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How much do you think your Pet- Dog/Cat understands you?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by The Electric Me, Apr 30, 2020.

  1. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I recently watched a poorly made documentary that included interviews with a group of "animal psychics" who profess to be able to psychically connect with animals. Usually pet owners, sometimes farm animal owners will PAY these people to come out and "connect" with their animals.
    Then these psychics come back and tell the owners their Dog is upset because his pillow isn't soft enough, or that their cow doesn't like to be milked on Wednesday. -stuff like that.

    Well, what I didn't get is I communicate with my cat, all the time. I don't need a psychic. I never knew it was even a "thing".
    Oh no, it's not crazy cat lady level. I'm not professing to getting clear edicts and specific feedback. My cat isn't TELLING things directly as the psychics profess.

    But call me crazy, I easily believe that when I talk to my cat, it understands at least the gist of what I'm saying. When I come home from the grocery store and look at her and say " I bought you some more Cat Food! " Her eyes brighten, she looks happy, and I believe she understands exactly what I just said.
    And there's more. I generally believe my cat "gets" everything I'm saying to her to some degree. It's not human to human level communication, but it's real understanding and real communication.

    I get feedback, and it's NOT one sided.
    For example, if I'm on Prius Chat and have lost track of time, and passed the usual cat feeding time, my Cat will come up, sight unseen and gently tap me on the leg...tap, tap, tap....very politely. Then look up at me, and the message is clear..."Uh...it's feeding time".

    So I guess multi-layered. I felt the "animal psychics" were mostly pulling a con. Asking for a fee, repeated visits as communication intermediaries.
    My feeling was...why can't these owners communicate with their animals themselves? Why do they feel they need a middle man?
    No I don't hear voices or have visions where my cat is showing me luxury litter box configurations, or putting in precise orders for preferred cat food .
    But I easily believe there is real communication and real understanding between us...and it's been that way my whole life with all animals I've ever been around for an extended time.

    How much is just my imagination, my own application of what I may want to believe?
    How much is irrational or the animal reacting to environmental ques?
    Hey I don't believe as much in that as I do this....

    Well sorry, if I believe interspecies communication and real understanding is not only entirely possible, but just happens.

    How much do you think your pets or animals understand you?
    And would you hire a animal psychic if you felt communication had broken down?
     
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  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    We got a teleconference style call from our son and daughter-in-law last evening, just we were getting back from our evening walk with our dog. He started going nuts, tugging on the leash, figured they might be parked in the driveway, and when that wasn't the case, maybe the back yard (c'mon, lemmee in there, now). He wouldn't clue into looking at the phone, but sure knew the voices.
     
  3. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    I know that regardless of where I am in the house or backyard, if I say "momma's home", my rottweiler will drop anything he's doing and run inside to the front door. If I tell him "go run" or "show me how fast you are", he'll immediately run out the dog door, wait at the top of the deck steps until I get there, and then run down the steps to start making laps around the back yard at full throttle. He's such a show off.

    My cat? I tell him to "go run" and he looks at me and I could swear he tells me to piss off.
     
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  4. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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  5. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    They understand -- and compensate for more than any of us realize....

    Last night I was in a bit of "pain," self-induced from trying to shore up a retaining wall and collapsed onto bed -- not even sure -- around 6:30 p.m.??? I was immediately surrounded by a cordon of protective canines -- no -- not allowed on furniture and normally, not even supposed to be in the bedroom, but their protective hackles were up, I guess.

    Husband Kevin came in to ask if I needed anything and he was confronted by a snarling Golden Retriever pup...

    Pup was properly disciplined and sent outside, with the rest of the pack....

    upload_2020-4-30_13-19-8.jpeg .

    [​IMG]
     
    #5 cyberpriusII, Apr 30, 2020
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2020
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  6. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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  7. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I didn't add this to my original post because well it's long enough. But I recently had surgery and a longer recovery process.
    When I was at my worst, the cat just stayed with me. Protective and supportive.
    She knew "something" was wrong and just stayed by my side.
    I knew I was getting better when she started spending more time on her own.
     
  8. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    You folks are doing fantastic! I have trouble communicating with my wife.
     
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  9. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Interaction with many dogs convinced me their 'intelligence' (not an easy term to define) varies widely. And yet...

    One was a Dalmatian, a breed better known for enthusiasm than smarts. She learned some basics in puppy school, but nowhere near top of class. Then she and neighbor dog killed an unwise little dog visiting property. I was pretty darned mad and put Dalmatian on severe lockdown. Water and food but no social interaction. After arbitrarily ending that, her behavior completely changed. Everything one could ask of, I dun no, a border collie taking gingko.

    It was like she had completely learned all her school lessons but never felt a need to demonstrate them. It wore off eventually, but I'll not forget that they may learn much more than they let on.
     
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  10. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Y'know those dogs on TV that walk a half step behind you on left side, and when you stop, they sit down and wait for the boss to set off again? It was like that. And with this particular dog, it was startling.

    ==
    Same Dal would play fetch with coconuts. Husks on, fallen from trees in yard, she could just barely get her canine teeth far enough apart to get a grip. She invented that game. Sorry no photos. You'll have to imagine what a Dalmatian hauling a coconut at full run looks like.
     
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  11. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    Inauthentic photo and probably a copyright violation to post. But you get the idea, Looks like an undersize 'nut' to me.

    fetch.jpg
     
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  12. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    And a very strong jaw.
     
  13. KennyGS

    KennyGS Senior Member

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    In my experience, dogs are all about the good times. As long as you understand that, everyone will get along fine.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Fact that owner/s made time to take that picture suggests this dog does understand...them. Infer what you will.
     
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  15. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Well understanding between owners and animals doesn't necessarily mean either party consistently does what the other party would want. That holds true with Human to Human communication as well.
     
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    We've been watching My Self Reliance on YouTube; some of them, the dog (retriever) is a real scene stealer.

    For a lot of years we had cats. I always had in the back of my mind that they were aloof, independent critters. One time we happened to be out in the back yard, and I noticed: the cats had come out too, just hanging with us. Bit of an epiphany.
     
    #16 Mendel Leisk, May 1, 2020
    Last edited: May 1, 2020
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  17. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    We have a male Rottweiler (Gulliver) and female Husky (Bailey). We already had a solid white cat named Cracker when we got the Rottweiler as a puppy, so he grew up with Cracker watching over him. Other than Cracker totally kicking his "tail" one day, they've been buddies and watch each other's backs. (A very young Gulliver walked between Cracker and another cat Cracker was growling at. I guess it pissed him off, so he jumped on Gulliver's back, fully clawed for battle and actually rolled him over, MMA style. If he could have, I think he would have put him in a rear naked choke. Never heard a dog scream like that, it was horrible).

    Any time we take the dogs for a neighborhood walk, Cracker follows in the background, trying to stay out of sight. Once we get about a 1/4 mile down the road, he has a set of bushes where he stops and hides. He stays there, hidden, until we come back. Once we get about 50 feet past him, he comes running up behind us and rubs on Gulliver's legs. Buddies for life..........
     
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  18. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    While still more independent than dogs, our cats have always insisted on a certain amount of time with their humans, and this amount seems to increase as they get older. To get more of this time, they do follow us around the house, will select a nap spot close to us when we sit down various places for reading or office work, or go outside to play or watch or nap nearby as we do yard work. Of course, TV time is the best, as laps are available for an extended period.

    This behavior covers only a part of the day, they also need their solo nap times too. And time to go explore outside, which decreases with age, as they get more satisfied with merely surveying their yard domain from the deck seating or from inside through a window. We are on our third generation of cats now, and while each has had its own very distinct personality, all have behaved this way.
     
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  19. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    To be honest, a majority of people seem to like to align as either a Dog person or a Cat person.
    Not me, I'm honestly both.
    It's convenience and probably financial reality that makes my pet choice Cat. I hear my neighbor taking his dog out to be walked during a rainstorm and I'm instantly happy about the aloof independent ability of cats to simply do their business in a box.
    But my Dad has a dog, and has had dogs, and I like both. They are different animals obviously, but I really don't rank one higher than the other.

    On beautiful Spring, Summer, Fall days, I'm probably a little jealous that I can't take my cat to the park and throw the ball or play catch the frisbee.
     
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  20. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    I took two cats to White Sands National Monument, exited vehicle and started climbing a sand dune. I have no idea what they thought (possibly "this is the biggest litterbox I've ever seen"?) but they followed me around until returning to vehicle.

    In no other setting did they ever follow.