Do You Talk To Your Pets?

[HappyKoi]

I used to talk to my fish all the time.  I really think he could hear me, because he would get excited at my voice and open and close his mouth.  I also talk to other people's pets.  Some friends of mine have cats, and when the cats meow at me, I say something like, "Hello there!" or, "Yes, I know.".  Sometimes I even meow back!  I talk to animals at the pet store and tell them how cute they are.  I've talked to fish at the aquarium and gotten some odd looks.  Many times, I find myself talking to people's pets more than I talk to them.  Do you talk to your pets, too?

 

[DylanRowan]

Well, I do sometimes. I have a schnauzer at home, and he is usually quiet. I sometimes talk to him about random stuff while I pet him. I make sure no one is hearing me or nearby. He is very relaxed, but I've never felt like he is listening to me. Maybe he is. But, I get this feeling of comfort since well, he is willing to listen to my problems I guess. 

 

[LionTurtle]

I always talk to my birds, kind of like they're kids.  My African grey sometimes picks up stuff I say, it's so cute

 

[sidney]

Yes, I talk to my pet cat or dogs, but with my dogs I just greet them, with my cat I talk to him even about random and silly things, like how one day he will be the "sole heir" to my "fortune" if I die young, hahaha. Sometimes I just tell him my "sentiments" whether good or bad. Often, I praise him for his "exquisite good looks" as well.

 

[CT422]

I have a few pets but I definitely have a soft spot for my Calico. I talk to her all the time, and frequently tell her I'm taking her with me when I (hypothetically) leave for Europe or Canada. I often joke with my friends that I'm already a crazy cat lady even though I only have one cat that I consider my baby. 

 

[Panic57]

I used to talk to my fish all the time.  I really think he could hear me, because he would get excited at my voice and open and close his mouth.  I also talk to other people's pets.  Some friends of mine have cats, and when the cats meow at me, I say something like, "Hello there!" or, "Yes, I know.".  Sometimes I even meow back!  I talk to animals at the pet store and tell them how cute they are.  I've talked to fish at the aquarium and gotten some odd looks.  Many times, I find myself talking to people's pets more than I talk to them.  Do you talk to your pets, too?

Did you know that feral cats never meow at each other?  They only do that with their humans because we can't hear their lower tones.  Meowing is specifically how they talk to humans.  So yeah, they know you.and are probably saying hello back.  I don't know if I've ever talked to my fish, just because I don't usually get a response from them.  Though my beta fish used to glare at me when I came to feed him, to much testosterone in an itty bitty living space.  I think that it's easier to talk to animals because they don't judge you the way another human would.  If they growl or hiss at you it's not personal, they're just in a bad mood.  Some days, I think people would be easier to deal with if they showed their emotions as blatantly as pets do.  I used to talk to my cats and dogs, my grandparent's horses, and my rabbits.   I think they understand tones more than words though.  Except for my cats,  I jokingly softened my tone but was saying bad things like how they are stinky and  messy eaters.   They gave me the side eye, did a soft chuffing sound, and then left.  They didn't come near me for the next couple of days until I bribed them with chicken chunks.   But then again, they were almost eighteen.  So yeah, I talk to my pet too.

 

[CT422]

Did you know that feral cats never meow at each other?  They only do that with their humans because we can't hear their lower tones.  Meowing is specifically how they talk to humans.  So yeah, they know you.and are probably saying hello back.  I don't know if I've ever talked to my fish, just because I don't usually get a response from them.  Though my beta fish used to glare at me when I came to feed him, to much testosterone in an itty bitty living space.  I think that it's easier to talk to animals because they don't judge you the way another human would.  If they growl or hiss at you it's not personal, they're just in a bad mood.  Some days, I think people would be easier to deal with if they showed their emotions as blatantly as pets do.  I used to talk to my cats and dogs, my grandparent's horses, and my rabbits.   I think they understand tones more than words though.  Except for my cats,  I jokingly softened my tone but was saying bad things like how they are stinky and  messy eaters.   They gave me the side eye, did a soft chuffing sound, and then left.  They didn't come near me for the next couple of days until I bribed them with chicken chunks.   But then again, they were almost eighteen.  So yeah, I talk to my pet too.

Cats definitely wear their attitudes on their proverbial sleeves, but I've found that dogs are not fooled by tone of voice either. Our dog always knows if we're punishing her regardless of tone of voice, and you can always tell when she gets in a  bad mood. 

 

[Choochoo]

I don't but I can see why people do it. I try to communicate in a non vocal way which is how I am with humans as well anyway. Not that I don't like to talk but I just find it a lot more interesting to pass along a message without having to use words. 

 

[Alex]

I talk to animals all the time, and I know they understand most things. My old landlady had two dogs and a cat and I would talk to them all of the time and they knew what was going on. One dog was brighter than the other one though! Animals are intuitive and you can tell they know if something is wrong or if someone is a good person or not. I see them as good judges of character, but they can also sense fear.

 

[DDNatureLover]

I've always talked to my pets. I did talk to my fish when I had them, but definitely not as much as I talk to the kitties, since I can snuggle with them and they interact more, because they can seek me out, unlike the fish, unless I was standing in front of the tanks. The cats can tell when I'm upset or having another type of emotional reaction, and will usually come over and give me some comfort. I do the same for them when they're not feeling well, or are agitated. Now that there are barking dogs on both sides of the house, the cats are a bit more on edge and so I give them some extra snuggles and speak to them soothingly when the dogs are being noisy. 

 

[clair02]

I talk to my pets all the time. I thought that everyone did it. When you have so much love for a pet, it starts to feel like one of the family, and you just talk to them without thinking about it. Of course it depends on what kind of pet you have, my dog will sit and listen to me if I talk to it, but my cat will just walk away and leave me talking to the wall...

 

[Peachdejour]

I have full on conversations with my dog all the time. In fact, everyone in  my house talks to my dog like she were just any other member of the family. She will stop and sit and look at you when you are talking and give you different facial expressions. There is no doubt in my mind that she understands us. We even sometimes talk for her and try to determine what her face is trying to say. It's a family joke trying to figure out what type of voice and accent she would have if she really could talk. 

 

[kelden]

I don't talk to them unless I have to scold to them. Yelling a big NO! at them when I see my doggies doing something quite mischievous, like pulling out the hanging drying clothes from the clothespin, or diggin' up holes around my backyard.

 

[fuzyon]

I only talk to my little puppy since I actually feel that he listens to me, when I'm goofing around with him I just start talking about random stuff and he starts licking and cuddling me. It's pretty cute actually, my big dog doesn't really care and whenever I talk too much he just goes and does some other stuff.

 

[kgord]

Yes, I talk to my cat but not about my personal problems or anything. Mostly we just bond, and he purrs and so forth. He is a really sweet cat, and best of all, he never says anything I don't want to hear! He never talks back,,,just gazes at me and snuggles! What are pets for??

 

[Azelma]

I talk to all animals, really. I don't currently have any pets of my own, so others will have to suffice, like pets of friends and family, but also birds that come close, squirrels I might see, etc. I tend to talk more to pets though, as in longer sentences and more substance. I guess it's because they're closer both physically and mentally than wild animals. I don't know how much they'll understand but I hope they're at least entertained by the weird noises the human is making.

 

[amy88]

I do, yes...they feel as much a part of the family as anyone else - and sure, they might not be able to reply with words, but they do listen to commands and requests, at least in my case they do!


I also think it's comforting for them to hear our voices, so honestly everyone in my house seems to talk to them!

 

[17emilyhalko]

When I was younger, I would always roll my eyes at my mother and grandmother because they would always talk to our pets. As I got older, I realized that I also began to start to talk to my pets.... I don't really think that my chickens know what's going on, so I'll only do things like call them pretty, but I swear that my cat actually can understand most of what I say. I'll talk to her in small sentences and scold her sometimes and then compliment her other times. She also sits and watches the TV with me, unless a scary movie comes on. She doesn't like the loud noises.

 

[Allenafaith]

I talk to my pets all the time. When I'm bored, when they look bored, when I'm happy, when they look happy, when I'm sad, etc. It's comforting for some reason.