Button Overview | BilliSpeaks

Our current buttons, and some information on how we modeled a few of them! See links below for videos showcasing either modeling or her use of certain words:
"Oops" - • Everyone Makes Mistake... • Oops! Wrong Button | B... • No Tummy! | BilliSpeaks
"Settle" - • Road Trip Chronicles: ...
"Soon", "Now", "Later" - • Make it snappy! • Soon vs Later
"Morning", "Afternoon", "Night" - A bunch linked in this playlist! • Time Exploration
The captions are auto-generated, so there may be some misspellings.
Billi is a female domestic shorthair, she's 13 years old, her favorite word is mad.
Inspiration for learning to “speak” with buttons from Hunger4Words (check her out on IG).
LinkTree for:
✨merchandise
✨website with FAQs and getting started resources
✨buttons
✨food puzzles
✨Instagram
✨TikTok 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
linktr.ee/BilliSpeaks
Want to learn more about the research study Billi and many other animals are in? Check it out here:
www.theycantalk.org/research

[@spookyplaguedoctor5714]

My brother has autism and usually has stims that go along with feeling angry, but since I started showing him videos of you and Billi he's started to replace the verbal angry stims with "mad", which helps him express that he's mad but also cheers him up because like me, he loves cats.

[@kgreene460]

That's fantastic that watching Billie has helped you two communicate!!

[@mirjanbouma]

How wonderful that these videos help you and your brother!

[@theabristlebroom4378]

Question. In this context, what is "stims"?

[@BilliSpeaks]

That’s incredible!

[@spookyplaguedoctor5714]

@@theabristlebroom4378 stims are sorta like fidgeting, but it sorta feels like an itch you have to scratch. I'm not sure if stim is the proper word for what he does, but it helps him feel less angry.

[@tonynoon8693]

I have found that my cat likes to group words together. I have a brush button, and my cat has a tendency to push it when she wants a location. For example, I have a dry feeding bowl near where I brush her, and a wet feeding bowl, near where I give her water. When she wants dry food she will push Brush food, and for wet food, she will push water food. She also will push brush pets when she wants to be brushed. This is something that she developed on her own and it took me a while to understand. She basically kept repeating it until I got it right. So the modeling thing goes two ways. :)

[@kellytrowbridgehomes]

Cool!! Love that!!

[@anabugulet8628]

such an intelligent kitty! ❤️

[@ddumida]

This is sooo sick

[@robinsmith5442]

I think it's interesting how she doesn't look at them when she presses them, she's so confident.

[@CylindricalWhistle]

Cats apparently have bad close range vision. So it makes sense that she goes by positioning rather than any visual cues.

[@mn295]

One thing about cats I noticed, they seem to remember many details around a house/home. Is it by smell? maybe, but anyway it is much better memory about objects than humans have

[@MazerTime]

I mean, she cant read

[@KenKeenan1973]

@MN when I was a kid, my folks remodelled the house, moving a door from one place to another. For years after our cat would go to the wall where the door used to be and meow at it like “how dare you not be a door anymore!” 🤣 Cats definitely have a good spatial memory. Their vision is not so good- it’s better for picking out small movements rather than fine detail- which is probably why Billi doesn’t look at the buttons

[@LindaVernon]

@@MazerTime But she can "touch type."

[@irisjanemay1903]

It amazes me that this lady has basically taught her cat how to communicate through a simple keyboard, but animal scientist are still doing experiments on them wondering if they have emotions or can remember you after 5 minutes. There should be classes when you get a kitten on how to teach them this. It's really is amazing.

[@fireyflower6643]

This IS part of an experiment under scientists

[@ThePallidor]

Science as it's practiced today is mostly a joke when it comes to natural systems like the mind and body or environment.

[@xCupressocyparis]

I agree so much! As a cat lover I enjoy reading about cat behaviour, intelligence, communication, etc. both out of interest and for practical application, and it's amazing to me how often I see articles with headlines like 'groundbreaking study indicates cats have dreams when they sleep!' or 'new research suggests cats may in fact get emotionally attached to their owners!'. I mean, anyone who has owned and cared for a cat and paid attention to them could tell you that. I understand that there may be a little anthropomorphisation involved sometimes when interpreting an animal's behaviour and it's nice to have some empirical evidence gathered as well but really some things just become self-evident when observed consistently over time. I really think that anyone who doesn't credit animals with sentience and intelligence either hasn't spent much time with them or is just wilfully ignorant.

[@Britt3334]

I just found out that spiders have dreams including nightmares and plants are scared (understandably) of fire so I’m convinced everything on this earth has emotions

[@Frederiekje221]

Of course they still "research ". There is big money in still maintaining that animals are mindless automatons we can exploit. I have to say Billie and her mom have changed the way I think about my cats. I used to think I could be gone for a longer time ss long as my cat had water and food and could go outside. Now I think they miss my company, too.

[@Alphameiz]

Billy gets a lot of love and she deserves it but I also think that you deserve it as well. Forgive me I don’t know your name but you are in fact a pioneer in the field of breaking language barriers between creatures and people as far as I’m concerned. Your love and devotion to your craft and to your family is very admirable.I really do believe that you are breaking ground here that will be talked about for decades to come. This is truly the beginning of something incredible. I hope you’re having a great day much love to all three of you and I enjoy the videos very much :-) oh yeah and also love to your mom. She seems like a nice lady :-)

[@BilliSpeaks]

Thank you! 💕 and yes, my mom’s the best 🤗🤗

[@darlenefraser3022]

I’ve often thought that too but I couldn’t put it as well you. Totally agree

[@almostfm]

@@randomzen924 The one that really got me was when she used "water noise" to say that it was raining. That's a pretty high-level extrapolation, especially when you've got a limited number of words available.

[@Nirrrina]

This is absolutely amazing. It's amazing what Billi does but it's also amazing what Billi's mom done in helping Billi to learn this. It's just so fascinating to see.

[@Anonymous-km5pj]

@@almostfm so amazing..... and yeah, maybe add some nuanced words, like dream, deep, God, stuff like that....... Clearly an enormous untapped intelligence operating here

[@dragonstormstudios8871]

I think what's neat is that even though you have 59 buttons, Billi uses compound words as well so her vocabulary is much bigger than that! We've seen her use "hello morning" for good morning, "food mousey" for a toy that's different from her mousey toy. And by the looks of it she came up with these herself! Her Madjesty is a national treasure.

[@masterofthecontinuum]

My favorite is "noise ouch billi" when mom's music was apparently hurting her ears.

[@Ana-xq3yr]

Are there any other “negative feeling” buttons she can choose from other than Mad? Sometimes I feel like she wants to express “sad” or “confused” but is limited to using the Mad button. Must say, very impressive Billi remembers where all 50+ buttons are exactly located 🥰

[@mirjanbouma]

Well she can use "now" to express impatience, which she does, so 😅

[@fionashrek1204]

confused is hmmm?, but maybe sad or fear could be useful.

[@Avalikia]

Bunny the dog has a 'concerned' button, which I think is fantastic word.

[@JUMALATION1]

A "sad" or "tired" button could also help for Billi's mom if she is feeling down or tired or busy and can't express all the affection for Billi right at the moment Billi asks for it, without coming out as totally dismissive right then and there. (I'm sure that wouldn't be her intention but who knows how Billi interprets it.) Also maybe Billi could use it in a way to say that she needs her own space for a bit but is willing to communicate in a happy/positive way later. Ofc this sort of overrides the time-based button "later", but just an initial idea I got.

[@Pystro]

I would feel that something along the lines of "confused" would be handy. Currently there's often a situation when Kendra ("Mom") has to say "I don't understand billy. Can you try again?" You'd need to choose a word that fits these 4 use cases: A: I feel like it might be handy for that request to be formalized into a button (might help billy to understand that's it's something important that's being communicated). B: And I bet there's also many instances where Billy doesn't understand what people are trying to tell her. I think it would only be fair to give her the opportunity to ask this additional type of question, even if I'm not sure she would do that. C: As soon as billy understands it, you can use it to force her to improve her grammar. If she just presses "want" and you are fairly certain you know what she wants, you could pretend to be unsure and (try to) get her to use a "full sentence" like: "want food". D: General disorientation. Being unable to find a specific toy; Not understanding what is going on; ... And @Fiona Shrek, I disagree. It's not the same as "hmmm?". That's for questions generally. "Confused" would be a request to explain or clarify.

[@terri5757]

Thank you! Your video is coming for me at the perfect time. I have 8 word buttons for my cat Whitley. We started with 2 buttons, “Play” and “All done”. Once he figured out how to push the play button it has been a nightmare but I’m so glad he was finally pushing the buttons. He rarely pushed the “All done” button but it was obvious he was pushing it on purpose when he did. He would leave the room or lay down and take a nap so this is how I was certain it wasn’t an accident as it might have been in the past. I got my set of 6 Fluent buttons about 4 weeks ago. It’s been hit and miss with figuring out the best words to use. He still always preferred the “play”. Button. They say you shouldn’t take words away but I didn’t feel Whitley was progressing on trying to discover using his new words. I only removed them when I slept or he just wouldn’t take “later” for an answer. When I took his play button away he would mostly only push “Brush”, his other favorite thing. I modeled all his words as much as I possibly could. A few days ago I started removing his brush button too. This morning I wake up to “Love You!”. I thought it was an accident, that he was looking for his favorite words. I praised him anyway and told him I loved him too! Then I hear “love you” 7 times in a row. This was no accident! Soon I hear “Mama”. I told him yes, I’m Mama with praise. Next comes, “Help Whitley”. I asked what he needed help with? He looked up where I kept his Play and Brush buttons. I told him I’m so happy he asked for help but I was doing a job and couldn’t play or brush right now but “Soon”. He walks over and presses, “Mad” and sits down heavily. Needless to say I gave in and played with him, lol. Sorry for the long story but I just had to share. I knew we were getting somewhere but Whitley just seemed to explode with using his words today. Having your help, Kendra, of how to group words will help greatly. I already have another set of buttons on black order that’s been there for awhile. Hopefully they’ll come soon.

[@silverhoney6969]

That’s so cool! That’s a great experience to share

[@terri5757]

Update: Whitley now has 26 buttons and I’ll be adding another couple more very soon. I feel ready to start putting Whitley’s videos on my KZbin channel. They will be under my name, “Tinker Terri”. I may change the name to Whitley’s Words. Sorry Kendra if I’m not allowed to talk about my channel here. If you don’t want me to please let me know and I will remove this post. Thanks Kendra for this video. It has helped me arrange my buttons and helped Whitley greatly.

[@terri5757]

@@silverhoney6969 thank you!

[@terri5757]

Update: my KZbin channel is now called “Whitley’s Words”. I’m really sorry to be promoting my channel on Kendra and Billi’s site but I just don’t understand how to get subscribers. I really need about 600 more subs to be able to monetize. I know it won’t even add up to much but I just really need to get more word buttons for Whitley. The cost adds up quickly and I am a senior and on disability. The small monetizing amount I’d get might basically be enough to cover more buttons. Thanks! Take care everyone!

[@SK-tk5lc]

Good note about back as a body part only, not a time construct

[@elliottstevens7168]

I was here when Billi only had like 4 buttons.. she's learned so much

[@Alphameiz]

I’m gonna get these buttons for myself and this is how I’m gonna communicate with the rest of the people around me for the rest of my life. Deuces ✌️

[@4manda]

🐾 MAD

[@Alphameiz]

@@4manda yup 😂

[@davidstockton196]

For a big enough vocabulary it could be good to program a computer to speak a different word for each key on a keyboard.

[@cesheph]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ThePallidor]

That would be a good exercise in understanding what buttons and grammatical words need to be added

[@LugborG]

I have to say that this channel has been incredibly impressive. You’ve raised such an intelligent cat.

[@BilliSpeaks]

💕💕💕

[@annewoods1048]

I always wondered how you model "love you"! If I were a cat, I'd probably associate that button with pets or physical affection. Great video!!!

[@CaylasCapsule]

I don’t have buttons, but my cats know love you. Like she said, love you in cat language is slow blinks, so if you consistently slow blink when you say it, they start to get what it means. I showed my friend how my cats know love you, and now she’s teaching her cats. 😊

[@RachelTScott]

This brings new meaning to the expression "Pushing my buttons" 😅

[@sassycat6536]

Thank you so much for taking the time to the explain the Billi buttons. She has way more than I thought she had. And yet she is able to navigate around them by memory and not accidental step on any of them when communicating. Billi is incredibly intelligent and agile. Can't get enough of her. ❤ you Billi 🐱

[@SpiffierShindigs]

Her progress has been super impressive lately. I can especially feel her enthusiasm for the time buttons. What a wonderful gift you've given her... and everyone.

[@martinarcher1503]

Russel the cat has a button for "brush." I'm sure that would be easy to model. You are doing really great work! Thanks for the wonderful channel

[@wayneessar7489]

And laundry!

[@sablebrown4139]

@@wayneessar7489 In his past life, he was definitely a housekeeper. 🤣

[@Zaza-ho5yy]

@@sablebrown4139 it was mentioned before that russel and teen were saved from a hoarder house so it makes sense why russel is so particular about tidiness.

[@spacecat3198]

@@Zaza-ho5yy I had no idea and that explains a lot. I can imagine it must drive other animals crazy as well as most humans.

[@lisawarsh-chartier9473]

When I say, "brushie" to my cat, she knows if she comes up beside me, I will brush her. So a button would work the same way I think. Kitty pushes "brush" button for brush time.

[@beckyshell4649]

I find it impressive that Billie can keep up with the location of the buttons being that we assume she doesn't read.

[@wayneessar7489]

She doesn't read out loud.....yet.

[@TheScandoman]

I have been wondering about that, since 'the pallete' has clearly expanded over the course of the process. Have any notes on how many buttons have been moved, how often,...one at a time?...etc...

[@TheSlipperyNUwUdle]

Kendra has mentioned Billi does get confused when buttons are moved around. So she knows by location.

[@mirjanbouma]

Thank you so much, Kendra, for explaining the layout and history of the words you chose so thoroughly!

[@lonnarheaj]

I wonder how many people appreciate the fact that cats, and dogs, that learn how to use buttons to communicate with their humans are actually learning a second language. Never underestimate the intelligence of your pets! 😸❤

[@carolinaember]

Billi is so smart & pretty. My fav buttons are most definitely “love you” & “Mad.” 😉

[@stgermain1074]

Billi's a pretty senior cat. Do you think her age has made her learning slower at all? She's a model for life-long learning.

[@elenachristian9860]

Right? In her elder years, Billi learned to communicate with an alien species.

[@TheSlipperyNUwUdle]

Billi inspires me to work harder at foreign language learning. I’m an adult, though not what most people would consider “old”, but it’s frustrating knowing it’s harder to learn than it probably would have been when I was a kid. I know logically her buttons aren’t quite the same as learning a language, of course.

[@tonynoon8693]

I started working with my cat last year during covid, she was 18. She really enjoys the interactivity. She picked up her latest buttons in less than 10 minutes each and uses them correctly. Although, she also uses her light button to refer to my phone when I am using it, she will push "light no".

[@DembaiVT]

Her age is an advantage. She likely knows a ton of words due to long exposure, but had no way to say them.

[@Zzucia]

@@tonynoon8693 loool

[@Angela_Micheli_Otwell]

Button Suggestion: I could totally be wrong, but I get the sense that Billi wants to say "Good morning" when she uses the morning button. More of a greeting than an observation of the time of day. So I think she would like to have a Good morning button over by hello and bye.

[@keiralionel]

she did wants greeting! thats why mom added a morning, afternoon, night button. There was a vid abt it

[@RealFarknMcCoy]

Billi's current version of "good morning" is "hello morning". I've seen her use those two buttons fairly often.

[@CalcifertheCat]

Thanks for this... Really thorough! I gave my boy a 'grumpy' button, and he took to it, too. It must be frustrating for the average cat to not be able to express their emotions to us. Well, now he loves telling me his feelings, and it's usually because I won't play 'wand toy' for 3 hours a day! hahah

[@cronchycatmom]

I really want to train my cat to use buttons, but they're a bit out of my price range, so while I save I've been trying to communicate the different words with her so when we get there she understands a bit better (hopefully.) On a side note though, I've started saying "mad" or "sad" in my day to day life. Cracks my partner up every time

[@Lynxdusk]

Definitely another on the emotion button! Such as sad maybe? Something that would expand on the range of 'mad' to disappointment. Either that or 'sorry'? She seemed to be looking for a word for it recently in one of your videos.

[@RealFarknMcCoy]

She has a sorry button.

[@rivercrow8988]

This was great, thank you! I have been wondering about all of this information. I often wondered how you (and Russell's mom) modeled mad. I had to laugh at your description of the way Billi reacted when you put her down from your lap before she was ready. Exactly how my Lily reacts when she's sleeping comfortably on or next to me and I need (God forbid!) to go to the bathroom. She looks at me with such a disgusted expression that I've coined a new word for it. As it's a combination of a sneer and a glare, I call it a Gleer.

[@BilliSpeaks]

Great word 😹😹😹

[@A.Girl.Has.No.Name.]

My Joey has actually learned what "I have to pee" means, because though he doesn't sit on my lap, he uses my L leg as as a pillow to cuddle up to when I read. I now just have to tells him "Joey, I have to pee" and he gets up, so I can get up. LOL He still gives me "THE LOOK" however!

[@karenboyd9739]

@@A.Girl.Has.No.Name. My dog has learned this, too! He'll jump off my lap and lead me to the bathroom. Versus when I just say "get up" and he gets off my lap and lays down on his pillow (or more frequently: looks at me, looks at the floor, and then deep sighs and puts his head back down.)

[@larissabrown4412]

A button/word that we utilize a lot in the speech pathology world is "more." Billi may benefit from that button if she doesn't have it already. It gives an alternative to "all done" and allows for further conversation for both of you. 😃

[@elliottstevens7168]

I feel like that button would get spammed

[@ziggystardog]

She has a more button. It’s featured in one of the grandma videos.

[@BilliSpeaks]

Yep 🤗 she uses it too! 😹😹

[@Rat2rrj]

Ouch as a concept is totally a thing with mammals, teaching young ones boundaries of rough play as you said. Kind of an implication of a hiss and threat display like "knock it off or i'll knock you out"

[@TheGypsyVanners]

My cat China, likes to fake fight - biting and kicking my partner. Never me. It's like she knows who responds to her in what way. Sometimes infrequently she gets too excited and comes close to breaking the skin on my partner (normally teeth stop at tight grip, kicking has no claws) my partner just has to say "ouch" and China disengages and runs away - sometimes running around obviously burning off her "steam" and excitement. She is not meaning to hurt. That's clear.

[@RealMash]

How confused was Billy about you using all the words without any context and - obviously - just producing an unintelligible chaos?

[@BilliSpeaks]

Lol I made sure to do it while she was passed out in another room 😹

[@stephaniepapaleo521]

@@BilliSpeaks do Billi’s paws get too sensitive so she ends up not pressing any buttons or she might tell you “ouch”? Did that happen in the beginning of training?

[@Nilguiri]

​@@stephaniepapaleo521 I think I can hazard a guess at that: No, of course not!

[@stephaniepapaleo521]

@@Nilguiri i was thinking how my cat is very vocal but if you dare touch her paws, she pulls away and shakes it, she goes ballistic if you attempt nail cutting, she just chews them or I find a random split nail... I was projecting 😂

[@Nilguiri]

@@stephaniepapaleo521 jaha, ok.

[@teresafrazier4299]

I had a cat that I taught her to understand Spanish and English. She would blink her eyes to say I love you. She knew basic words. I had such a sweet connection. With her. I think cats are very intelligent creatures. You cat seems like she has no boundaries on learning.

[@Palozon]

Having buttons for "I don't understand" or "I don't know how to say this" might be helpful. They are often some of the first phrases you learn in any new language, since being unable to communicate that something is wrong is really frustrating.

[@dustinjolicoeur6138]

This was super cool. My husband and I have been talking about getting a pet. And I said that I would like to do the button training. Or at least attempt it. My husband and I have talked about how much of responsibility that would be. You can’t just ignore your pet when they wanna tell you something. It doesn’t matter how tired you are. You have to listen when your pet pushes the buttons. Kudos to you for keeping up with this. And thank you for doing it.

[@hengineer]

Just like kids, heh

[@fionashrek1204]

i think a kitchen button is maybe useful, because billi is often talk to you, if you in the kitchen and she is annoyed by the noise in there

[@mygirldarby]

A "sorry" button could be very useful. My dog definitely understands this word. All of us probably say it to our dog/cat when we accidentally step on a paw or tail. When my dog gets a little too rough when we are playing and I say "ouch," she immediately does her version of saying "sorry" to me by pulling her ears back and coming up close to my face, looking worried and delicately giving me kisses. She only does this when she's accidentally hurt me, so I'm positive that the behavior means "I'm sorry." I bet Billi already knows what the word means too. Watching Billi has made me want a cat again, and so I'm thinking of adopting one this spring. I'd also like to turn my screened in porch into a catio. 😺😻❤️ I had a very loving orange cat while growing up, and I still miss him to this day.

[@themaddtatter6679]

Learning that soon is before later but after now is hard... even for people! ❤👍 My cat would verbalize now as hungry... I loved it. So I can relate to the frustration that Billi felt while learning those terms.

[@geminidream4347]

What about an Alone Time button? They need their space too. This would also help the human understand that the cat is not being mean or aloof but just does not want to be picked up (another good button, pick up/and one just No to go with the other buttons maybe) petted or play. As I have seen these reactions in other catpeople I have encountered. One was going to put the cat up for adoption! Thank goodness I was at her party to put a stop to this. I worked with her so she could understand. If interested it started out by the cat coming over and jumping up on my lap, letting me pet them and purring. They would not do this for her or apparently anyone else. I found that it was picking the cat up, they didn't like that, they preferred to jump up on their time. LOL To much or to tight cuddling, they felt confined and smothered so they didn't like to cuddle/be held by humans. The cat never left the house and remained a family member for many years after this as one of the most loving cats they ever had. : ) Another thing you could do to help is tell people that cats can come with baggage just like people do in a relationship as we don't have their backstory before we get them. Some trauma could of happened and needs to figured out so it can be corrected. The other is to NEVER, EVER use your hand as a play toy. Yes it's fun when they are kittens but they don't understand why you get angry when they scratch or bite as an adult cat!!!

[@barbarawhite1278]

She seems to use "bye" and "all done" to indicate when she wants space.

[@RealFarknMcCoy]

She already has a "no" button.

[@tomahzo]

For that she just says "bye" or like "[we're] all done [here]" :D. She might have picked up a few words, but it will certainly take more to grasp human social mores and etiquette ;D.

[@SK-tk5lc]

Love the difference between later and soon

[@carolgrove2285]

Thanks for this! Since Billi was around 12 or 13 when you started the buttons, did you talk to her like this all her life? Or did you just start teaching words to her when you started with the buttons? Just curious if you talked to her all her life, maybe that is why she picked it up so quickly. Either way she is a really smart, adorable cat!

[@BilliSpeaks]

I think I did, but I became much more intentional with it once we started the buttons!

[@dbadagna]

Without the pandemic quarantine causing a few curious pet owners to try teaching their dogs and cats to talk, we might never have known that our pets were capable of this!

[@SquidandCatAdventures]

Watching these videos has really affected how I speak to my cat. I used to just talk quickly with normal grammatically correct English and just assumed that she picked up words here and there, got the gist of what I was saying, and I intuitively felt that she knew certain words better. Now I simplify and choose the words I think she knows specifically only and then I also expect her to understand all of what I'm saying instead.

[@annet1784]

@@SquidandCatAdventures t

[@ryanu3708]

Incredibly groundbreaking. I always knew my cat was super intelligent but I could never get him to use the buttons I purchased. He would just lay on them. He responds to a variety of commands and words however and he's very chatty and vocal. His ears, tail, eyes, and body language are super expressive. I'm thinking of giving the buttons another go soon. Thank you for all you do!

[@leprechaunne]

Remember that first you have to outsmart the cat. The cat might use it as an opportunity to get something they want, so you have to make sure early on that its not a way to quickly get something they want

[@elenachristian9860]

It makes perfect sense Billi understands the context of "Luv you"--aside from the feline body language you modeled, anyone who has had pets knows they are aware of our emotions. Billi knows you luv Billi.

[@TheScandoman]

Yes, but a cat likes to hear it, once in a while!

[@janetanked6288]

I love your vids and the idea of communication. No negatives and I recognize that you have some control as to direction of conversations. My overall impression is that she is constantly taking the role of overseer. You didn’t fill the bowl. You didn’t clean the litter. You interrupted the calm silence of the home. You let a dog continue to bark outside. The conversation so often seems to be about her feelings about you as her assistant and an ongoing critique of your performance. She’s a tough task master.

[@SqueakyPika]

Thank you to Billi’s mom for the interesting and informative video. And to Billi: “Tina from Denmark love you Billi”.

[@F_N_Inquisitor]

This whole thing proves cats really are smarter than we all previously assumed, shes adorable and id imagine being able to effectively communicate with you has only made her happier than she would've otherwise

[@ecoquilting7077]

Thanks for taking the time to do this overview. It's really interesting! Billie's got "mad" skills!

[@lynndalsing5187]

Billi's face at the beginning says, "WE didn't want to do anything of the sort."

[@FelinaFaerlaingal]

Was she watching you explain? Because if she was, I can't help but wonder what she was thinking of you speaking all her words aloud like this XD this was super interesting though! I always wondered about all the buttons!

[@Nilguiri]

Kendra answered this question (from RealMash) above.

[@FelinaFaerlaingal]

@@Nilguiri hadn't seen it, thanks!

[@geminidream4347]

I do love the body parts module to go with the ouch, this way it clearly would communicate that it's time for trip to the vet! Good thinking and tip on only using it for this. I always say to Leo, back up, never just back. Don't know why, maybe a premonition for wanting to get him started on buttons? LOL

[@The_Joy_Finder]

Very interesting. You almost get a sense of relief from her for getting a tool to express herself.

[@freespeech7747]

Absolutely love this, it’s an evolving animal communication device, I know find myself speaking to humans like billi

[@halodeer]

Maybe you could add words to describe distance like far or close. Maybe used in relation to the dog thats always barking lol or if dad/mom is almost home. Also, maybe you could try to describe that you both hear things differently (so loud, quiet, silent, etc) since she is always hearing things that is way beyond our ears :) Edit: I thought of something else! Maybe a "bored" or "boring" button for her when shes looking for something to do. It's also a way to describe that you aren't leaving her to do something fun when youre at work lol

[@silverhoney6969]

This is fascinating to watch Billie’s videos. Thank you for this breakdown on how you got the process going with her. It’s funny cause a lot of those words I use with my cat verbally and Im sure he knows a lot of them. (I can tell him to get down, to follow, Or to wait) And from his body language when he wants me to come, he wants to leave on his own, he wants attention/ cuddles , or he’s bored and wants to play/attention but not cuddles.. having something like this I can totally see my kitty learning to press the buttons associated with that he wants. His favorite would be “outside”

[@SoupEaterExtraordinaire]

I love that mad is in all caps on the button.

[@BilliSpeaks]

😂😂😂

[@MonicaAdrianna]

Omg yes please for more videos like this! I just bought some buttons for our corgi and I am super excited to get started 🥰🥰

[@jenhofmann]

Thank you SO MUCH for inviting us into your home and relationship with Billie! You are so generous with your time and knowledge. A grateful viewer from Oregon!

[@SpookyEmmm]

Thank you so much for this! We are waiting for our buttons to arrive and I’ve been having a hard time figuring out what to start with. This was very helpful! Thank you!

[@cryptopappy6408]

Brilliant! I've been teaching my cat English, but she's a French cat, I think. She says MEOW a lot! It's good I know French. Oh, and she says OUT a lot. We take elevator ( I tell her it's the people changer - she sees one person go in and another come out! I have my front door open a lot so she can be the hall monitor. She likes the neighbors dog, i think they;ll date soon lol ) rides then use the stairs. She know - Ready - Set - Go in the elevator. She walk on a loose leash when we go outside and knows her left from right. Her English is getting better hehehe

[@lisawarsh-chartier9473]

I cannot wait to.get my cat some buttons. We all love what you are doing. Thanks for teaching us.

[@tanakaobi]

Thank you for this extra content! Great to get some details.

[@magneticflux7833]

Awwwwwwww. Baby take it. She's cuteness over load

[@aliteraryfan]

Thank you for the wonderful explanation! I'm always so curious as to how people teach their cats what each button means and how to use it. This was so helpful!! Thank you for sharing all of the videos!!

[@lily_white]

how about paw, tail, more body parts so if she ever gets hurt, she can tell you where

[@8catmom]

Billi is adorable 🥰

[@8catmom]

Billi is adorable

[@fashiondiva6972]

You and Miss Billi have worked so hard and come so far with teaching and learning (respectively, lol) language skills and it has been our privilege to witness the journey. With all sincerity I hope you’ve monetized the crap out of these videos so you and Billi and the whole family can enjoy the good life, where there’s an unlimited supply of catnip and endless treats in food mousey for Billi and all the front row seats mom wants to see Hamilton live, so as not to disturb Her MADjesty😉♥️😆

[@BilliSpeaks]

😂💕 💕💕💕

[@heidispriggs2787]

Very informative video. As for a direction for new buttons, maybe some more feeling words?

[@kayfiset2818]

I talk to my cat a lot and use words intentionally. But she also understands sentences. When I was teaching her to use a scratching box instead of the rug, I was in the kitchen when she came in and started scratching on the kitchen rug. In a normal tone of voice, I said, “Greta, aren’t you supposed to be using your scratch box?” She immediately stopped scratching, looked at me, walked into the next room, and started scratching in her box. She has never again scratched anywhere else. I’ve long believed that cats develop quite large vocabularies. It would be interesting to see what Billie would do with a wider range of emotion buttons. Someone else suggested sad. Curious might be another.

[@mishatpr3306]

You could try teaching what kind of food she gets (chicken, pork, fish) etc. and find out what she likes more or most, if you don't already know. This way maybe also to find out if you can buy cheaper brand or snacks which she likes and treat her to it if she learns buttons fast or displays other positive behaviour

[@cammieklund]

Why would she want to buy cheaper snacks? Cheaper equals lesser quality.

[@laras678]

I believe Billi has IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and has to have specific food, and can only have small amounts of it at regular intervals rather than a meal at one time (probably why she's always asking about food, because her feeder is on a timer and she knows she has to wait for it!) So I don't think that would work for Billi. But I'd love to know why _my_ cats turn their noses up at some foods and not others, so I'd like to hear what they prefer. Interesting idea.

[@nikkiewhite476]

@@laras678 you are correct Billi has IBS- irritable bowel syndrome. She has to eat a medical formulae kibble in small amounts through the day with a firm maximum in a day. That is why when Billi had a blocked ureter last year it was assumed to be just a flare up of IBS to start with.

[@mishatpr3306]

@@cammieklund Speak for yourself if you have that much money. Been working in the food industry 3+ years now and often compared samples of the same product from various companies. Just like clothes, more money goes into the name instead of the product than you'd think.

[@mishatpr3306]

@@laras678 Poor Billi, didn't know that but it makes sense now. Gotta hope she stays healthy then

[@FonzietheCapybara]

Thanks you so much for this, it answered so many questions I didn't even know I had!

[@zazazipper9331]

For the "ouch" button, they understand quite well. Floof and Iggy have 3 buttons now (yay stupid me for starting this with 2 cats instead of 1), but they understand so much. Floof likes to play rough sometimes, we usually have toys etc, but on a few occasions he bit/clawed me instead of the toy -absolutely my fault, I played with him using my hand and arm-. I would say ouch!, not scream it, but be loud and clear and he would immediately stop and also back off a bit. Swishing his tail, big exploring eyes, wondering what on earth was going on, but still backing off. I could say orange or lawnmower and he would keep at it. I say ouch and he stops and looks around trying to find out what went wrong. Iggy is half abysinnian, maximum curiosity, 100% of the hunting gene and also small stature and razorsharp claws (almost like kittens, like paper cuts). She loves to make biscuits, preferably on my lap. That hurts, even when you're wearing sturdy jeans and have a blanket in between. I love that she's so comfortable, but often she cuts me just a little too deep and I'll say ouch. She'll immediately stop, and look up at me as if she's asking if she has to go. Not only these 2, but in the past I've been owned by several cats, some semi-feral and whenever I said ouch they would retract their claws and stop biting. Not saying they understand the literal word, but they absolutely know what ouch means

[@Vixinaful]

I've communicatwd verbally with my cats snce the early 90's. They've known; "Go out" "Throw the ball" "Noms" (works for both food and candy) "Sit" "Lay" "Jump" and two more that *I* actually forgot, lol! Cats are smart and easily trained. But the one I have now is the smartest, I have a bad memory bc of disease and when I've put something on the stove and it overcooks, she comes to me and meows as if "Hey dummy! Its overcooking" So I follow her bc I totally forgot about it, and it's always the stove. She's helped me more than any human.

[@reneequalls5878]

great video! this is the stuff i really wonder about!

[@outside8312]

Have you ever considered getting a kitten? I've never seen a kitten grow up in an environment where the dominant cat communicates through buttons/words. I'm just interested how that would effect their development

[@mirjanbouma]

Billi does not like sharing her home with other pets.

[@ableaktether]

I am interested in this experiment as well, but if she is anything like my dilute calico Jane or my grey torti Camper, they preferred to be only cats.

[@mirjanbouma]

If you want to see a similar thing to what you suggested but with dogs, I highly recommend Whataboutbunny! They got a pup somewhere last year and he's picked up the buttons amazingly fast

[@erink476]

That *would* be interesting, (I was very interested when Otter started using Bunny's buttons before even getting any training) but I don't think Billi is the cat for the job, because she does *not* like other cats. Russell (whose Human posts under the username Catman John) certainly gets on with other cats, but because the other cats in the household don't use the buttons, I think a kitten might consider the buttons to be Russell's and Russell's alone, even if they picked it up.

[@rivercrow8988]

She would be devastated, I'm fairly certain. To have to share her mom's attention at her age would not be accepted well. Cats do not look at the introduction of a new kitten like humans do. It would most likely be quite detrimental to her emotional well-being.

[@cammieklund]

Loved this! Yes, I'd like to see more of them!👍🙏 Sad maybe? If you are crying or something you can model "sad". It would be interesting to see her express a wider range of emotions, bcs I know that she has them ofc.😊 I had a cat for 20 years, Irmeli...The love of my life!❤ Oh, how I wish that these buttons had existed back then! But now I want to learn as much as possible so if I am blessed to have a cat again, we can communicate in this way. Such a blessing! Best regards from Sweden!🌺🌸😻

[@athenawilson4019]

The most startling thing I heard is your statement that Billi has always understood pointing. I have never in my life had a cat who could learn what pointing meant. Every time I tried pointing at something, my cat always turned her full attention to the end of my finger, and I could never get them to divert their attention to the intended object or direction. It makes me wonder how many cats could actually learn to use the buttons the way Billi does. Without the ability to point to anything, there are an awful lot of concepts that you would have to model completely differently.

[@howdoyouknowthat]

We have a cat that understands pointing also. You're right that it seems rare in cats.

[@soysprouts]

Sooo fascinating. Thank you for explaining!

[@dhesyca4471]

I love Billi! So smart, so loved

[@steven95N]

All hail Billie the Button Lord!

[@hollish196]

This is wonderful.So informative. Thanks!!

[@Gunbunny357]

You all are an amazing team! I look forward to your videos every day!

[@weber247]

Yall and Billi are remarkable, Cat and humans talking is a trip. I love it!

[@charlotteralff769]

Thank you for the button overview! Very helpful!

[@bettyboop3353]

Very helpful. Thank you. I’m looking forward to teaching my Jake to talk.

[@ML-yn1zz]

You and Billy are exceptional! Thanks for sharing her with us!

[@the_g9456]

I just recently found your channel. This is one of the most incredible things I have seen recently. It's beautiful and fascinating. I love Billi.

[@scottnj2503]

This answered many of my questions. Thank you.

[@latesummer]

this was so darn interesting. i love hearing you share how you modeled many of them and it's so cool how yalls communication can be this detailed also english is hard, good job billy

[@rothaar8001]

I imagine that more buttons that describe feelings could be beneficial as these buttons would allow Billi to differentiate more. Billi seems to use the mad button to describe when she's mad (of course), but also when she is frustrated, annoyed or maybe disappointed.

[@roannathephoenix8561]

Thank you so much for walking us through this process. I find it fascinating and love watching Billi's videos. I "talk" back and forth to my cats all the time and have picked up their nuances but to actually communicate is so amazing.

[@sylviahoffman9440]

Thank you so much for doing this! I've been very curious how the training and introduction of word association would work with the buttons. I've always dealt with an intuitive/ body language dialogue with my cats with some words obviously learned. Treats, for example, would be a first button since Star, our current cat, knows that word without question. I love watching your interactions, you have a great relationship with Billi and we love watching her!

[@madcat4795]

Thank you so much for showing this!! It's so interesting! I remember the first big buttons I don't have my cat anymore since she passed away but I would have loved to communicate with her the way you do Your team work really helps to understand how cats think and I'm so amazed about it

[@nibblit]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I'm starting this training with my own pets. Both you and Billie are an inspiration! Love you both! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@AlexLusth]

this was super interesting, Id love to see more videos like this. just explaining your though process and thinking is super facinating.

[@kyfra5257]

Thanks for this video! It was nice to see how you worked on some of the stuff and just to hear you talk about the process!

[@joeyofblades]

First 15 seconds: Kendra: "Hey everyone we wanted to..." Billi: *doesn't want to* anything

[@lindaashbrook6789]

Kendra thank you for explaining how this all works. Very helpful. I talk and point with my cat as well. She knows all of her toys and can follow directions to bring me certain toys. I can literally see the words being taken in, pondered and then the action completed. You are a fabulous mom and teacher. You, Billy & dad make a great team. Please keep the content coming as Billi is my favorite KZbin channel.

[@foos.998]

This was fascinating. Thanks!

[@dakotaredden2483]

this was great, this is really grounding for anyone who's maybe only got a first glance understanding of the channel and Billy's story, very nice.

[@sharonaustin9701]

Love this type of communication! Makes it so much easier to tell 7s if they have a problem

[@lauriedi1]

Kendra, you are such a star. Thank you for all you do for Billi, for the rest of us and our kitties. Your dedication in opening up human heart to feline heart communication (and vice-versa) amazes me. It also stupefies me that my cat watches Billi with intent. She has begun to look about for her own buttons (I think because we have gotten her other things that Billi uses 😄). I have not gotten any because I don't know if I could do the job... Seeing videos like this helps.