Talking pet devices like FluentPet can indeed be intriguing tools to enhance communication between pets and their owners. My experience primarily lies with dogs rather than cats. Typically, breeds like Border Collies or Poodles, known for their high intelligence and trainability, adapt well to using such systems. It’s quite fascinating to see how pets use these buttons to communicate diverse needs and thoughts, although interpreting the meanings can sometimes be challenging due to their polysemic nature. For instance, a button labeled “outside” could mean the pet wants to go out, play, or even that something outside is bothering them.
As for the number of words a pet can learn to use, it varies significantly. Some dogs have been trained to use over 50 buttons effectively. However, the learning curve and the maximum number of words would likely be less for cats, given their different social and communication styles. Training and consistent usage are key to expanding and clarifying their vocabulary over time.
Very curious to see research on using this with cats. I think the main issue with cats is that they have a problem understanding us. Either that or they just have their own opinons. I’ve found cats are extremely good and making their needs known and most companion-humans understand exactly what their cat means. As a sitter, it can be tough when you just meet a cat. It’s like knowing a language but not being familiar with the exact dialect.
Thanks very much for sharing your experience. I think it’s fascinating to try and understand in a scientific way (also in a practical way)how far pets communication can go.
To me, this is quite similar to early stages of language acquisition in children. The first step is just sounds, gestures and pointing, which cats and dogs also do, then it’s just single words with no combination or syntax and it would seem this is what can be achieved with pets when properly using the buttons system. Your example of “outside” could also happen with a child, they mean there is something important for them related with the concept ”outside” but it could mean they want to go outside or there’s something or someone outside.
Talking button systems like FluentPet allow pets to communicate specific needs or desires by pressing buttons labeled with words or phrases. While more common in dogs, especially intelligent breeds, cats can also learn to use them but might show variability in the number of buttons they use and what they mean. The interpretation of these buttons can vary based on context, as pets might use a single button to express different needs. The maximum number of words a pet can learn varies; dogs can use over 50 buttons, while cats typically learn fewer but still effectively communicate various requests.
That makes perfect sense @Newpetlover. I did a cat sit near Amsterdam where the 3 year old cat knew how to get kimble from a funnel with holes in it and barriers inside so that cat had to push or pull the kimble towards a hole to get it. The cat was very adapt at getting all kimble loaded into it. I’ve seen the small floor feeding trays that the cat has to work to get the kimble before but not one that was the height of a cat stood up and had quite complex barriers inside before.
We are on a sit with a talking cat who is also very beautiful.
She communicates her wishes effectively and clearly understood even though we just met and she is a rescue from another country that I have not visited .
The thoughts that she can communicate are as follows :
she is very hungry and she wants to be fed NOW, she wants me to unlock the cat flap so she can go outside, she wants me to open the back door to let her back in, she is very happy that we are there with her, that she wants her head rubbed , that she wants her head rubbed some more, that she wants the other door to be opened so she can go outside not through her cat flap , that we (in her opinion ) have been gone too long that she wants to be let in through the side door ( not the back door or her cat flap) - and that she would like some of our dinner .
She doesn’t have any “buttons” to do this . All of her needs and wishes are effectively communicated by very vocal meows and purring.
Very good point! Seriously.
Pets already have their needs and interests and their own way of communicating as @Silversitters have pointed out. But we, humans, like to have it translated into our language. So, yes, buttons are very convenient for them. We enjoy their use of them so much that they train us to give them even more attention!
You got me there! I was thinking she’s got buttons outside different doors, they’ve made a button to say “you’re late” and so on… Then, suddenly in a great narrative style, here comes the climax and resolution of the story!
But, apart from the stylistic elements, you sure have made your point. And I basically agree.
I’ve kept reading a bit about pet interspecies communication and human language learning and it’s fascinating.
I found something about Chaser, a Border Collie who learnt more than a 1000 words over a period of three years. That is really impressive! But I find even more amazing the fact that she was able to make inferences and pick a totally new toy with a totally new name among familiar toys.
Several scientific experiments were carried out with her.
There’s a video Replicating one experiment and also an abstract of an article in Science Direct. Where they also explain that she could distinguish between the concept of nouns designating objects and words describing actions.
The dog was gorgeous!
