talking with cats dogs turtles etc.

[habitat-gardener]

I was at the community garden after dark, finishing up, when I heard a fellow gardener talking to her cat about the wobbly chair. (The cat roams the garden and catches gophers!) I said hi, then we talked about talking to pets. I've always talked to my pets (dogs, cat, turtle), as in directly addressing them and even talking about stuff not related to their food etc. But I realized my partner only talks about the cat, never directly to the cat. We have a chicken-obsessed friend who talks to her chickens, with a spouse who thinks that's weird.

I've seen quite a few videos done by people who use "button boards" with their pets. These people certainly talk directly to their pets and have conversations.

Do you talk to your pets?

[worth1]

I've always talked to all critters great and small.
Smokey would answer me word for word.
I know she understood me with simple requests.
Like time to go inside and she would run to the house.
I miss Smokey

[rxkeith]

of course i do.
i speak terms of endearment with an english accent.
ello, luv. ows our little poppit. wot, wot. silly things like that.
if i have to lay down the law, and mean it, its NEIN!!!
my dog is a velcro dog. she always wants some loving. i think she is
happy hearing the sound of my voice except for NEIN!!!



keith

[worth1]

of course i do.
i speak terms of endearment with an english accent.
ello, luv. ows our little poppit. wot, wot. silly things like that.
if i have to lay down the law, and mean it, its NEIN!!!
my dog is a velcro dog. she always wants some loving. i think she is
happy hearing the sound of my voice except for NEIN!!!



keith

So you speak German to your dog.
I did with mine too.
Nein and Boo Boo would stop dead on his tracks.

[bower]

I talk to other people's pets, wild animals, birds. Never see a bird without saying hello.

[pepperhead212]

Maybe that's why my tomatoes are growing so fast.

[JRinPA]

I absolutely do.

I never did the commands in german, it would probably work sharper, but these are English Springer Spaniels, after all.

[ddsack]

How can you not talk to them, they are part of the family! And most cats have their own vocabulary for greetings and things they want from you. One of my cats is particularly expressive and you can have good discussions with him, even arguments. I even talk to the garden ground spiders dragging their round egg cases with them when I have to move them out of my digging area.

[Cole_Robbie]

When I open my back door and a possum or raccoon is eating my cats food, they start to run away, but then when I say that it's ok, they look really relieved and stop running, as if saying, "Thanks man, glad you're cool."

[bower]

Some cats are eye talkers. They can carry on a conversation with eye movements alone.
A lot of animals are ear talkers. Moose for example. Ear movements say a lot.
It's a lot like tomatoes - leaf talkers. And you know we talk to them, because it's more fun to have pets than a bunch of plants.

[GoDawgs]

I've always talked to the cats or dogs we've had. Pickles read some article that said dogs have a pretty wide vocabulary whereas cats understand about 30-some words. If Pickles is going for a walk, Lester cat is right there to go too. "Wanna go for a walk?" Oh yeah. He especially knows it's coming when she puts her hiking boots on. Of course, that means shoe strings to play with during the process. He knows "Out?" pretty good too.

I talk to the mocking birds that regularly watch me in the garden. I guess they're hoping I dig up tasty bugs for them. They'll sit on top of the trellises or bean poles and sing so pretty! I have a phrase I whistle over and over to them when I'm in the garden, hoping that one day I just might hear it come back to me.

[Tormahto]

I've always talked to the cats or dogs we've had. Pickles read some article that said dogs have a pretty wide vocabulary whereas cats understand about 30-some words. If Pickles is going for a walk, Lester cat is right there to go too. "Wanna go for a walk?" Oh yeah. He especially knows it's coming when she puts her hiking boots on. Of course, that means shoe strings to play with during the process. He knows "Out?" pretty good too.

I talk to the mocking birds that regularly watch me in the garden. I guess they're hoping I dig up tasty bugs for them. They'll sit on top of the trellises or bean poles and sing so pretty! I have a phrase I whistle over and over to them when I'm in the garden, hoping that one day I just might hear it come back to me.

I'm not one to curse, but I come close with mocking birds.

Last year, I finally had a summer without one. The previous three years there was one in the neighborhood, that each successive year chose to sit in a tree closer and closer to my house. I'm figuring that it was the same bird. Each and every night, when not raining, it would do its thing, from about 1 AM to 3 AM. Yes, close to two straight hours with constant chatter.

As for dogs, my friends' dogs listen to me more than to them. One friend had their dog slip and fall on a narrow winding staircase. The dog was then afraid to come down the stairs to the ground floor, no matter what they tried, for two days. So, they called me to make a visit. I entered the house, said hello, the dog heard my voice, and immediately scrambled as fast as she could down those stairs to greet me. My friends just shook their heads.

I'm there for all the good stuff, petting the dog when it greets me, sometimes having to feed it, or let it out to do its business, taking it for walks, all when the owners are away for most of the day. The dogs are always on their best behavior when I visit, so there is no discipline from me. I also likely let them get away with a bit more than the owners might allow. Only when I visited, did one friend's Great Dane become a lap dog.

[DriftlessRoots]

I don’t have pets but yesterday I caught myself talking to the toads in the community garden. First explaining to one that they were getting moved to the asparagus patch so I wouldn’t step on them and then to another about how they could go around the wire fence instead of just banging into it repeatedly. I wonder if the guy across the path heard me.

[Paulf]

Always had conversations with our family pets. One cat many years ago would talk to me. She would stand at the food bowl and say "eeeat" or stand at the door and say"oooutt" or stand outside the the door and say "iiinnn". My wife thought the cat was a person in the form of a siamese cat. Other pets talked to us not so humanly vocal, just barks, yips and meows. Mrs F always said I talked to the animals more than to her. Wild animals always seemed to listen...I just wish the squirrels would stay away when I talked to them.

[worth1]

My old dog Bullet would go....
Roo roo roo row row roo roo row wha wha roo roo grrrr grrrr roo roo row woo woo woo grrr grrr.

[MissS]

I have always talked to my pets. They understand far more than you would think. When I got married my husband chastised me for talking in sentences and expecting my dog to understand. I told him that he did understand sentences. Months later, I hear my husband talking to the dog in multiple paragraphs. I teased him back and asked him if he thought that the dog could understand that over his usual one word command.

Some dogs understand language better than others.

[AKgardener]

Late to the conversation but yes my dog cowboy starts his morning off saying hello and if you don’t move fast enough he lets you know but he talks all the time never seen a dog that can communicate so well ..

[worth1]

Boo Boo would literally explode at the mention of dog walk.
He would be sound asleep and bolt out of his nest and run to the door if you said dog walk.
He would also sneak into bed at night.
Probably weiged 80 pounds.

[Tormahto]

Boo Boo would literally explode at the mention of dog walk.
He would be sound asleep and bolt out of his nest and run to the door if you said dog walk.
He would also sneak into bed at night.
Probably weiged 80 pounds.

Yeah, I think the word they recognize the best is "walk".

[zeuspaul]

Can I Communicate with My Cat Through Slow Blinks?

How can you show your cat that you love them? We say ‘I love you!’ to our cats all the time – and sometimes we’ll get a ‘meow!’ back! But, are there other ways to ‘speak cat’ and share the love?

Cats have their own ways of communicating with us, like meowing, purring and kneading. Pet parents can often distinguish between these meows – like a ‘hello’ meow or an ‘I need something’ meow.

But, have you tried a non-verbal slow blink to ‘speak’ to your cat?

According to a study published in Scientific Reports, the 'role of cat eye narrowing movements in cat-human communication' is the equivalent of a cat smile!

We take good care of our feline friends by making sure they have everything their hearts desire – cozy beds, hiding places, high spots, scratching posts, their favorite food and treats, and even some homemade toys. Living with them, we have learned to read their body language and know when they are content, happy or stressed – but perhaps, until recently, we have not recognized a ‘cat’s smile’.

As has been discovered, cats also communicate through blinking. As our Happy Cat Expert explains, understanding your cat’s body language is essential for developing that special bond; subtle, slow blinking is thought to be used by cats to indicate a sense of calm and a positive emotional state.

How to communicate with your cat through slow blinks

Only try slow blinking with your cat when they are at their most relaxed and in a receptive mood; perhaps when you would normally be relaxing together.
Choose a familiar environment in the home – it might help to have FELIWAY Optimum plugged in.
Close, or partially close, your eyes for more than half a second at a time.
Repeat slowly a few times and look carefully to see if your cat is blinking back at you.

However, to understand other looks from your cat, it’s important to learn to read them in combination with their body language too:

Eyes that are wide open could mean they are worried or stressed.
Eyes that are staring could be a warning sign not to come closer, or it could mean that they want attention.
Slit or squinting eyes could mean they are content and relaxed, but if their ears are laid back and their tail is twitching, it might mean something completely different!

Other tips for communicating with your feline friend

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https://us.feliway.com/blogs/news/can-i ... low-blinks