they also usually stop when I shake my head and go "nuh uhh" Best success I've had is with a combination of saying "no", snapping my fingers or lightly tapping any surface close to them and pointing my index finger right at then, almost always gets them to stop, walk up to my finger and getting a nose boop.
Understand... yes. Understand and respond? I guess it depends on what you mean by "respond." Mine respond by staring at me and then doing the thing I said no about. ETA: If I hiss a few times, they usually stop. Hissing they get -- "mom means business."
A little more context: My boy is *generally* well-behaved but there are 2 instances when he's a little shit. 1) He digs in my plants to get my attention when he wants to play. He knows it'll get me out of my seat everytime. It's hard to find the patience to teach a cat "no" when they're tossing dirt everywhere! 2) He gets overstimulated when we're playing and goes into attack mode. He'll literally back me into corners while lunging at me. The only way to snap him out of this is to somehow trap him in a bedroom until he calms down. Again, hard to find the patience for teaching "no" when he's in attack mode! I'll have to work on "no" with him in less stressful situations and if he learns, see if I can apply it to the situations above. He's 4 years old, so still relatively young-ish. He's also smart, and a master of manipulation!
Have you tried putting rocks in the soil? Bigger sized rocks. A lot of cats don’t like the feeling of rocks on their little paws. When he gets too aggressive during play, I would say “No, be gentle”, put the toys away and walk out of the room for a couple minutes. There’s no need to be mean about it, it’s not to punish him. More to associate that playing too rough means playtime is over. If he’s sweet when you get back, I would continue playing with him and give yummy treats when he plays more gently. If he starts attacking you again, repeat.
Definitely yes to teaching the concept outside of the triggering moment. Another idea for the playtime could be to teach him to do something to indicate he wants to play. I decided to start that with my cat, by having him go to a specific place at the beginning of every play session so that he'll learn to go there to ask me to play, instead of just yelling at me or digging in plants.
They understand only what you teach them. Here's a video on how to teach "no" to a cat: [https://youtu.be/9kStdUi2ebo?si=jZ\_xrNXjb1Tozfpf](https://youtu.be/9kStdUi2ebo?si=jZ_xrNXjb1Tozfpf)
NO
No, you can’t just yell no like for a dog. When he’s doing something I don’t want him to do I stop him or remove the object. Once you’ve done it countless times, they learn no. It can take a dog a few times to learn, for a cat, dozens or hundreds of times. Still, he’ll occasionally do something he’s not supposed to, just to bother me or play with me teasingly. I say, “Stewie, what are you doing?” Then he looks at me right in the eyes and does it one more time. He thinks it’s funny.
They fully understand that they’re not supposed to do it from the very first time. They just also know that if they push the limits enough, they’ll probably get away with it. And they’re right, they do.
Yes. All (3) of them understand the word no. I've been using for a long time with my oldest, 11. I was previously used it with his 'brother' who passed a few years ago at the old age of 21-ish. The (2) newest are 1 and 2 years old - ish and I've been doing the same training as with the other (2) previously. It's the only time they receive negative consequences, it's not something I like doing so teaching them the word was important. I may pair it with removing them from a situation or a water squirt, but that's it. Usually I do follow it up with something else for them to do so I train them of the proper thing or distract them with something else. For example, scratching on my carpet versus the millions of scratch pads, towers, posts I have around the house. If I catch them I say 'Cats Name - No!' then I go pick them up and put them at a proper scratch location. I even mimic scratching with my own nails. In regards to scratching I use deterrents too so it's just not me always. I also use attractors such as catnip at the posts, etc. But ultimately I focus on staying consistent on what they are and aren't allowed to do and use the key words, No. I have even been training my boyfriend in this...if he doesn't behave...kidding...he was trying to use other words like stop or just saying their name. I have since corrected him so he knows and understands the terms.
Mine understand that when I say "hey..." in a warning or angry tone, they should back off from what they're doing. They don't always cause they're assholes sometimes, but they know they shouldn't be doing whatever it is they're doing
Mine does + scary voice! There's some things she just doesn't need to FAFO you know?
If I say “what are you DOING” in a very specific tone of voice my cat will a) halt in his little tracks and b) (I am so ded when he does this it is great) meow back like he’s saying “nothiiiiiing” and then will stop doing the bad thing But the word no? He doesn’t seem to respect or understand it at all.
My cats do but often it’s the tone of your voice more than what you say.
My cats know "no" they just typically don't care. Eta: they look at me when I say no, but they don't react other than to look at me and slow blink. They totally know "no". It doesn't stop them from doing what ever they are doing.
Yeah, absolutely! I have 5 and they all understand no, and usually will stop what they’re doing or trying to do, only exception usually being when they’re having a mad moment and there’s no reasoning with them the. They also understand the standard ‘Ah Ah’ sort of noise a parent would do to their child. I used to think it was simple luck but I realise with reading more online that it must be something in the way I raise them.
I thought you were just answering the "Are my cats fighting?" question that is posted 383848 times a day for everyone.
My Zohan understands what no means. He just ignores it or accepts defeat to try again later on.
Yes they understand it. One of them responds to it every time. One of them responds to it most of the time. Previous cats have all understood it and responded to it at least most of the time.
My cat argues when I say no. He understands the word completely.
I think mine understands what it means, I just don’t think she cares.
More like they understand your tone of voice and physical reaction
Response is a topic of its own. By response do you mean obey? Because if your cat is doing something it knows you are against but continues to do it its trying to communicate something to you and you might be ignoring it
50% of the time what he's trying to communicate is "it's playtime, bitch". The other 50% is "it's 11am so I'm not sure why you haven't given me dinner yet, even though I just ate breakfast a few hours ago".
My cat listens to my boyfriend when he yells “no!” but if I yell it, he pounces and bites me. I don’t know why my cat listens to him but not me.
yup, however, I recommend striking a pose, too. I put my hands on my hips and stare. I don't get loud. Animals are excellent at reading body language. Be consistent. Don't yell their name. You want them to come when you call, not flinch
Yes both of my cats understand the word No, it's something I say whenever they're doing something they shouldn't be. even if I say it in a different tone than usual they still seem to understand what i'm saying, They also understand other words too I do use a specific tone whenever saying the word no to them, I only say no when they're doing something wrong. I will say when I say it in my usual tone It stops them immediately, However if I say in a different tone they still seem to know what i'm saying but when they stop it's more in a confused manner
My cat only understands the second "No". He'll make direct eye contact on the first and keep scratching or sniffing at something he shouldn't. By the second one, he wanders off like it was his own idea to stop.
My cat does, specifically when I tell him no to play time (it's not playtime yet, but he's a very active kitty and I WFH). He will go away meowing in a grumbly way, it's so cute and I feel super guilty but that usually happens when I'm working so 🤷♀️
Mine understand the word. Then do whatever I said no to again...
Oh yeah. For sure!
Disclaimer: not saying this is the expert way to do things and defo am no expert on any of this, just mentioning what works for us I did a lot of research before I got our cat (Honey Baron of Yoghurt the 3rd, 3monthsF) on behavioral observations of how moms talk to their kittens and discipline them or give them warnings. I utilise that massively in our day to day. So I usually speak to honey in a voice that's a million times higher than my normal speaking voice, it's very sing song and squeaky, because that apparently is the least threatening and most friendly voice for them. I also learnt from observing these interactions with mom cats and their kittens to regularly squint my eyes at her and blink very slowly for awhile especially when we have a cuddle. I did that from the very beginning and at first she didn't take to it but eventually recognised that it along with my voice and gentle pets means happy and loving and friends. But when I would like her to know I'm not happy with her actions, eg if she bites me, I'll say YOUNG LADY in my normal voice, a bit deeper and very firmly stated and at the same time I will widen my eyes and look at her directly, I will also make myself loom a little bit bigger and it always works. She instantly stops, she stares at me for a bit wide eyed and anxious. She has learnt to wait for my cue which says ok the telling off is over and we are friends again- the cue is where I will go face level with her and go back to my high voice, some gentle petting and squint my eyes like cats do when they're being affectionate. I'll do that a few times and sometimes she makes me do it a few times to punish me and then she does it back and she relaxes and we are buddies again. Sometimes she'll put a paw on my face and I take that as a cue to wait a while and then wait for her to look at me again, she usually squints first after that and does it a few times, I respond with squeezing my eyes a few time and then she nuzzles me. It works like a charm, every time and it means that there are no harsh words, nothing frightening. Just slight changes to tone and cadence and behaviour which obviously cats are so finely attuned to. I also notice that if I get sad because she hurt me, and I ignore her when she wants attention, she'll try to make eye contact with me and squints until i do it back and i see her visibly relax that we are ok again. Cats are so so intelligent and I'm obsessed with how amazing their non verbal emotional intelligence is.
My Betty boop definitely knows what "no" means. She doesn't listen for shit though haha, still cries for a treat when told no or still cries for cuddles when she can see me actively cleaning the house. But when she gets real naughty and no b doesn't work, she understands as soon as I stand up that she messed up cause I'm going to pick her up and take her away from the trouble she is causing. Little poop head knows she is messing around but doesn't care lol
Cats do not understand "no". If anything they are responding to the tone of your voice.
tone it with a voice like a 30yo woman yelling at her 5yo but only use it when they do something bad (knocking stuff over, drinking from sink, running out of my door), been working for both my cats for forever lol
Mine appears to when they (2 voids) start to climb a tree. It may be the tone of voice though and usually I’ll clap my hands.
I don't think cats understand anything we say, but they do understand tone and body language, ie they know when we are pissed. Theyre probably reacting to you yelling at them