New Study Reveals Cats Know Other Cats’ Names

Anyone who lives with multiple cats has probably noticed something curious: say one cat’s name, and another cat’s ears swivel—or their head snaps up—even though they weren’t the one being called. For years, that reaction was dismissed as a coincidence. But science now says otherwise. A 2022 study published in Scientific Reports found that domestic cats don’t just recognize their own names — they can also learn and remember the names of their feline housemates, and may even pick up on the names of human family members. Most importantly, cats do this naturally, without being trained.

advertisement

How Scientists Tested What Cats Know

Researchers wanted to know whether cats associate spoken names with specific individuals in their daily lives. To test this, they used an approach called an expectancy violation task — a common way to study whether an animal has formed a mental association.

The basic setup was simple:

• A cat heard a familiar name spoken aloud (either another cat’s name or a human family member’s name).
• Immediately afterward, a photo appeared on a screen.
• Sometimes the name and face matched (a congruent trial).
• Sometimes they didn’t (an incongruent trial).

If cats truly link names to individuals, they should react when things don’t line up—much like humans do when something feels “off.”

Cats Notice When Names Don’t Match Faces

Household cats looked at the screen for longer when the name they heard didn’t match the face shown. That longer look suggests surprise—basically a feline version of “Wait… that’s not who I expected.”

This matters because it suggests cats aren’t just responding to familiar sounds. They’re forming an expectation of who should appear when a particular name is said—meaning the name has become linked to a specific individual in the cat’s mind.

Even more impressive: the cats were not trained to do this. They learned these associations simply by living with other cats and hearing names used in everyday situations.

Why Café Cats Didn’t Perform the Same Way

The study also tested cats living in cat cafés, where many cats coexist, and guests frequently call different names. Unlike household cats, café cats did not show clear evidence of matching names to faces.

Researchers suggested this may be due to inconsistent exposure. In a home, a cat repeatedly hears the same names directed at the same individuals. In a café, names are less stable (and often spoken by strangers), which may make it harder to form strong name–identity links.

Cats May Learn Names by “Eavesdropping”

One of the most interesting takeaways is how cats likely learn names. Cats may not need to be directly addressed. Instead, they can learn names by observing interactions between others—essentially picking up information as third-party listeners.

If you’ve ever felt like your cat was listening in on conversations, this research suggests you’re not imagining it.

Do Cats Know Human Names Too?

In a second experiment, the researchers tested whether cats also link human names to faces. The results were subtler, but still revealing.

Cats living in larger households—and cats that had lived with their humans longer—tended to look longer at the screen when a human name didn’t match the face shown. This suggests cats can learn human name–face associations, especially when they hear names often and in a clear social context.

The researchers noted that these human associations may be weaker than cat-to-cat name learning, possibly because human name-calling doesn’t affect cat social dynamics in the same way (for example, cats may pay closer attention to names that predict food, attention, or competition).

Why Would Cats Care About Names?

Unlike alarm calls in the wild, names don’t signal immediate danger. So why do cats bother learning them?

One explanation is that names help cats predict what happens next. Hearing another cat’s name might signal who is about to be fed, who is being called for attention, or who is being approached. In multi-cat homes, that information can matter.

advertisement

What This Means for Cat Owners

This study adds to growing evidence that cats are more socially aware than they’re often given credit for. They aren’t just passive observers—they’re attentive, perceptive, and constantly learning from the patterns in your household.

So the next time your cat reacts when you call another pet’s name, remember: they’re not guessing. They’re listening—and they may know exactly who you mean.

Bottom line: Cats can naturally learn the names of their feline companions—and possibly their humans—simply through everyday life. It’s one more reminder that cats understand more of our social world than we often assume.