My cat does not know his name

[gingersmom]

Backstory: My X husband got the cat for my kids. It lived at his house. He died and his mother kept the cat in the basement for the past 4 years.

 

 

 

We have had the cat for just under 2 weeks. The poor cat does not know his name. Its so sad. We call him (his name is Oreo) but he does not respond. He does not even look up to see who is being called. He is soooooo sweet and loves loves loves our other cat (she loves him less).

 

How long do you think it will take for him to learn his name? Any tips for speeding up the process? Should I not be worried at all?

[hornblower]

Is it possible the cat is deaf?

 

If not, teaching a name is pretty easy.

 

Use treats or a bit of wet food on a spoon.

 

Here are the clicker training instructions for name recognition (courtesy Ontario SPCA)

 

Respond to his name. Begin by simply clicking and treating whenever your cat looks at you. Later start saying your cat's name in a friendly voice. If he looks at you click and treat. You may need to encourage him to look at you at first by waving a toy or treat or shaking his food. You can toss the treat to him or give it to him when he comes up to you to collect it. Once your cat responds reliably to his name you can try using it to interrupt behaviours you don't like, such as stalking.

 

http://ontariospca.ca/2-behavtips-cat3.shtml (there are other clicker tips on that page for things you can teach your cat)

 

For clicker training, the click means YES! You're doing what I want right at this moment & is ALWAYS followed by a reward. So you click when the cat looks at you & immediately offer a reward. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Move around so the cat needs to turn their head or eventually follow you a bit (start small - you might just be pivoting a bit or scooting over a few inches) & after a while you can begin training the 'Come!'

[gingersmom]

Is it possible the cat is deaf?

 

If not, teaching a name is pretty easy.

 

Use treats or a bit of wet food on a spoon.

 

Here are the clicker training instructions for name recognition (courtesy Ontario SPCA)

 

 

http://ontariospca.ca/2-behavtips-cat3.shtml (there are other clicker tips on that page for things you can teach your cat)

 

For clicker training, the click means YES! You're doing what I want right at this moment & is ALWAYS followed by a reward. So you click when the cat looks at you & immediately offer a reward. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Move around so the cat needs to turn their head or eventually follow you a bit (start small - you might just be pivoting a bit or scooting over a few inches) & after a while you can begin training the 'Come!'

 

Thanks so much for the information!!

 

Off to buy a clicker.

[2cents]

I have 4 cats and it seems that the only time they know their names is if I simultaneously rattle the food bowl while calling them. They rarely just come when I call unless they think there is some kind of reward or they are in the mood and at at point it doesn't really matter what I call them. They would come if I called them by the dogs or kids names as long as they were in the mood to come. If you new guy is motivated by food then I'd use that to encourage him to come-it may not help him know his name but he'll learn to come. :)

[Bee]

They also answer to variations of their names when they feel like it. Cats do what they want to do when they want to do it. Like 2cents said, they know when it's dinner time and otherwise they only interact with us when they want to. If they don't want to be disturbed they won't come.

[Dobela]

We have 3 cats. All have names. Only one will come when called. We wonder if he is part dog becuse he will also fetch. :001_huh: The other 2... one only comes for special wet food (it is a treat not a regular offering) and the other is always under my feet tripping me so there is no need to call her name. Or maybe she thinks her name is really "Ugh Stupid Cat!" instead of Tabby???

[ereks mom]

Cats do what they want to do when they want to do it. Like 2cents said, they know when it's dinner time and otherwise they only interact with us when they want to. If they don't want to be disturbed they won't come.

 

:iagree:

[hornblower]

Thanks so much for the information!!

 

Off to buy a clicker.

 

You're welcome!

 

FWIW, I REALLY like the i-click clickers made by Karen Pryor because I can use my foot to click. When you're training things like accepting nail trims, it comes in handy to have another hand free.

 

http://store.clickertraining.com/newiclick.html

 

It's also nice because it's a bit quieter than the traditional box clickers (which look like this):http://store.clickertraining.com/trclcl.html -

I only use these outside & even only usually only when I'm working with a distractable dog or at larger distances.

 

For a kitty indoors, I definitely prefer a quieter i-click.

 

I also use a wrist coil like this

http://store.clickertraining.com/raofcowrco12.html so that I can let go of it if I need to & still have it on me.

 

& I buy clickers in bulk because even with the wrist bands I still lose them & I like to have them all over the place :-)

[fhjmom]

I didn't know cats were expected to know their names, LOL! Every cat I have ever owned might answer to "kitty, kitty, kitty" and would most likely answer to a can opening or food bowl rattling but it wasn't guaranteed. Cats just do what they want, we are their staff (or their pillow, depending on their preference at the moment).

 

Someone else asked about the possibility of the cat being deaf. What color is he? I am assuming black & white since his name is Oreo, but how much black and how much white? I have heard that the more white a cat has the more likely they are to be deaf. Not sure if that is true.

[Tap]

Were they calling the cat by a different name?

[Terabith]

I'm not sure our cats know their names. One of our cats responds sometimes, but it seems to be more to the "name calling tone of voice" than the actual name. If I call one of the other cats in that voice, she comes.

 

Another cat is immensely social (part Siamese) and will come to hang out if she thinks you're doing anything (like, say, breathing), but I don't think she knows her name.

 

The third might or might not know her name. It's hard to tell because she doesn't respond to anything. And isn't motivated by anything. Doesn't like treats, or wet food, or cat nip. She has opinions about the way the world works, and she likes her life to be quiet and well ordered, on a strict schedule. She likes my husband a lot. She had a hard time when the kids were born, was so stressed she licked off lots of her fur. They make noise and move around and she does not approve.

[Guest Katia]

We have four cats and they all know and respond to their names. Three will come when called and one will simply look at you....but he knows you are addressing him, LOL.

 

One of our cats is mostly white with just a little brown, and one is completely white and they both hear/respond just fine.

 

No advice, but I know that cats are capable of knowing and responding to their individual names.

[Ellie]

I didn't know cats were expected to know their names, LOL! Every cat I have ever owned might answer to "kitty, kitty, kitty" and would most likely answer to a can opening or food bowl rattling but it wasn't guaranteed. Cats just do what they want, we are their staff (or their pillow, depending on their preference at the moment).

We've always called our cats by their names and not by "kitty." It confuses our guests when they come over and call, "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," and our cats ignore them (more than normal, lol).

[Belacqua]

My cat doesn't seem to know her name, and I attribute that partly to feline arrogance but mostly to the fact that she's as dumb as a box of hair. Honestly. I love this animal to pieces, and she has many fine qualities, but she's no Rhodes Scholar.

[gingersmom]

Were they calling the cat by a different name?

 

I don't think so. The problem is I think at most he saw someone once a week (if that).

[KrissiK]

Maybe your cat doesn't like his name. Let me quote from "The Cat Who Came for Christmas" by Cleveland Amory.

"A cat who dislikes his name can, and I am reliably informed, often does, go through his entire lifetime without ever, even by a careless mistake, acknowledging that he has ever heard it before, let alone recognizing, in any perceptible manner known to humankind, that it could in any way have any possible connection to him."

[TechWife]

My cat doesn't seem to know her name, and I attribute that partly to feline arrogance but mostly to the fact that she's as dumb as a box of hair. Honestly. I love this animal to pieces, and she has many fine qualities, but she's no Rhodes Scholar.

We have a cat that is clueless! Not only does she not know her name, but she falls off the couch, forgets who my husband is while he is at work and backs away from the ipad, among other hilarious attributes! Like you, we love her to pieces & I sometimes wonder if our life would be boring if she weren't ours.

[Teachin'Mine]

You will probably see a huge transformation in the months ahead. There was no stimulus - no reason for your cat to know her name. When you feed her, call her name. For anything positive, use her name. Eventually when you call her name, she'll at least look at you and acknowledge that you've spoken even if she doesn't come running. :lol: More often than not, ours will come when we call them. But we also use their names when we yell at them so the other cats know they didn't do anything wrong.

 

You're going to have one very grateful kitty to be out of the basement and to be loved. :)

[dirty ethel rackham]

I have never seen a cat that came when called. The only time my cat came when called is when I had treats.

[Lolly]

Cats are supposed to know their names? Ours don't. They come when called with a sing-song voice and food is available. Or, if they decide they want to be petted.

[Teachin'Mine]

I have never seen a cat that came when called. The only time my cat came when called is when I had treats.

 

I don't think anyone told ours that they're cats and not dogs. :)

[Gooblink]

I thought that's why the expression, "like herding cats." :)

 

When we got our newest dog, Beagle Daisy, we wondered why she wouldn't come or acknowledge us when we called. Turns out, the name given to her by the previous owner was Betty! :) We've now got her answering to Daisy.

 

Animals catch on.

[asta]

All cats know their names. Most often, their humans do not know what this name is.

 

Sometimes you will be lucky enough to stumble upon your cat's name. My family has always had a knack for it. :001_huh:

 

Then again, my cat goes on family walks along with the dog. No leash. She also comes to a whistle as well as her name. Very strange. The neighbors look at us like we're weirdos.

 

 

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[emzhengjiu]

We have two wonderful kitties. Our oldest one comes running if you call his name a few times. He is three years old but started to respond to his name at two. Our other one won't come when called but we've only had her for a month.

Calling your kitty's name when giving food or treats is a good way for him to learn his name.