Can Cats Actually Copy Human Speech? Viral Videos Say So · Kinship

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Can Cats Actually Copy Human Speech? Viral Videos Say So

It seems like some cats know how to say “hello.”

by Charles Manning
January 21, 2025
Cat meowing up at someone outside.
EyeEm Mobile GmbH / iStock

The cats are talking! Well, maybe. It certainly sounds like they are in videos like this and this, where cats seemingly say things like “Well, hi!” and “Bongiorno!” when approached by a person holding a camera. And wouldn’t it be wonderful if our cats could speak? Then again, they’d probably just say they were hungry all the time. And the last thing any of us needs are our cats telling people what we get up to when we are alone in our homes. It’s one thing for your cat to judge you silently, but quite another for them to tell your guests all your shameful secrets. Not that you have any. 

How cats communicate

According to a study published in 2019, cats are capable of around 21 different vocalizations: from chirps and growls to gurgles, hisses, moans, and mews. Although the exact character of each sound differs from cat to cat, they all appear to indicate simple states of being: pain, pleasure, need/want, aggression/defense, etc. and should not be confused with language in the human sense.

Cats do not combine sounds (like we do) to create words. And even if they did, they would not be capable of the same number and variety of vocalizations we are. Indeed, humans are capable of around 600 consonant sounds and 200 vowel sounds. We don’t use all of these — English, for example, only uses 24 consonant phonemes and 15 vowel phonemes for 39 distinct, meaningful sounds — but that doesn’t mean cats are capable of mimicking the English language.

“Physically, their vocal cords are not suited for the breadth of sounds we classify as speech,” Josh Wiesenfeld, a pet behavior expert and founder of Boxiecat. “Although they can produce a wide variety of utterances, they lack the physical structure necessary for articulate speech.”

Although cat brains are 90 percent similar to human brains in terms of structure and folding, they only have about 300 million neurons in their cerebral cortex, compared to our 21 to 26 billion. All of which is to say that cats are smart, but maybe not that smart. They are certainly smarter than dogs, though, with around twice the number of cerebral cortex neurons, so at least we can finally put that debate to rest. 

“Just because cats aren’t as smart as humans doesn’t mean they can’t understand many aspects of human speech, but it’s not the same level of comprehension we associate with human language,” Wiesenfeld says. He adds that cats are “highly attuned” to how someone says something and can recognize key words or phrases, like their names or their human calling them for food.

He continues: “However, on an intellectual level, cats do not process our words with the depth or complexity that we may think. They rely more on tone and context and pick up patterns that enable them to predict what might happen, such as feeding, playing, or petting. They may not understand human language in the way we understand it, but they pick up emotional cues and the intentions behind the words.”

While humans might prioritize verbal communication, cats rely much more on non-verbal signals like body language — tail position, ear orientation, eye contact — and scent marking when expressing an emotion or intention. For example, when threatened, a cat might puff itself up and hiss, whereas they will purr and knead when content. “Understanding these cues is key in interpreting how they feel,” Weisenfeld says. “Cats also use scent to communicate, marking their territory or expressing familiarity with certain areas or people by rubbing their face against objects or humans.”

cat climbing on someone's legs
marieclaudelemay / iStock

So, what about the videos?

There are a few explanations for what is happening in these videos and, sadly, none of them point to cats actually being able to speak or even mimic human language. First, it is very possible the videos were enhanced or edited before they were posted to make the audio sound more human-like.

Second, you could be hearing what you do in these videos because you have been primed to hear it. In the clip where the cat seems to say “Bongiorno,” a moment before, you hear the woman in the video saying that word just before. So, you are primed to notice the similarity between what she said and the cat’s meow. Even without the human saying the word first, it’s very possible that you felt the need to watch each video more than once to figure out exactly what you just heard. Once you knew what you were looking for, it suddenly sounded much clearer, like when you’re listening to a song and don’t understand what the artist is saying. But then you read the lyrics, and suddenly it all clicks into place.

It’s telling that these videos appear to be one-off moments for these cats. It’s not as if they meow like this every time they see someone, or else the people making these videos likely would have created some sort of supercut in a bid for even greater social media clout. And even if these cats did meow like this regularly, it would likely be more of a learned response — because they receive food or attention for meowing this way — than them making a conscious effort to mimic human speech. 

These utterances could also be completely random. Something along the lines of the classic infinite monkeys theorem. Given enough cats and enough time, a few of them are bound to make the occasional sound that mimics human speech. 

cat meowing at a person
Chelsea Victoria / Stocksy

What about cats who communicate using buttons?

The idea behind talking buttons is that they allow your cat (or dog) to communicate with you directly using language. You record a word into a button, and you teach your pet to associate pressing that button with a certain feeling or outcome related to that word. Most people start with “food.”

They press the button and give their pet food until the pet begins to associate the pressing of that button with food. And then they move on to another word and another and another. Some animals do remarkably well with these buttons, like Bunny the dog or Billi the cat, but this doesn’t lead to them mimicking what their pet parents are saying.

How to better communicate with your cat

What makes these videos so appealing is the idea that true, meaningful communication with our cats is possible at the level and in the form with which we are most comfortable (like talking). How wonderful would it be to have a conversation with our cats? To finally know what they are feeling? We would have a way for them to tell us, in no uncertain terms, what they want or need or when they are feeling sick or scared. It would be great.

The thing is, cats do tell us this stuff. Even if they don‘t use language to do it. And because our brains are bigger, and we have so many more neurons in our cerebral cortexes, if we want to better communicate with our cats, it’s really up to us to meet them where they are. “To be better communicators with our cats, it’s important to pay close attention to their body language and vocalizations,” Weisenfeld says. “Understanding what different meows, purrs, or tail positions mean can go a long way in strengthening your relationship.”

Not that there’s anything wrong with fantasizing about finally having a meaningful conversation with your cat. All cat parents do it. And who knows? Maybe your cat will be the next leap forward in cat evolution and actually talk back to you one day. And if not, well, they like the attention, so keep doing it anyway. 

References

Charles Manning

Charles Manning is an actor, writer, and fashion/media consultant living in New York City with his two cats, Pumpkin and Bear. Follow him on Instagram @charlesemanning.

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