20 April,2022 08:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Sammohinee Ghosh
Representative Image
What's in a name? Vianne's daughter Anouk had an imaginary pet friend called Pantoufle in Chocolat. An adman-cum-home chef refers to his most trusted meat cleaver as "right-hand man". And, an elder sibling we know calls her sister Semi for she's not just a full person. While names may or may not be vital for existence, they do ascribe specialness to a thing, face or figment of imagination. Through epithets, they become a private entity. But that's human thought. Do cats react to nomenclature alike? If they could, would they call their humans by name?
A recent study published in the journal, Scientific Reports, revealed that felines not only remember names of their parents but also, develop a warm intimacy with other cats they happen to share a home with. The findings of the study prompted us to look for congruous everyday examples. City-based cat moms and dads share their purrr-fect experiences.
I have a kitten and two cats - Romeo, Princess and Shadow (from left to right, above). I have been drawn to these voiceless creatures all my life and although they are rescues, I feel they have rescued me. After my toxic marriage ended, I found courage and compassion in my felines. While these cats shuttle with me between Mumbai and Goa, I have two rescued cats in Kolkata. They live with my parents and haven't seen me in years. But whenever I call my mother, they purr and try to talk to me. I am "mom" to them; that's my name. My mother says, "Little! Pepper! Your mama is on call", and they know at once. Cats have varied personalities and that shapes their relationship with other felines. Princess and Romeo are two inseparable lovers in our home sweet home.
The findings of the study make me reckon that my pet Disco (top, left) responds more to sounds than names. I have a feeling that she recognises my voice and intonations. For instance, she wouldn't respond to other people taking her name. She looks up or pays heed when I call her.
Disco can also make my aimless calls from the ones that involve food. She reacts accordingly. She is good at identifying hand gestures, something that's beyond my younger pet Mambo (top, right).
The elder one knows if you are asking her to leave, sit or step into the drawing room from the balcony just through hand movements. She followed suit when my friend emulated a gesture I had taught him.
Cats are gravely misunderstood creatures. I find them kind and sympathetic towards the emotional turmoil their humans face. All of my cats are adopted and they have never had the caring privilege of being named or called by those names. But he does remember his name and how I say it. During the lockdown, Booboo got lost in the complex I used to live in. I found him a few floors above ours, but throughout the panicked search, he kept meowing to my voice. He didn't move, but kept responding to let me follow his signal until I found him.
