communication
Recognising (and Ignoring) Their Own Name
They Know — They're Just Choosing
Call your cat and it flicks an ear, turns its head a fraction, then carries on ignoring you. It is not that it did not hear its name — research shows most cats can tell their own name from other words. They simply weigh up whether answering is worth it.
Yes, They Really Do Know It
The classic complaint that 'cats don't know their names, they just come for food' turns out not to be true. In a well-known study, cats reliably distinguished the sound of their own name from a string of similar-sounding words, even when a stranger said it, showing a small but clear reaction — an ear turn, a head movement, a shift of the tail — to their name and not to the others. They had learned that this particular sound is connected to them.
Why 'Knowing' Doesn't Mean 'Coming'
Recognising a name and choosing to respond to it are two different things. Cats were never bred, as dogs were, to take direction from humans; they read their name as a piece of useful information — 'this is about me' — and then decide, on their own terms, whether there is anything in it for them. If your voice usually means food, play or a warm lap, a cat learns to come; if it often means a trip to the carrier or being moved off the sofa, it learns that ignoring you is the wiser bet. The subtle ear-flick is the giveaway that the message landed even when the cat stays put.
Should You Worry?
Not at all — selective deafness to your call is completely normal cat. You can strengthen the response by using the name consistently and pairing it with good things: say it, then reward the smallest turn towards you with a treat, a stroke or play, and never use it for anything the cat dislikes. What is worth noticing is a cat that used to react and suddenly stops responding to sounds altogether, or a kitten that never startles at noises, as genuine deafness — congenital in some white cats, or age-related in older ones — is a real possibility worth raising with your vet.
🐾 Most common in
Cats of all kinds, especially those in homes where the name is used often and tied to meals, play or affection rather than to unpleasant events.