"So how effective is interspecies communication really?" Topic

Our dog knows a few words (treat, toy, car and our kids' names). I think the cats know even more, but prefer not to interact with the less evolved species in general.

I read an article recently that animal behaviorists see evidence that cats actually have developed special 'human only' communication strategies. When cats are with each other they use a lot of subtle communication at ranges humans can't hear. But when they are trying to get a human's attention they change they vocalization range to human ranges, increase the volume and tend to repeat themselves a lot. They are using the 'talk English to a foreigner slowly and loudly' strategy to communicate with us. :)

-Will

Men think honking and sending dick pics is an effective strategy with women.

Forget inter-species, let's tackle intra-species first.

Every spider I have ever met has clearly communicated to me, "I will kill you in your sleep if you don't squash me now!"

How about KoKo the gorilla who signed 300 words in American Sign Language. That was pretty advanced.

Interspecies communication is relatively effective because:
1) the concepts being communicated are relatively simple (feed me, I gotta pee, stranger-danger, Timmy fell down the well) and

2) they aren't a threat to us.

Intra-species communication is difficult because:
1) difficult concepts complicated by the fact we each have our own definitions for those concepts and

2) we see other humans as a threat. The more of a stranger that person is the more the threat.

Used to have a dog who learned to shake her head "no."

Grelber

My cat does a great job of communicating with me. He has distinctive vocalizations and behaviors for "I want to go out", "There is no food in my dish", and "please give me attention".

Cats understand the word "fat". And most will show their displeasure if you call them that… ;-)

This guy taught a cat to talk. It didn't go so well for anyone.

link

Friend had a large Persian cat who had him well trained. The cat had a code for what it wanted, it would walk over and swat a particular cupboard door in the kitchen, a different door for water, milk, dry cat food and wet cat food.

However the cat never did quite get that a news paper could overhang the edge of a table and collapse when walked on – and boy did he get the sulks when he plummeted to the floor.

I had a cat who figured out how the doorknob worked… he would try to turn it with one paw on top, one paw on bottom. He never could get enough grip, but he clearly knew the right way to turn it. I hear raccoons are smart this way too.

Which has nothing to do with communication.

My sister's cat can open doors (the old doorknob type), since it has opposable thumbs, and knows how to use them to hang on, until the door opens.

Extra Crispy you made me laugh out….too funny

My dogs generally understand what I'm saying most times … whether they do what I say is another thing completely …

link

I talk to my cats everyday. They talk to me everyday. Don't understand a word the other one says.

Cats with opposable thumbs – aren't they more commonly known as Aslan or Kzin?

The problem is that we as humans expect animals to understand or want to understand our language. Once we start trying to actually learn or understand theirs, communication is possible.

I was just listening to an NPR broadcast where a guy was studying some kind of monkey language. He learned the different sounds they make when certain animals were around. At the end of the broadcast, he was saying how he slowly started to realize he was being stalked by a panther and they were trying to warn him/others.

Professor Timothy Fielding achieved some spectacular results with inter-species communication. His work with a gorilla called Gerald was simply astonishing; not only could Gerald speak English but he had a smattering of Greek and could operate a record player too!
Incredible when you think that when Fielding caught Gerald in 1968 he was completely wild.

Wild? I'd imagine he was livid.

I've managed to imitate some of our cat's noises, which she happily repeats back to me until one of us gets bored. The problem is that I haven't a clue what I'm saying in cat.

My old jack russel terrier used to stop what he was doing and look where I was looking if I made a gentle growl and put a sort of question mark on the end of it.

Cats with opposable thumbs – aren't they more commonly known as Aslan or Kzin?

6- or 7-toed cats end up with opposable digits.

Given how poorly inter-cultural communications work, I'm pretty sure interspecies comms is a non-starter.

Alex the African Grey Parrot had an extensive vocabulary that he used in context.

The lab assistants used to scold any uncooperative behaviour on his part with the expression 'you turkey'. One day the project team leader decided he needed company, so a stuffed toy parrot was attached to the table that formed his territorial centre. He wandered over to it, attempted to engage it in conversation, and after eliciting no response cried 'you turkey!' and walked away in a huff.

On another occasion Alex was 'misbehaving', so he was placed in his cage behind a screen in the corner of the lab. The scientists who happened to be visiting were surprised when suddenly from behind the screen came the plaintive cry: 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!'.

I'm pretty sure my old Pembroke Welsh Corgi was trying to talk "human" before he got another dog for company, after which he ceased his obviously useless efforts. He had too heavy an accent to be intelligible however.

On a related note:
link

Incredible when you think that when Fielding caught Gerald in 1968 he was completely wild.

Wild? He was absolutely livid! (NTNOCN – great programme.)

Cats develop a distinct language for communicating with their human pets. Adult cats have learned to "miaow" at us (the only time they do this in adulthood) to create a variation on the parent/kitten relationship, and will have up to 20 different calls, each having a distinct meaning. Each cat's calls are unique to that animal – a neighbour's cat will have different sounds, albeit for the same basic range of demands.

I've managed to imitate some of our cat's noises, which she happily repeats back to me until one of us gets bored. The problem is that I haven't a clue what I'm saying in cat.

Your cat was teaching you naughty words in cat. He thought it was HILARIOUS when your repeated them.