Study Says Cats Know Their Names, But That Doesn’t Mean They’ll Respond

I’m not sure we really needed a study to determine that cats recognize their own names, but Japanese researcher Atsuko Saito set out to test this hypothesis by observing a total of 78 house cats as well as cats living in cat cafés in Japan. Her past studies have revealed that cats can interpret human gestures to find hidden food, recognize their owner’s voice, and beg for food from a person who looks at them and calls their name—all of which suggested that cats know their names.

The researc...