Why do cats ignore humans?

Cats can hear a can opening from halfway across the house, and yet sometimes they don’t even twitch an ear when you call them from the other end of the couch. Are they ignoring you? Yes, they sure are!

Research has shown that cats know their own name and can distinguish it from similar-sounding nouns and even the names of other cats in the household. This means your cat certainly understands you when you call them—they are simply choosing not to respond.

So why is your feline friend being such a sourpuss? We’ll never know for sure what’s going on in their mysterious mind, but two major theories stand out.

Cats aren’t obligate social animals the way dogs are, meaning that they don’t need social contact as much as dogs do. Much like people who are introverts, cats thrive on socializing occasionally—on their own terms and with their favorite people—but they also enjoy alone time too. So your cat may be ignoring you simply because they are not in the mood for interaction.

Another theory points to the difference in how dogs and cats became human companions. While dogs were domesticated and specially bred over thousands of years to be loyal and obedient companions, cats more or less domesticated themselves, moving into cities and hunting mice and rats around grain stores by their own choice. Consequently, your cat doesn’t have a strong drive to listen and obey, and may ignore you if they’d rather be doing something else. 

But just because cats are more independent and less eager to please than dogs, it doesn’t mean they can’t be trained. With patience, persistence and lots of positive reinforcement, your cat can learn many tricks—even “come”!

Check out our AskVCA training videos for tips on how to train your cat. >>