In our house, it is a daily occurrence to have shared conversation between we humans, and all the cats.

We may feel silly talking to our cat.

But how else are they going to learn?

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While cats in the wild use vocalization to find their kittens or intimidate dangerous animals, science has found that cats vocalize most when they are attempting to communicate with humans. They do it for us.

Good communication is a vital cat care skill. And it might just be my favorite part.

I explain everything to the cats. But while I try not to expect too much from their comprehension, I also try not to underestimate their understanding.

Even if our cats do not understand any of our words, even if we are explaining a bad day at work which involves people and procedures they don’t have a clue about, even if we expound on quantum physics or nihilism; we are always doing much more than making incomprehensible noises.

Here’s what our cats get out of even the most obscure human speech:

Association. The more we talk with our faces, hands, and bodies, the more our cats can figure out the meaning of our words. That’s because cats are keen students of body language, and have been compiling data on us since we met.

Our cat, no matter how intelligent, will not be able to help with our thesis or come up with a strategy for world peace. This is not in their skill set. But they can become remarkable students of us. We are important to them, and they are intent on figuring us out.

Emotion. Cats love to hear emotional tones in our voice. Try it yourself: speak to the cat in a robotic monotone. Then say the same things in a bright and happy voice.

Most cats are attracted to the happy voice, and will act apprehensive or puzzled by the robot voice. That’s because it has no emotional content; and emotional cues are the ones cats use to decipher what we mean.

Attention. No matter what we do or say, as long as we are not angry or loud, cats love to listen.

When we are looking into their eyes and explaining something that means a lot to us, cats thrill to being the focus of our attention. It might not be about them, but it feels like it is.

By using these principles and techniques, we might be surprised at how well our cats can come to grasp quite sophisticated concepts. They can figure out what we want. They can attempt to show us what they want.

Just as the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, so our communication journey with our cats starts with a single word; their name. Call to them, tell them something, and listen when they answer back.

There’s no telling how far we will go. Together.

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