Talking Buttons for Cats: i can haz language?

[@ArmstrongEA]

I'm currently taking my cat for a walk because he pushed the outside button! I jumped at this trend because my cat's default communication technique was to yeowl at me non stop. The buttons help me understand exactly what he wants from me so it is definitely helping with that communication compromise you talk about. We only have 4 buttons. Outside, Play, Sctitches, & food.

[@ArmstrongEA]

Oh, and it's actually helped him start using his paws when he wants treats or scritches - pawing me or the treat container 😂

[@kerrynofford4727]

You "need" to add a "Mad" button :)

[@ArmstrongEA]

@@kerrynofford4727 no thank you. I usually already know when he's mad. Plus I work from home, so I don't need to hear about it all day.

[@Chopituppodcastt]

@@ArmstrongEA😂😂😂😂 “I don’t need to hear about it all day” …”play” “Not right now, I’m working” “Mad….mad..mad…mad mad mad mad” 😂😂😂😂

[@akiyomarukawa8646]

Same for me. He used to meow/rub up against me and I had no idea what he needed. I have play, walk, pets button. They're useful. I'm a bit disappointed on this video

[@josiewoodrose7616]

My cat has learned 6 buttons which is plenty for my purposes. They are all action buttons for me to do something. His buttons are brush, water, treat, pet, food and kibble. He eats wet food and dry food so he tells me when his kibble needs topped up. It's fun and he really does have the hang of it which amazes visitors.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@emem009]

My boys are doing really good with the high fiv, low five and give me five so I just ordered this.

[@matthewlemke5310]

​@@jamespatrick20906stop being a creep.

[@yourlocaltoad5102]

My cat has found a way to tell me that she wants my mom to visit us. Like most Europeans, I don’t wear shoes at home, but my mom likes to wear slippers indoors. And so I have a pair of slippers just for her and she always wears them when she visits. Whenever my mom hasn’t visited us for a week or so, my cat will pick up one of these slippers, drag it into the living room, sit on it and start yelling until I come to see what’s going on. And once she does that, she’ll repeat it daily until my mom visits us again. So my little girl found a way to tell me that she misses her human grandma.

[@Aliandrin]

Upvoted for people who don't believe cats talk to us.

[@yellowdotje6278]

They are so smart!

[@samanthabijok8986]

Wow 😻

[@hannajung7512]

That is really cute.

[@Earendilgrey]

That is adorable. My cat comes running whenever she hears my ring tone for my Mom goes off or if she hears Mom on speaker.

[@miniciominiciominicio]

Jackson, I’m glad you are talking about this. It makes sense for someone with your extensive experience to be skeptical. But you’re defending dog button training due to “science” and the lack of established “science” for cats. BilliSpeaks, who I know you have heard of, is a woman (Kendra) who has and still is in the process of continuously teaching and using buttons to communicate to her cat Billi and vice versa. She is part of the study that Bunny the dog is in. You have not watched Billi’s journey from a few buttons to now. She can tell time/differentiate between morning and evening and before/later. Instead of getting physical with a cat (Guppy) who was staying in their home, if Billi had enough of Guppy, Billi would press the “All done” and “bye” buttons to signal her feelings that Guppy was no longer welcome. If Kendra did not do anything, then the next time Guppy got in Billi’s face, she would then attack her. Billi is also able to differentiate between her mom and dad, mom’s friend, and mom’s mother as they have their own buttons. She will ask for them if they are away. Especially dad as she is crazy over him. One of the most recent significant achievements has been Kendra compromising with Billi. Billi is sick and has to take medicine once a day with her meal. Kendra tried to hide it in her favourite food and that worked for awhile. But then Billi refused to eat it. Kendra realized she couldn’t hide it in anything as the taste was overwhelming a turnoff for Billi. Over a period of a few days, she was able to create a new routine with Billi. She would have to eat her pill first and then she would get her meal. The video is magical. Billi often initiates conversation when her parent(s) are lying on the couch watching tv. She is not signaled to do anything. She knows how to ask for specific toys, she knows how to ask for specific areas of her body to be scratched and can ask for cuddles OR pets. She can also tell Kendra when she isn’t feeling well or if something hurts in a different way (like loud rapping music - she hit her button mad several times and said ouch when Kendra was playing Hamilton and also when Kendra was putting together furniture in another room and there were loud noises Billi didn’t like. As I said, Billi is ill and her prognosis is not good. I think you would be missing out on a significant scientific discovery and breakthrough if you don’t ask Kendra to meet Billi in person and observe them communicating. I know Kendra would be thrilled to meet you and have you see for yourself that it’s all genuine. She is not grifting, she is not faking, she is a cat lover just like you are. Billi may be one in a few thousand cats that have the capacity to learn but they also need a human willing to do the long term work. Most cats will be able to achieve what Kendra and Billi have. And while Billi is still with us, it is a wonder every upload that we are lucky to witness.

[@amemabastet9055]

Billi, may she rest in peace, even invented her own combinations. Like catnip water for coffee. She also gave a special name to one of the humans, calling her Squirrel. She also started conversations about the weather and commented on things. I miss her.

[@amjesla]

I came to know Billy less than a month ago. Last week I discovered she had passed, while reading some comments, and having the in memoriam video being recomended later. That upsets me, but anyway I'm stilled awed by the capacity she had. God bless her pawrents

[@miniciominiciominicio]

@@amjesla I’m glad to see you met Billi ♥️

[@suem6004]

All I know is that 15 years ago I set up the point at the cup IQ test for my retriever. I pointed to which one had the treat. She just cocked her head. My ragdoll Reilly walked up, sniffed the solo cups and toppled the correct one and gobbled up the treat. Got it on video. He was also capable of unscrewing lids off treat jars. One of the vet school extra rescues you come home with. In the 1970s I trained my cats with sign language (or gestures I made up for tricks). Sit. Up. Paw. Lay down. Roll over. I had no idea cats ‘could not be trained”. He would go through his trick list unsolicited to communicate that he wanted a treat. So, in that way, he trained me too.

[@TheRareGemma]

I have trained my cat (female, 11yrs, rescue) on the buttons. I thought that there was no way that I would need more that 12 buttons, I need more than 12 buttons. I find the buttons are great for Sophie to ask for things directly. She will ask to "play". She will ask for "food" or "treat" or "treat-food". I modeled the combination of those two words to give her another way to ask for a specific thing. I find the buttons a good interim solution until I can train the cat on how to use a clicker. Until she can get her paws around using a clicker to train me, this is a good way to know what she wants me to do. I have tried asking her for a cuddle but she either doesn't understand or doesn't care to give me a cuddle when *I* ask. Fun Fact: I am a House Cleaner. One of my Clients has a cat trained on the buttons. I spend a few minutes at the beginning of every shift telling her cat...No. Treat later. Later-later-later.

[@agostinodublino1387]

right? 10 years ago I trained my cats without the buttons... to ask for food they gave me a high five. Another one can say "mama" precisely to play together. The chronically ill one waited for his morning pill at his place on the table because he knew he will get a treat after it.

[@Gunbunny357]

I’ve watched Billispeaks for several years on KZbin. Her mom is a veterinarian and has trained her on the buttons. It is absolutely remarkable how much that cat can convey and the logic she uses. Personally, I am super excited to see what we can learn from cats by the use of their communication buttons. I am absolutely fascinated by Billi.

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

This. I just watched a video on there and the body language matches the words, it is almost scary.

[@heretic-668]

@amigos4erin Zoo vet, IIRC.

[@thecaffeinequeen]

I am actually disappointed that Jackson Galaxy did not reach out to Kendra like he said he was going to when this video was originally uploaded (and then subsequently taken down after part of it was removed). Kendra, as you mentioned and as many many others have as well, is a Zoo Vet, and also does a lot of classical clicker training on top of reading the traditional body language of Billi. The buttons are a supplement, and while "Mad" may be Anthropomorphizing, it is backed up by traditional language cues such as a lashing tail, airplane ears and on the rare occasion a growl (this mostly happened when Guppy was around) which absolutely cement the connection between the 'emotion' pressed and the body language. The reupload and removal of content makes me wonder if he felt like he was attacking the other youtuber? I had hoped he did it so that he could take into consideration new evidence and a conversation with Kendra, but he didn't. I have nothing but respect for Jackson and the work he does, but this seems like an intentional bias to ignore evidence that is contrary to his strongly set belief based on what he has already seen, which is just bad science. @jacksongalaxy I do not believe you will see this, but myself and what looks like the vast majority of this comment section implore you to have a conversation with Kendra about Billi, her methods which are backed up and contributing to several scientific studies on communication in cats, how she supplements it with clicker training, and how she specifically utilizes the buttons to supplement but NOT REPLACE the natural language of the cat. She even recently utilized the buttons to model to Billi why she needed to take her medication, which turned an arduous task to one that was relatively painless.

[@MillyKKitty]

One thing I absolutely adore is that they explained to Billie that she needs medicine to feel better, and she gets food after it. Now Billie asks medicine before food, knowing she has to take it, even if she dislikes it 🤭

[@megsley]

yall are such gullible marks 😂

[@gemmydoadance1593]

Regarding Billi Speaks, who is senior cat, uses these buttons, Kendra is a vet. I highly recommend watching her channel before you firm up your opinion. Your points are very good, but the approach Kendra takes is multi-faceted and very scientific. Cat body language is a large part of it. She even talks about her own bias within it. Billi communicates her emotions simultaneously with her buttons. Hissing/growling when pressing "mad" or lashing her tail. Ouch when she is about to throw up. So yeah, really, give it a go.

[@asprings719]

I think Billi and Kendra are a great example of using buttons well for a cat. Not all cats will want to use them, but it is clear billi is interested in them and communicates with them she isnt just trained. I hope Jackson will look at those and would love to see them collab even

[@Osgoodgirl]

We in the AIC community (there are LOTS of us including Billi) have reached out to Jackson repeatedly offering to have a conversation so he understands what AIC is. He has not responded to any of us.

[@TheGoofy1932]

His opinion, might be a bit colored here. 😏 He said it himself, he's been doing this for 30 years, and I'm sure he'd like continued job security. 🤨 Just saying, consider the possibile motivations for the position that he has. He was just fine with the 🐶 button pushers. Then again, he doesn't work with dogs. Coincidence? 😉🤣

[@byuftbl]

I still believe it’s manipulation of you gullible viewers that think animals can speak actual language like humans by portraying their emotions through real words. You can train a cat or dog to do an action of “mad” and that the action is represented by that button’s word. But animals don’t know that how they feel can be represented by a word. These people who have “talking” animals simply are very good at training animals and manipulating viewers and editing videos well to make it seem like the animal is communicating like a person. Until there’s studies done that prove scientifically that animals can understand their emotions and label it with a word, I do not believe they can use English in the way people think they can. I even think these owners have convinced themselves of it so much that they believe what isn’t true.

[@RealMash]

@@byuftbl There are several studies under way, for Bunny and Billi I know, they are in contact/supervision by science teams. We had an exceptional smart cat- long since passed- that got my fathers attention to get him to be his artillery to overshoot with an air rifle his foe he could not directly tackle-and when the other cat understood the gravity of the situation and ran-he smashed in his rear an did beat him up during the other toms hasty retreat. So I know damned well how smart cats can be-and having pushing them buttons to communicate or just telling us what ails them is not far fetched for me. But the studies will come out and settle this soon.

[@reginanjus]

Our Cat has learned to ask for water out of the faucet! He communitcates it to anyone that uses the Master Bathroom! Because it is so clear people freak out that he did that for them! He enjoys training people!

[@AmandaPaige71]

My cat has us well trained too 😂😂😂 We put a motion sensor on our bathroom faucet and our cat works it great 😊

[@lisanetgark415]

Get your kitty a water fountain. Clean, change water, change filter once per week. Water consumption will increase!!

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

​@@lisanetgark415even with running water cats sometimes just want water from a drain or from that pan soaking that is disgusting... dogs too. Maybe it has more flavor?

[@MissyQ12345]

My cat races to the bathroom if I head in that direction. He jumps on the counter and stares at me. I ask him if he wants water, and he sits in the sink -- "yes, I do."

[@reginanjus]

@MissyQ12345 exactly ! But he actually licks his lips and extends his mouth to the water outlet!

[@cllew5919]

Billi speaks is wonderful. That cat seems so happy to have a voice. LOL the Mad button.

[@lnaph]

Yes, she even guards her buttons from that other cat when they travel

[@nybbleme]

That mad button when she gets told Daddy won't be back for another couple of weeks ie lots of "later" presses. Mad x5

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@SerPounceToebeans]

I've never had a problem with communicating with my cats, sometimes I can communicate better with them than some people these days.

[@Pauley_in_GP]

Once we understand that communicating with cats is very different than with dogs (or people) it becomes easier to understand what they are saying. Sometimes I have no idea what she wants. Other times, I feel like we've got ESP. One thing that helped me is to realize that cats communicate with humans on a different time frame. For instance, she might come up to me and start meowing about something. But then again, she might stare at a door for 15 minutes until I realize she's there. When I open it, she goes through as if she willed me to open it. Which she did. 😸

[@nerinat8371]

So true thats why l got myself a stray kitten and shes my bestie 😻

[@boosqueezy2418]

ditto

[@ButterPawsKitty]

Me neither! Cats are just honest creatures. Some people just don’t like them because they can’t control them. 😼

[@birdlover9082]

You Too!!!!

[@kwahoo]

I got a set of buttons after watching a lot of Billispeaks to get my cats to play more and it's been going great. It takes out a lot of guess work when they can hit the "play" button followed by the toy they want to play with. I also have an "all done" button for when they are done. I can get them to play at least 3x as much as before.

[@hannajung7512]

So, what you are saying is, that ever since you spent more time with your cats, trained them a little trick and are more open to them telling you they want to play, they play more?

[@mursumakkara]

​@@hannajung7512 that doesn't sound like what they said

[@Fwootgummi]

@@hannajung7512 We don't know how much time they spent with their cat before. But also yea, it does make sense that if this person gets feedback from their cat that they want to play more that they'd play more. Asking for play without a button can be kinda ambiguous to a human and some cats don't ask at all. It's not much different than training your cat to go to a specific area for play time, only with the button you can actually hear it instead of just relying on seeing your cat sit in the spot.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

@hannajung7512 No, the poster was saying that when the cats communicate with button it’s easier.

[@msafwan2610]

@@hannajung7512 no, the cat can choose what it wants to play because of the button.

[@mirawenya]

Been watching Bili for a long time now. And at first I didn't really think it meant much. But at this point, I really think she communicates. Perhaps not always what humans think it means necessarily, but definitely think she's communicating. She has a lot to gain with it. It's a way for Bili to train her human, more than the other way round, of sorts. And that to me is very cat.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@gaycryptidhours]

That's how I feel! My boy started asking for pets before and after treats and I think that might be reinforcement for ME....

[@Scarygothgirl]

I think Billi Speaks is a compelling case. I heard one owner say that she thinks her dog was trying to say these things the whole time, she just hadn't been able to listen. I think that's true, as a lot of the time when Billi uses her buttons i find myself thinking that my cat can tell me these things without using buttons. So i think the buttons DO work, but they are a slower way of telling us things that we could hear if we are paying closer attention.

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

She never implied that the buttons were a replacement or similar. She wanted to see if it was doable at all and a pass time fun time together. That they are in a study is beneficial to everyone as it might help people and cats who are not intuitively understanding of each other. Languages are complex and trying to better them is in my opinion great.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@lenkachaloupkova8513]

I'd really love to see a conversation between Jackson and Kendra (Billi's mum). I've been watching Billi for way too long to agree with Jackson here

[@TheDopekitty]

Same. Also Todd's dad

[@professorbutters]

Same!

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

Absolutely

[@faulit]

i really hope they talk and don't just watch some videos. it's important to be critical, but i think billi shows at least some understanding and 'talking' to her human.

[@gailsnodgrass5880]

Ditto!

[@les5503]

My guy… Kendra from BilliSpeaks has been working with Billi for years, essentially teaching her a second language, and has had impressive results well worth looking into. Is it for everybody? No. Doing it correctly takes an awareness of behavioral science and knowledge of cat body language. It’s never going to be a shortcut to not having to pay attention to a cat’s body language. But watching Billi learn how to express herself is an incredible insight into how cats think and relate to humans, and has clearly enriched Billi’s life. She can now understand that her medicine comes before food, and tell her owner if she’s in pain, and where. It’s not just “treats” and “food.”

[@professorbutters]

I am so glad you weighed in! I read her blog/website. My thought was that it took a LOT of time and commitment, especially consistency. I have been thinking of experimenting with my boy, who otherwise would spend time on being Dennis the Menace and appreciates the attention and something to do. (Also, following her advice, not to add a food related button too early!)

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

We should also remember that Billi and Kendra are in a study. That's important because the data and knowledge might help others communicate better with their cats. Understanding their languages can only be beneficial.

[@AySz88]

I think this is a big point we can all agree on - it's a lot of work, patience, and commitment. The assumption (or fear) about viewers, that they will think it's a shortcut to communication, is a disservice to them and to the Fluent Pet project.

[@ulalaFrugilega]

@@professorbuttersThat imo is exactly the right way to approach this! Even should the button thing not work out for you two, your relationship will certainly benefit from the time you put into it. Just always try and keep it fun for BOTH of you, and you will have won already.

[@rottingsun]

you worded this so much better than I could. that video where Billie misses dad really sold me.

[@ShinzuiLP]

It’s important to understand that the buttons can enhance natural communication but never replace it. There was a video on billispeaks where mom wasn’t in the room and only heard the verbal, and misunderstood. She said the body language was very clear she just wasn’t there to see it. Also important to keep in mind that an animal will not understand a word the exact way you do. For example “mad” seems to mean more along the lines of irritable or frustrated.

[@Avalikia]

Given the way that Billi, specifically, was trained with the 'mad' button, it specifically refers to not having something you want.

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

I think most of Billlis viewers know. We have been there since the first button. What I'm sad about is the suspicion that Kendra is a grifter faking it for views.

[@msafwan2610]

@@Avalikia it refers back to irritation. ie: "mad -> not having what you want" -> irritation -> mad. ie: irritation -> mad. ("not having what you want" is way too complex thought for Billie to get)

[@Avalikia]

@@msafwan2610 Um, no, it's not a complex thought in the least. I refuse to believe a cat does not understand wanting something.

[@msafwan2610]

@@Avalikia "wanting" is dissimilar to "not having what you want". Using computer language; not(want, get) is 3 things, while (wanting) is only 1 thing. (want,get) gives happiness, ie: "wanting and getting it", while applying a Not to it gives irritation, ie: "wanting but not getting it", ie: not(want,get). It's a complex thought when you add Not. eg: like "not not do it". So, Billi will ignore this thought. (Irritation is simpler)

[@HavingAGoudaTime]

I use buttons for my cats! Please note, I've been trick training my cats for a few years now, so training them on this was pretty easy. They're 2 months in and have been using them regularly for a few weeks. All the buttons are action buttons and I agree that that's why it works. We have a 'treats' button that I started them on to get the mechanics of pushing it down, then added 'outside', 'pets', and 'all done'. These are all phrases that I've been using in their lives routinely and so they're used to hearing those words in association with things. Then their names as buttons so I could press them to direct their attention down to the buttons instead of them sitting there staring at me. This has been working pretty well, they enjoy pressing their name buttons (and each other's) and you can tell by their body language that they understand that they pressed their name button. They look down with their ears perked and press it again and again. Pets, treats, and outside all are massive hits too. They're NOT 100% on the button positions yet and will press a few before finding the one they seem to want, but then they'll press the one they want in rapid succession. They're still learning 'all done' because I'm not giving them infinite treats or putting them in their catio every 5 minutes after they JUST got inside. I just added 'play' and 'uppies' which are relatively new words to them my one cat loves to be held and i think uppies is a hilarious word so we're implementing that every time he want to be carried around the house. Now, the reason i did this. I work from home and spend all day with my cats, but I'm also ADHD and will hyperfixate on my work. The buttons allow them to alert me to if they're wanting something I'm not giving them. One of my cats is very vocal and very human focused. While he has lots of cat activities around the house to do, he has a higher value in them if I'm involved, moreso than the other cat. With that said and keeping in mind that I'm distracted and working, he gets more bored than the other cat and expresses it by singing cat opera in the other room in the most angsty tone. This stresses me out because I'm working on work deadlines and not always able to drop what I'm doing to check in on him and end up feeling like the worst cat parent ever because he's bored and frustrated. Then, I introduced the buttons with the intention of teaching mainly that cat to use them so he could get my attention in other ways than screaming. This has worked beautifully. When he's starting to get bored or wants something, he presses them and I can put treats in one of his cat toys, put him in the catio/go on a harnss walk, give him extra pets, play with him, or carry him around the house for a few minutes to chill him out a bit more. This has resulted in significantly less screaming and he seems a lot happier overall. So does my other cat who picked it up too. Tldr, buttons work for me, but i only use them for action words and their names. I don't think concepts like 'love' or 'mad' would work well.

[@InfiniteAnvil]

It's impressive that both of your cats are using the buttons - from what I've heard, multi-cat households usually have only one really pick them up. I think you should try "love you" as a button! Presumably that's a phrase they will have picked up from your previous interactions, and it would be interesting to see if/when they use it given it doesn't have an action associated.

[@monicaleonte8913]

I've just gotten a pack to train my cat with for the same reason. I think it'll help us both interact more around my ADHD.

[@shanawilliams750]

I thought I was the only one to use the word "uppies" to one of my kitties! He's an absolute lover and his favorite thing is to be held and hugged. Anytime he makes eye contact he basically wants "uppies" and won't take no for an answer lol So glad I'm not the only one who uses that phrase 😊

[@ericke.8640]

I don't think anyone has said that the buttons are a good thing to use for all dogs and cats, nor do I think anyone has claimed they are a replacement for all communications. So far the animals (online at least) that have the most benefit from the buttons are Bunny the dog who explicitly has anxiety, and Russell the cat who also has anxiety as well as trauma. Russell in particular is so interesting because he has other cats in his household who don't care about the buttons and aren't interested. To me it shows that the buttons are a great solution for pets who are struggling with mental health issues and need more nuanced help and comfort. Russell will ask for things to be cleaned because he grew up in an extreme hoarding situation, he will get anxiety about things being clean and can't use body language to describe his issue.

[@Jessicah1978]

I didn’t know that about Russell. That makes sense about why he is always worried about things being clean! Poor little guy. He is really cute.

[@prettyhalo2girl]

This!

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@kimfleury]

Aha! So that explains Russell's neat freak streak! I had assumed it was just always part of his routine.

[@andreawalker7138]

The parent of the cat Billi from the channel 'BILLI SPEAKS' doesn't just use the buttons to get Billi to do/eat something because a lot of the time Billi initiates the conversation. Would love to see what you think of their interactions.

[@pamvanallen3919]

When Billi presses "mad" she's doing all the tail swishes! You believe her!

[@SeventhEve]

I was VERY skeptical of the ability of cats to use these buttons, but after several weeks (or months) of watching her videos, Billi changed my mind completely. I think you're going to see a smaller percentage of cats that use buttons well than you do dogs, but there are going to be many. Catmanjohn's Russell, for example, is very effective at communicating his desires (such as take out the trash, take the laundry out of the machine, change the litter, what toy he wants to play with, etc) while his 3 littermates don't use them at all. Highly intelligent cats, and we've all known at least one, will do great with this.

[@curlzOdoom]

Billie is the one that makes me the least skeptical. Everything from Billie understanding "medicine then food" to "dad. dad. dad" when her male ownder is out of town to "ouch back" when her toy hit her back just... makes it hard to ignore. Tbh the cats convince me way more than the dogs because dogs are clumsy and hit random buttons. The cats are careful, precise, and will communicate some really specific things!

[@buds8423]

The ouch and tummy, etc buttons that billi has are the only buttons I really, really want. Knowing what is upsetting - tummy pain, back pain, noise from something, etc. Everything else, I understand very clearly- sometimes I don’t want to listen… I still need to leave the house!

[@Ripplesinthewaters]

I agree. Jackson needs to see Billi do her thing.

[@Amber9572]

Look at BilliSpeaks. Billi’s mom Kendra is a vet, and they do use cat body language. Billi will flick her tail when she’s irritated, when using buttons and when not. She slow blinks. She holds her tail high with the hook at the end- and all of this, crucially, changes as they talk. Her ears go back when she presses MAD, all of it. It adds specificity, just like with humans.

[@gaycryptidhours]

Yes!!! My boy Echo has the 'mad' button, he'll press it while his tail is loudly smacking the floor after I've told him 'later' on his treats.

[@JJ-ls8ep]

@@Amber9572 my boy uses his tail swish to say come get me. Tempting me

[@yakarin]

As many have said before, I think most people using the buttons in a more serious fashion consider them a plus, not a substitution for body language, anyone saying that's lazy and a shortcut haven't seen how much time and dedication it takes to do it right, and I do see a huge potential in them, for example to teach your cat to take medicine like Billi's owner did instead of having to push it down their throat or trying to trick them into taking it (that method seems more specific and direct than a clicker in my opinion); maybe they can even get to a point where they understand medicine makes their pain go away (before you say anything, I have known people that had pets that needed a daily dose of medicine and their pets would even remind them or ask them for it if they forgot, so it's not imposible for them to see a correlation if the effect is fast or notorious enough). Anyways, as someone that speaks two languages, I don't see any harm in exploring an additional way of communication with buttons, not every cat will be interested in it and of course you have to be careful how you actually find ways to teach tricky words to them and to not read what you want to read into their button pressing, but, for example, I am pretty sure cats and dogs feel frustration/annoyance (which is how Billie seems to use mad). It's just really interesting to see how a cat like Billie seems to enjoy not only asking for pets in specific spots or specific toys, but also asks for people she wants to see or simply narrates things that happened.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from

[@yakarin]

@@jamespatrick20906 hehe thanks! I'm from Mexico :)

[@sofiaoutandabout]

I feel like the button training for communication isn't inherently a bad thing, I see it as a way for cats to approach their humans from their side of the communication fence. That is to say, the same way we should be approaching the fence by learning their way of communication, the buttons can help them by learning our way of communication. Some cats do seem to search for ways to communicate with their humans, and I think the buttons are a way to help them in that. My cat is once such cat who, over time, has learned some of my mannerisms of communication and uses them with me and other humans during the 15 years we have been together. How I express affection by petting his cheeks, or holding his paws, for example, are things that he picked up on and started to mimic to express the same sentiment too. Or a very specific call-and-response we do when either of us is trying to find the other's whereabouts in the house. Of course, at the same time, I express myself to him using cat language, too - the slow blinks, the nuzzles, even making biscuits with my big human hands. My point is, if the cat is reaching out to communicate to you, why not help them along by giving them a tool like the buttons?

[@claudiabcarvalho]

Exactly! I'm really good reading cats' body language and facial expressions, but I also love the idea of buttons filling the gaps of interspecies communication.

[@lnaph]

It's also a really i tetest8ng look Into their psychology.

[@Osgoodgirl]

Yep. That’s been the experience from those of us in the AIC community - unfortunately Jackson didn’t do any research about what AIC is or talk to anyone in our community.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@AmberSZ]

To everyone recommending BilliSpeaks, apparently Jackson's assistant reached out and Kendra has already sent her availability for a chat! Just waiting on Jackson to pick a time I hope? 🤞 It would be such an interesting conversation to hear since questions from a skeptic's perspective are so helpful for getting insight that don't get fully conveyed by short clips of button presses

[@thecaffeinequeen]

It's been 3 months and this still hasn't happened ):

[@diannemartino3464]

I want to see that. Billi asks for what she wants. She doesn’t perform tricks. She doesn’t follow directions or communicate in a way you could use a clicker. CatManJon’s Russell also issues directions to his humans. He doesn’t take directions or complain about his litter or laundry in the laundry to receive treats. I had a cat who told me what to do all the time. I’m glad we didn’t have the buttons back then, he would have ruled my life more than he did!

[@siege2928]

I believe he's partially correct but there is quite a LOT of evidence though the billi speaks channel and the woman is veterinarian who is a specialist in zoo and wildlife species... I think a shared conversation between Jackson and Kendra Baker(cat mom of billi) would be beneficial to sharing experiences and training tools. Like anything else the buttons can be "used" as a shortcut but so is clicker training... It's a tool to be used to communicate and clearly animals do experience different temperaments in a given situation, they do have some level of emotion. Obviously there is a translation limit but abandoning a communication for when you want a warning before your cat barfs up a hairball, when they want something (play, outside, cuddles, pets... Etc), or even when they may be annoyed or alerted about a particular noise seems a bit short sighted especially when he's mans aren't the best on picking up all minor body language. Yes we should do our part but there's no reason for the cat to not meet us in the middle as well so they we both can communicate even better.

[@hannajung7512]

you realise, that the guardian of Billie earns money by selling you the idea that Billie can talk via the buttons, right? You know that these videos are all set up, yes?

[@PearlMagnolia]

Thank you. I totally agree.

[@PearlMagnolia]

​@@hannajung7512Hannah, you just seem determined to put Kendra Baker and her work down. Do you not realize that Jackson does much the same?

[@sydneykendall7125]

Both Billi and Bunny have told their people that something hurts and where it hurts. Ear, paw, tummy, etc. They also say when they want to see someone that hasn't been around for a while. "Want Grandma", "Want Dad", or some human or animal friend. Those are things it's not easy for an animal to communicate without buttons. For one thing, it shows that these animals do think of missing people and want to see them.

[@siege2928]

@@hannajung7512 ah yes and there definitely isn't a TV show, ad space, merchandise, and cat carriers all with Jacksons name on them no? Kendra trains a cat to push a button and get a response... If it's a treat, or play, or attention, pets, notice of aggravation/agitation... It's still a valuable tool and attempting to cheapen a graduated wildlife vets experience would be like me attempting to completely undermind Jacksons credentials and claim everything is staged just to sell merchandise cause his degree is in theater... Not even animals in any shape or form. But, we don't cause he has shown to have some level of experience and expertise, even if sensationalized for TV.

[@TulipIris7244]

I had my doubts, too. Then I saw Billi Speaks here on KZbin. Sure sometimes it’s doubtful, but when Billi’s mom got her to realize that she could have her favorite food after taking her medicine on her own, I was amazed. (Billi is an older cat and has some stomach issues, so using pill pockets and such are not options). “Medicine” “then” “food”.

[@pralayaryan]

yes my fav channel too

[@MichiruEll]

My mom trained her eldetly cat to take his meds. It was so efficient. Every morning she lifted the cat onto the kitchen sink, used a pill pusher to give him meds, then gave him lots of love and treats. The first few days, the cat avoided the pill pusher, but after about 10 days he got it. He would then jump on the sink himself to get his meds, his treats and his cuddles. It was beautiful.

[@lesliewhitworth9693]

I find Billi inspiring because I have a fairly wild cat who doesn't ever like anything, grooming, meds, vet won't allow her unless medicated and she'll vomit up any medicine I try to give her. She's very smart and already understands some of my words, like for treats. So I might try the buttons. I think the other benefit overlooked is the human one. Words tend to be easier for us.

[@mom.left.me.at.michaels9951]

When Billie said "medicine, ouch, bye" it's pretty obvious that she made some kind of conception of what the medicine was doing and demonstrates that she does indeed know what the buttons are saying. Otherwise what are the chances of her coincidentally pressing those 3 buttons, in that order, in that situation.

[@christophersmith8316]

I had a cat that needed meds that fought very hard against them. I started giving a milk treat after and while he still fought the pill but would willingly walk into the bathroom for the pilling to get the treat.

[@diannamallar1155]

You really should check out "Billie Speaks". She is also being studied by UCDavis. If you keep an open mind, you might just be surprised at how well Billie uses her buttons to communicate. She truly understands what those buttons are for and how to use them.

[@hannajung7512]

says the person curating the videos for you and earns money by making you think the cat can speak...

[@curiousauthor9827]

@@hannajung7512 must be something going on there if theyre studying the cat though

[@Scarygothgirl]

I think Billi is a very compelling case. I found it very interesting when she was angry at the new cat, and she pressed the button for "mad", whilst hissing and growling. It implies she thinks they mean the same thing.

[@elizabethwitt2621]

She also knew that cat was a cat. And said bye so mom would make the cat go away.​@@Scarygothgirl

[@PearlMagnolia]

I think of the button training as enrichment. I speak two languages and can understand two others. I enjoyed leaning new ways to communicate. I believe that cats are capable of nuanced understanding and buttons give them ways to express feelings and needs that they have no other way of expressing. For instance, Billi can say, cuddles, or chin rubs. You are only limited by your own creativity. And its interesting to watch her consider her response. Cats seem to think longer about something than humans do. When I ask one of my cats to do something, they think about it for several minutes before complying. I do believe the button training can be very useful, just as clicker training is useful for teaching certain behaviors. The buttons give the cat an opportunity for response. It widens their world of self-expression. No, they're not little humans. But they have feelings and likes and dislikes just like us.

[@galamander_1327]

Exactly. I've been thinking of offering buttons as an additional option. I would never demand a cats uses a button. They already communicate via gestures, location, facial expressions, etc. My cat already vocalizes frequently in an effort to speak our language.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@kimfleury]

Very well stated, @PearlMagnolia! It can be just another way to keep cats from being bored. Not all cats are interested, but if a cat wants it, and the means are available to provide it, then it's an enrichment.

[@shellsjourney7069]

It’s funny because it feels like my cats are almost human-like. I know they aren’t, of course. But they do have emotions like we do. They’re lucky and just don’t have to deal with the world like we do!! Ha ha! I know it cats make my life better!! I don’t want to think of my life without them!!

[@kathleencove]

Well said.

[@gsgaming6976]

I said this during the livestream, but I really think it depends on the trainer and how you use them! Like on Billispeaks, there was an episode where Billi stepped on "ouch" and "noise" when her human companion started playing the soundtrack from Hamilton. I mean, obviously there is a limit, but I think it really does depend on the individual cat, the individual human, your relationsjip with them, and the complexity of the concepts you're trying to communicate. Like, if you're using cat body language for "I love you, I trust you" etc and *also* using the "I love you" button at the same time.... I don't think its entirely unreasonable to assume the cat will get the point.

[@LadyDragonborn]

Billi’s mom is a vet and she does extensive training with her. She’s also part of a scientific study on communication. Of all of the button channels, I think Billi is the most authentic

[@hannajung7512]

you said it "episode" this are set up situations, not spontanouse. You have no way of telling if it is real, you have to take the word of the person for it that trys to earn mobey by convincing people that it is real

[@diannamallar1155]

@@hannajung7512 Actually you are wrong. They are not "set up". There are at least 3 cameras pointed at Billi's com buttons at all times. This is required by the study they are part of. Maybe instead of passing judgement, you should go watch a few videos.

[@Aryn007]

I can’t help but wonder if it’s more likely the cat just knows if they step on a button everyone will stop what they’re doing and pay attention. Doesn’t matter which button. The result will be positive for the cat. In this way, the cat IS communicating, but it’s the same way my cat click click clicks on my mouse (turning on my computer monitor) to get my attention. She knows it is guaranteed to get me up and paying attention.

[@cardy1165]

@@Aryn007 That's not the case with Billi. I'm assuming you haven't watched any videos from that channel, so if you do you'll see her deliberating between presses, moving around the board to press specific buttons that aren't close to each other, consistently using certain buttons in similar contexts, and responding appropriately to simple questions her owner asks. It's incredibly impressive.

[@CeliannaNami]

Button communication is not a replacement for body language, despite what many comments here and Jackson seem to think so, but it's an addition to communication. An amplifier, so to speak. Teaching cats to use buttons to communicate not only gives them more options to express themselves to us better, but the humans learn cat body language even better. Yes, teaching buttons means understanding cat body language BETTER, it does not mean body language gets ignored. Body language is key to understanding the meaning of some presses, because not all the time do us humans understand what the cats are pressing. It takes the cat's body language and context in mind to figure out the meaning. So many comments here (and the video) are dismissing the impact buttons have on our pet's lives. Yes, when your cat meows, you can probably understand it wants food, or maybe it wants to go outside. But can your cat meow and tell you that they're experiencing a UTI, or that they're going blind, or wondering where their deceased friend is? Probably not. Buttons help with that; they allow the cat to be more specific about conveying their communication to us humans. And it's not only about requests or food spam as many seem to think; cats can narrate what's happening (from alerting us to a loud sound, or that there's a weird smell inside), inform what's happening to their bodies (such as medical issues), convey emotions (lots of cats have opinions about our music!) and will also ask questions. Buttons have been a great addition to my cat's lives, including hundreds of other cats who have been taught the same. It has only amplified my understanding of my cats and enriched their lives even further. Many of us starting buttons tend to realize down the line that a lot of cats are... well, bored. Extremely bored. Something that was simply ignored by many cat owners. But with the buttons it became much clearer that they need something to do in their lives, and the buttons are a way to demand for it and have the human listen. After all - how many times have we seen people say "My cat keeps meowing at night and I don't know why,"? As much as these comments would like you to believe that they understand their cat perfectly; it can be improved and finetuned through buttons. Buttons are an enrichment and a way to improve communication with your cats (and other animals). I can only recommend you talk to people who are using buttons to get the bigger picture. To dismiss the buttons like this, is to dismiss our cats want more out of life and they are perfectly capable of stringing coherent thoughts together, and yes - including expressing emotions. Two days ago I went to attend a birthday party. During the birthday party I got a notification on my phone that my cat pressed some buttons back at home. She said: "[her name], come, [my name], [my name]". She was asking me to come back home.

[@monicahartman2466]

Excellent description! 🐈 💞🙏

[@rebeccadelbridge2998]

My cats have absolutely no problem communicating their demands. They have been excellent trainers.😊

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@Spamkromite]

If you watched Billi, you will understand that she doesn't do all of that for food, but to make her humans to shut up 🤣 The other day she wanted the pets from her aunt, and Billi requested CHIN PETS from her using the buttons (then BRUSH PETS).

[@quackduckpics]

yeah I really wish Jackson would comment more specifically on those cases like Billy. Sure you can and should communicate with your cat in the "old" way but it doesn't exclude or make the studies being done less interesting or relevant.

[@HearttoHomeCraftswithJoanne]

Love Billi ❤

[@glowycloey]

Billies mom is a vet, too.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

I just watched a video where she commented that noice and ear. It was amazing that she connected the button usually meant for ear petting to help her tell that the noice hurt her ear.

[@sarasamaletdin4574]

@quackduckpics I wonder if he has seen those videos. And you need to watch several if you don’t get she is really communicating (often when alone too) and not told to press some buttons to get some reactions.

[@naturenutty2]

My cat has buttons. She has terrible anxiety and we're hoping by giving her some more control over her environment we can remediate that. She can now ask for catnip or 'adventure' (going outside in our arms to sniff plants and look at the world) as well as brush, pets, play and puzzle. I'm skeptical about how much she understands at this point and how much is her wanting attention, but twice we've been playing with her, disengaged because we had to do something, and she called us back with 'play'. It was enough to make us go 'hmm'. She is like a toddler. She goes to her buttons frequently when we're eating and when I'm on the phone. LOL She also has 'later', 'now', and 'all done'. Those we mostly use to model for her, but interestingly she seems to be more receptive to waiting or giving up rather than spamming her buttons at us if we click them. We'll see how it pans out over time. We gave her 'happy' and 'mad' to see what she does with them. Today she hit pets, my daughter went to her to pet her, and she then went and hit 'happy'. That's her first time using that in that kind of context, but it's exactly what we've been modeling. We'll see where it all goes. You posted a version of this a couple of weeks back and then took it down. I really hoped that you were going to watch the videos everyone recommended. Please post another video after you dig into what is being done with cats. Have you watched Billi? Justin Beiber (the talking cat, not the singer)? Russell? I'm not positive, but I think cats are being researched with this as well.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from

[@CKArts.studio6]

What buttons do you use? Thanks

[@naturenutty2]

@@CKArts.studio6 I started with Learning Resource buttons but they were tricky for my cat to push. She had to really lean her weight onto them. When I switched to Fluent Pet buttons, she started using them much more consistently. She has 17 buttons now, but only consistently uses 6 of them. She is much more of a 'call to action' cat than a 'let's talk about things' cat, like some are. : )

[@CKArts6]

@@naturenutty2 Thanks. I’ve had a lot of cats and the 2 Ragdolls I have now seem to me very smart. I want to try. They have clear different meows for what they want and they call me to do stuff for them. They might do buttons. I’ll spring for the fluent pet- is it worth the price for say 2 or a pack of 6 buttons? They are pricey!!!

[@naturenutty2]

Strange, I thought I replied to this but don't see it here. You could start with a cheaper button type, or even just work on target training for a paw touch first. If you look up Justin Bieber the talking cat here, there are some good tutorials on the training process. I bought a small pack of fluent pet buttons first on sale and then got a two more sets off of marketplace@@CKArts6

[@palitaru]

I known only Billi and her mom, I love the idea that she model the word , i think it different approach. Billi can tell when she sick and her mom negotiate her to take medicine, that is incredible. LOVES, Your fan from Thailand.

[@michellebley213]

I didn't have a pet until I was in my 40s. It took me a while to fully realize that my cat understood most everything that I said. He gave me many examples of this over the years. I walked into the room one day. He was resting in his cat tree. I asked what the weather was like. He pulled the verical blinds aside so we could take a look out the window. I was surprised, but I thanked him. ❤😊 Just one example. I miss him dearly.

[@laurenkifer9145]

Man im pretty sure my dog understood the word microwave the other day they really are smart little dudes

[@ChildishBerbino]

@@laurenkifer9145 I'm fairly sure my little guy had figured out the word microwave in more than 1 language, and furthermore slang words for microwaving food in one of those languages too haha.

[@renfairegoddess]

I'm fascinated by BilliSpeaks and her buttons. Billi (the cat) has Kendra (cat Mom) and Dad trained very well. Lol. I'm sure the one button my girls would take to would be the 'wet food' button. The 230 am demanding of fresh wet food by crying in my ear is already bad enough. I don't need to hear it in my own voice (button) too. Billi has been quite helpful to illustrate my girls have the potential to know what I'm saying.

[@hannajung7512]

The Billie videos are set up, not spontanouse everyday conversations, and the owner can tell you everything she wants about the context, you just have to take her word. I do not think that any of that is more then a cute trick. Does not mean your cats cannot learn to understand some things you say. Its just not in the way "Billie speaks" is trying to sell you

[@renfairegoddess]

@@hannajung7512 Hanna, your comment is just sad. I hope you learn how to get over your cynicism. Billi/Kendra are part of a study. I'll wait to read the results of the study before I make and decisions on the results. Are you Dunning, or Kruger?

[@naolucillerandom5280]

​@@hannajung7512 Yes, yes, we get it, human god, animal stupid dumb dumb who doesn't know what a door is 🙄 What are you even gaining with this?

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@ruthreese6287]

Got my 2 yr old rescue Obie to allow a harness to go outside on a leash, thank you Jackson for the tutorial!! He is the most prey driven, food driven cat I've had in almost 40 years of cats. I'm his 3rd owner, the first 2 couldn't handle (read control) him. I could tell how they'd disciplined him by what he was afraid of. I've helped him find compromise with pure and simple love and adoration from me. He enjoys that enough now that he acts out much less. Less water bowl messes, less crockery being push off various surfaces... I am also using some of Jackson's behavior remedies that I got years ago to help with a bullying and spraying situation. I'm a BIG fan Jackson, for years!!!!!!❤

[@CatsPajamas23]

My sweet little fluffball doesn't mind wearing a harness or leash, will walk along beside me, but when I turn to head back, if she thinks we haven't been outside long enough, she'll flop down and roll onto her back, paws up, to make herself look cute.

[@icollectstories5702]

While buttons do make requests more specific, if you watch enough of BilliSpeaks, you'd see how useful it is for a cat to offer commentary on where she's feeling unwell, that rap music upsets her, or that she is watching a bird. More recently Billi has expressed an understanding that medicine makes her feel better, so she will eat it willingly, despite its foul taste. One of the more intriguing exchanges was when she persisted in referring to a human as "Squirrel" and later expressed a desire to see "Squirrel." It's satisfying to see this as a sense of humor, but IMO this at least implies a measure of creativity.

[@thecaffeinequeen]

The thing i loved about the Squirrel incident, was that Billi was very adamant on referring to a SPECIFIC person as Squirrel. Not Dad, Not mom, Not auntie, not grandma, but THAT ONE specific friend. I think there was another video where the friend came back and billi instantly hit the "Squirrel!" button. So in a way she named/nicknamed the person

[@jessicalanger7599]

i'm still so obsessed with the squirrel phenomenon!! billi is an absolute gift

[@gaycryptidhours]

I had this happen with a house guest!!! @@thecaffeinequeen My friend M comes over and likes to go to our roof patio a lot. My boy Echo realized he could ask our guest for 'Outside' and started to do so. Then after she left, he started to meow and look for her. When he pressed Outside and I took him out he looked around and yelled then went inside right away. Then pressed the button and went to wait outside the room M spends the most time in when visiting. After this happened the 5th time we got a button for our friend M and introduced it. He picked it up in about three uses and he now asks for her with her name button and then asks for 'treats' and 'play' when she's over.

[@jodiegordon5559]

​@@thecaffeinequeen ok I'm a believer in billie and im getting some buttons for my cat. But i didnt see that 2nd episode so what i thought was that billie didnt care to talk about "Friend" at that moment but instead wanted to talk about that darn squirrel she saw that day! She pressed friend but kept going back to squirrel as if to say "no i didnt see a friend, i saw squirrel. Squirrel is not friend, why are you gaslighting me?!" (I added some of my own "buttons" in there, dont know if you noticed? 😅

[@Carnibee]

Personally, I don’t see an issue with using MULTIPLE forms of communication. With your analogy, what if you and the person who speaks Mandarin both knew a bit of each other’s language? Then you could both learn ways to marry what you already know to communicate. I think this COULD POSSIBLY be the equivalent of using a translator for the more difficult things. That doesn’t mean you have to forget what you already know, or ignore when maybe the translation is a bit inaccurate. Using “I love you” might just be their way of getting some cuddles instead of directly saying it. Either way, their human feels the love and the cat does too. Speaking multiple languages has never been bad for anyone, why would this be different?

[@irishis25]

Vary😅

[@irishis25]

Let's try this again "Very well said"

[@Carnibee]

@@irishis25 thank you 😂

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@Carnibee]

@@jamespatrick20906 thanks… I’m in the US 😂

[@valeriebernhardt817]

What I will say, after watching Billi: I have changed how I talk to my RitchieCat. I have simplified my syntax and become very consistent in what I say to him. And I am seeing signs that he is understanding my words much more than he did before. Does that mean that Billi knows what she is doing with her buttons? Possibly? But I have certainly improved my communication with Ritchie!

[@lnaph]

SAME!!!! Underrated comment

[@heretic-668]

I simplified my syntax as well for exactly this reason watching Billi, and I agree, subjectively it does seem to make a difference. It has, certainly, made me much more conscientious of communication, and why not? Current estimate is they have in the neighborhood of a 2 year old human's level of comprehension, and if you watch Billi, honestly, that's about what Billi's button use does seem to suggest.

[@kimfleury]

I've noticed that short syntax is much easier for animals with some level of social interaction. The feral cat colony shows that cats are social to a degree, and they communicate with one another. In the field of Special Education we call it "telescopic speech," because you target on one thing to communicate, and you don't use lots of words. It's not treating people like animals when, for instance, I communicate to a nonverbal autistic adult that it's time for him to do his household job of taking out the trash, saying, "Trash go out." It eliminates all the excess words to get straight to the point. I learned that from Dr. Temple Grandin, who is autistic and is an animal behaviorist. She said that she had the most trouble comprehending verbs when she was growing up, but her mother was a creative teacher. That's something we can keep in mind when communicating with animals. They're concrete thinkers. We're not going to discuss philosophy or theology with them. We're going to focus on their world, and let them express their view of the world in the way they think of it by their very nature.

[@katie6731]

I've been using the soon/later idea from Billi Speaks to tell one of our cats when I'll be coming back. He seems to relax. I'm not sure if it's just because I'm focusing on him and talking to him directly, using his name. It makes us both happy, so I'll keep doing it.

[@professorbutters]

I wish you’d talk to someone like Billi’s mom and have a conversation about this. I’m not convinced that you’ve seen what she’s done. She doesn’t seem to be using shortcuts.

[@fireshadowed]

It is funny how cats learn words, even accidentally. I would always say "time to go to the kitchen!" for breakfast/dinner, so now they immediately think of "food!" any time I say the word "kitchen." I literally just watched a video of a bird with a language board, who immediately started saying "tummy ouch" when the owner added some body part words to the board. There apparently was not anything noticeably wrong with the bird, but a trip to vet showed an infection. After being treated, the bird stopped saying "tummy ouch" and went back to wanting to play games.

[@0blivvy8]

The buttons would only work with a ton of training and a cat who's interested. There's one cat that is actually really impressive with the buttons. Her mom has been training her for years with them (3 yrs now & dozens of buttons later) and you can tell the cat certainly has a basic understanding of the words her mom uses frequently. The cat even combines buttons, for example, "where + Dad". The channel is called "Billy Speaks" if you want to check it out. My cats definitely understand quite a few words, but I've been working with them since kitten age and use a lot of positive reinforcement. I don't have any buttons and feel I understand their body language and vocalizations well enough, but if I had the extra time and money I think it'd be fun to try a couple!

[@professorbutters]

If cats didn’t understand some words, I wouldn’t have to avoid saying the “T word,” I.e., T-R-E-A-T-S.

[@mightyn8]

I've been using buttons with my sphynx cat ever since she was a kitten. Started with simple things like play, food, sweater (to let us know if she wanted her sweater on or off), water, peepeepoopoo (to clean her litter box), and we have a bunch more buttons about her heated pillow, certain toys, mommy and daddy so she can ask for one of us specifically if she wants to. She uses all her buttons, and she's better able to let us know what she needs without us struggling to figure out what all her different meows mean. Like sure, understanding some of the vocalizations is useful, and we still do our best to try to do so, but it's just impossible to always know what's wrong or what your cat needs just like when a baby cries and the parents are like "what's wrong? are you hungry? did you poop your pants? do you need to poop? do you need attention? does something hurt?". If there's a way to train your cat (or any other pet capable of this) to communicate more clearly with you, why wouldn't you take it? It was extremely easy to understand what to do from Christina who started this whole thing on social media teaching her dog Stella to talk. She's a speech therapist who knows all about these communication devices and how to teach someone to communicate with them. Personally, my partner and I didn't go for the extremely complex kind of board that a dog like Bunny has, because that was a bit too much work to do to model those words all the time. We kept it simple with what we consider to be the basics, and it works. I don't appreciate the fact that you're making fun of these communication devices, because they're really helping people listen to their pets better. I'm autistic, I get overstimulated and frustrated if my cat meows too many times. Reducing the amount of times she meows and being able to cater to her needs as quickly as possible so she herself doesn't get frustrated is the best thing. It may be a "social media hype" thing, but it doesn't mean it's bad. The buttons I bought were cheap, the training was easy, and it only resulted in positive outcomes.

[@tdublakeo]

My cat Maude is FAR more fluent in English than I am in Kitty Language. I understand several of her vocalizations and a good bit of her tail sign language. Slow blinks and nuzzling, of course. But Maude recognizes and understands dozens of my spoken words. I do believe that buttons can help cats use words. Billi clearly communicates on a higher level than most pets.

[@karmarose6332]

I love that your cat's name is Maude. She has her own theme song: Lady Godiva was a freedom rider She didn't care if the whole world looked Joan of Arc had the Lord to guide her She was a sister who really cooked Isadora was the first bra burner Ain't ya glad that she showed up? When the county was falling apart Betsy Ross got it all sewed up And then there's Maude (Repeat 5 times) And then there's That uncompromisin', enterprisin', anything but tranquilizin' Right on Maude!

[@tdublakeo]

@@karmarose6332 Thank you!♥ Here's my dilemma- Maude is 3 and I think she would enjoy a companion so I'm thinking of getting a young adult male cat. His name would be Walter or Harold :)

[@piggieria]

As others have mentioned Billie the cat from BillieSpeaks has learned to communicate through the buttons. Actually communicate, not just press them for food or outside. Whether it is that she is "mad" because she is told no or because Hamilton songs are playing. Or even to communicate that they have pain and where it hurts. When it comes to using the communication buttons it truly depends on the animal. Some animals will be interested in it some will not. Yes almost all animals can be taught to do this for that, but that isn't what these are necessarily what they are intended for. It is absolutely necessary to learn your animals body language. But how many times have you known something was up with them but not know what? That is where the buttons can come in so they can communicate what is bothering them, so you aren't having to go through a long list of ppossibilities. 🤷‍♀️

[@charisma-hornum-fries]

I can definitely see the benefits of buttons if a cat parent has a hearing impairment. Watching the buttons and body language could probably help a lot.

[@hissingwillows668]

I posted a much longer original comment about the idea of animals communicating emotion through a human communication method, so I'm going to try and be briefer. But essentially the issue with this idea is there is no way to confirm that the cat a) specifically and singly associates the "mad" button/the english word "mad" with her actual emotional state of anger, b) hasn't associated several emotional states with this, or entirely different emotions with this, but interpretation bias makes us want to believe that "cat pushing mad button = cat is purposefully and knowingly communicating that she is mad", or c) that she hasn't actually associated anger with that button at all, and has been reinforced to push it because she has realized that "mad button" gets a reaction out of people, and she is seeking that reaction. It's fine as a funny bit, but it's not really a meaningful defense of buttons for emotions to say that it's helpful for understanding them, because we have no way to know that the cat was truly trained that feeling anger = mad button. Cats cannot verbally confirm that we did correctly understand the emotion they communicated through button, or clarify if "I pushed mad" actually means "I want attention"/"I'm seeking the reaction that I have associated with this button".

[@piggieria]

@hissingwillows668 - honestly that is how humans are with language. Yes there is a common definition, but we still have our own person definitions. Assuming everyone thinks like you and has the same definitions is generally not a good idea. For instance we all know who God is regardless whether we believe in God or not. And there is a general definition of what/who God is, BUT you have your own bias of what god is. It is different even from those that share your own faith. The same holds true for almost all words. Billie has also communicated parts of her body that have hurt. Backed up by medically something being wrong wirh that area. I also want to point out doing something and getting a response is how HUMANS learn language. A baby starts repeating sounds and words because they get a reaction. We only know if they understand the word by observing their behavior context they use it in. How would this be any different? Can all cats learn to communicate in this manner, or can every owner be able to communicate in this manner? NOPE. It entirely depends on how you communicate with the animal too and how they generally communicate with you. This goes for cats, dogs, birds, any animal really. I've learned to never underestimate the intelligence of an animal and their willingness to communicate as long as you are paying attention.

[@hissingwillows668]

@@piggieria Referring to something specific and tactile (like an ear) is something that can be specifically reinforced and you can see directly when the correct association is made. Because of the way animals learn to act on reinforcement, we often unintentionally train animals to do something without knowing. Sometimes this results in bad behavior - like a cat learning that "wake up human" means "i eat/i get attention" is often how people end up with their cats desperately waking them up earlier and earlier - even if the attention is a very angry human, they still know action = reaction. Cats do not communicate like humans. Learning how to use a human tool through positive reinforcement is not like a toddler learning language. A cat has its own emotional and sensory processing, and it's own way of communicating. They learn that a certain word and/or button is associated with a specific outcome, which is why they react to words we say out loud that they learn or learn to press a button to get a reward (whether that is a physical reward, like a toy or pets, or a social one, like their owner having a delighted reaction). Because of unintentional cueing, it is extremely easy to "train" an animal on one thing while the cat and the person have entirely different perceptions of what that thing means. A cat pressing the "mad" button may just do it because they know that it gets a reaction from and interaction with their person. If that reaction is consistent, that reinforces the cat's button pushing. If a person found it very funny when their cat said "mad" and laughed and talked to their cat, the cat learns to push the button because it provokes that reaction - not because they have learned "when I experience rage, I can tell my human this by hitting that mad button". I really suggest reading up on the controversy with Koko the gorilla, as there are a lot of professionals in the area who have explained the issues with unintended handler bias, cues, and misinterpretation. We LOVE the idea of animals having very direct communication with us, and animals learn that doing specific actions or triggers will get the responses they want. A cat is telling us all day how they feel emotionally through body language and behavior, and we do not have a direct way to translate that to them in the way we do that "mouse toy" = "we play with your mouse toy".

[@hissingwillows668]

@@piggieria I also think a lot of people who pushback on criticism tend to feel the way you do about "underestimating intelligence of animals", but that's not why we critique this. I don't think cats are unintelligent or unemotional - I think it's VERY unintelligent *of us* to think that we've actually effectively gotten a cat to communicate their emotional state through a human word/button as opposed to the cat learning that the button = a reaction they're seeking (which IS very intelligent behavior!). What is intelligent for a cat and what is intelligent for a human are not always the same, and I think we assume too much of our OWN ability to actually teach these things to cats with the tools and skills we have and underestimate their ability to train us to react how they want to their behavior.

[@sylviahoffman9440]

Billi is an amazing and highly intelligent cat who uses the buttons in a way that you would not believe. I suggest you watch her, her physical emotions reflect her body language. Time is understood, too. Often she will engage and direct the conversation unpredictably and with intelligent responses. Like when she didn't want to take her arthritis medicine 2 times, and on the 3rd time said "where" "come" and walked to the cabinet where the medicine is, ate the medicine then her food. Buttons can work with cats and BilliSpeaks is a perfect example. (On YT)

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@deborahmulkey1627]

It helps that Kendra her mom is a vet.

[@madametj]

Another Billispeaks believer here. There are at least two videos where Billi hasnt seen "Dad" for several days so she keeps hitting buttons that say "where dad" or "when dad." You cant tell me that's about treats!

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you frm

[@seventeendeer]

I don't personally plan on button training my own cat, but I can see situations where it could be helpful - specifically in cases where the cat may want something they can't easily get across with body language because that something is missing. If my cat is meowing at me and looking disgruntled, it isn't always clear if she's looking for a missing toy, or if she's looking for my partner who's out grocery shopping. I definitely agree that anthropomorphizing cats (and other animals) is a big issue among pet owners, but I think if you approach the buttons not as a device for "helping" the cat "talk", but as a way for the cat to more easily communicate certain needs, I think they could genuinely be really helpful in reducing stress and common annoyances for the animal. You just have to be careful to stick to buttons like "wand toy" or "walk" or "fresh water", and not move into "I feel angry" or "I love you" territory, as the latter is both risky and simply unneeded.

[@teebles47]

I just got some buttons for my cats. Right now they understand and use "play", and I redirect my kitten to push the play button instead of getting into stuff he shouldn't (knocking stuff down, digging in the plants, etc.), to get my attention. If I remind him he can ask to "play", he will walk over to the play button and start pawing at it, meowing and looking at me expectantly. I would prefer he do this than get into things to get my attention. I also added "outside" since he often rushes the door when we go in or out, so we have started holding him outside before we leave or put him on a leash briefly so he can stalk the birds and bunnies in the yard. Eventually my hope is for them to be able to tell me things like what they want to eat without opening multiple containers, or if they are in pain and need to go to the vet. My cat that I lost last spring had multiple health issues and I felt terrible that she might have been in pain for a while without me knowing. I still plan to observe and respect their body language, but also hope to augment their communication using the buttons. I agree, cats need more concrete words than dogs probably do, especially at first, but I think they may be able to learn a few more abstract concepts as well once they have had more experience.

[@gryphonmazeandfranklintalk3079]

I have used buttons with my cat and it's been a fantastic experience. I was part of the research study as well and found that many cats took to this well. It is intended as both training/enrichment as well as a way to study cats differently. One of the very interesting things that has been identified in the study is that cats and dogs (possibly other animals too) actually comment or narrate a great deal. This means that this is more than just a trick, because in these instances, there isn't an immediate response from the human. To teach this well, it also requires a lot of connection and ability to read your companion's body language. It isn't a short cut, but an enrichment in my experience. Could it be misused? Yes. How much of this is communication? We will have to wait for the research results to see.

[@thechronicillnessdiaries2773]

Cats understand more than we give them credit for and the way they communicate with us astounding. My cat uses buttons effectively to communicate and follows basic commands now without any rewards at all. It helps me know what he wants. Sometimes I am not sure of herl wants snacks, outside, play, or dinner. Buttons help so much! He's only a year old. Excited to teach him more.

[@petervisi5369]

I understand my cat's meow, at least the most important ones. There is the "I need food" and the "I finished pooping you clean it" also when she tell me "it's time to come to sleep". She comes when I call her. Yet we still happy kitty happy human without buttons. On the side note, having these viral videos about Bunny the dog, Billi the cat and other pets using more and more complex expressions over time just helps more people realise how complex are other animals too not just humans. They have feelings, awareness of environment, time passing and so on and not just basic biological survival instincts.

[@vanyadolly]

Exactly! My cat has different sounds to express different things, and when that fails, you know a cat is going to pester you until you get the message. Cats are extremely communicative because unlike dogs, they don't take "no" for an answer.

[@Catia24311]

Plastic buttons for a cat? No way. Get to know your cat so you can create a special bond.

[@gaycryptidhours]

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive.@@Catia24311

[@JustMe-cr1dr]

My heart melted when the guy and his cat were just lovin' each other sooooo much. Just beautiful!!!

[@judyofthewoods]

My last cat and I had an amazing mutual understanding through a mixture of body language, voice, tone, intuition, and maybe a little telepathy. Sarper Duman and Pianist Cat in that video is the epitome of man-cat love expression. I've watched that video many times, and it always makes my hart melt.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@MichaelHaneline]

Buttons are not a replacement for nonverbal communication with cats, but they can make it easier for some cats to tell you specifically what they want. They can learn that pressing the red button gets them a treat, the yellow button gets them their yellow toy, and the blue button gets them their blue toy. (Even if they can't make out those actual colors.) This IS a form a language. We have only two buttons in our house, and they are for our dog. One is for our dog to press to let us know to she needs to go outside, and the other button is outside to let us know when the dog wants to come in. Our cat observed the dog pressing the "go outside" button, and began pressing it herself to try to get us to let her outside. Problem is, we only let her outside when we have time to carefully watch her the entire time, to make sure she doesn't climb over the wall into a neighbor's yard, or eat anything she shouldn't etc. So we don't reward her pressing the button by letting her outside. Still, she will press the button, and sometimes it will trick one of us into thinking the dog pressed it, and come running until we see its the cat. So she has learned that pressing the button summons her people to that spot.

[@starwarsballerina]

I was wondering what the reupload would look like, considering the previous one was quite unresearched and aimed to put down instead of being open to different ways of communication. Jackson himself says here that if you don't know someone's language, you try to find a way to learn words and ways to communicate. Isn't that exactly what all the owners of button users are doing, along with the well researched team of scientists? As a vet myself, I see the value in both, and I am hoping for a day when another cat or dog like @billispeaks or @whataboutbunny (or the many others) with obscure illnesses come into my practice, with owners saying that my pet told me they have an 'ear ouch' or 'tummy ouch' before they actually get too poorly. I just hope Jackson can learn to coexist with the research instead of putting others down for trying, because I used to send my clients to his channel for cat behaviour, but now I am reluctant to continue... And as many others said before me, it is not about learning 'to talk', it is about being able to communicate in a new way. The words on the buttons will mean different things to different learners based on the communal meaning assumed to it by the human and the animals. Keep the researching mindset going, please, and listen to the experts with the correct accreditations ❤

[@ritasylliboy]

I love watching BillySpeaks , what that cat learned, is remarkable, his owner is a veterinarian and does not give him treats every time he speaks. But what was remarkable what the owner did not learn Billy was putting words in sentences and also the behavior of how he says it. You have to open your eyes Jackson. I was shocked thinking cats do not know what we are talking about, they do not know English words they only Meow, and like You (Jackson Galaxy) Behavior. I was Wrong Cats are smart they know words if you teach them, and remarkable they tell you what is wrong with them and everything. I would love you to meet Billyspeaks that would be cool.

[@ashb8036]

Thank you for separating emotional states and training. I think the buttons can be useful, BUT, to use a firefighter’s perspective, another tool for the toolbox.

[@hannajung7512]

They might be especially useful when used for disabled people or cats, were body language or its reading is inhibited. teaching a cat that one button is for food, one for play time and one for cuddles can be useful I guess. But most of all are cats very playful and curiouse they love learning new tricks and doing so is a great way to generally learn to communicate better.

[@terri5757]

My cat currently uses 32 word buttons and uses them appropriately. I need to add more buttons because he has a big vocabulary. I’m surprised as a cat expert that you don’t believe cats can learn and know what they mean including emotions.

[@MaynardsSpaceship]

Billi talks. She uses the buttons with context! Billi asked Kendra to be quiet! 💀 I think it was yesterday when they were building something.

[@benton-benton]

I hate it when Kendra punishes Billi through the buttons. Not giving Billi what she wants - saying Billi is trying to manipulate her. I never subscribed. It seems really cruel to me.

[@hannajung7512]

in a video set up and curated for you to convince you that she can speak via these buttons...

[@diannamallar1155]

@@benton-benton I accuse my cats of manipulating me all the time. They don't have buttons but they sure know how to get what they want! Lol

[@sabinekoch3448]

Yes- I laughed! Billi also doesn’t like Hamilton…😁

[@diannamallar1155]

@@sabinekoch3448 No she doesn't! Lol

[@vronus007]

We trained our cat to use buttons because his communication was sometimes unclear to us. Like we could tell he wanted to play but not what exactly he wanted to play with. We tried different things and eventually cat and human was frustrated. So far we have implemented 5 buttons and they are extremely helpful and add up to the "normal" communication with him. I see it as an enrichment.

[@arane9]

I have the buttons and one of my cats uses them. That said, he really only started using them *after* we had developed a relationship where I met him half way and he saw that when he used the buttons, he could get reliable responses from me. They've proven extremely helpful for cat sitting. While the cats are fed on a schedule, the button happy cat will let the sitters know when he or his brother needs extra play or when he's okay with the sitter petting him (he doesn't like people reaching for him and the buttons have given him a tool to enforce his boundaries even with new people). Once I introduced the no button and respected it, he's been a much happier, confident cat with visitors since even people who don't know him know what a button saying no means. He still happily uses traditional methods to communicate with me and we've done a lot of the traditional training since he enjoys it. The buttons most of the time act as a fun trick which lets him be more precise with his communication regardless of the other human. So far whenever I've added a new button it takes him less than 5 seconds to try it without prompting.

[@dianaburn2474]

I agree on the emotional aspect - it is unlikely that cats would be able to properly communicate emotions as we understand them. Even some of the cats I've watched using buttons seem to use the ones like "mad" more for a purpose rather than explaining emotion. "Mad" often seems to mean "I didn't get what I want" or "that's not what I meant." As for explaining wants (getting the human to do their bidding!), I am open to the possibility that cats may be able to pick up some ability to use the buttons. Of course, editing and trickery is possible, but it seems some cats are able to pick up basic things, like asking for outside time or to go to bed. Some cats even seem to be able to link two or three words (which is not necessarily language, but it is interesting!) So, overall, I agree that cats "can't talk," but from what I've seen (which is a lot, because I love cats), I think some cats may be able to use buttons for basic commands. The clicker training isn't really a substitute, because it's the other way around! The human tells the cat what to do. With the buttons, the kitty tells the human what to do. :) (although, I guess they're pretty good at that, even without buttons, huh?) My older girl is quite smart, and seems to understand simple phrases (three or four words). This is even accounting for variation in vocal pitch. If I had started with buttons with her when she was younger, I am fairly certain she would have picked up on a few commands for us. :) But, she's not feeling well at the moment, so button training is not in her future. Overall, I think a bit more evidence and even research is needed before stating that cats cannot absolutely do this. I agree they will likely not be able to be as good as dogs using them, but from everything I know and have seen, I just don't see it as an impossibility for specific uses (mainly, telling the human to go do something).

[@LiluBob]

I watched Billie Speaks since the beginning of the pandemic until she passed recently. I have been watching Todd recently, and just a few weeks ago Todd told his owner that Glamour the other cat had an ouch in her back, and I think he said she was unhappy or not. So the owner took glamour to the vet and yes there was an issue and they've been treating it and Todd a day or so later told the owner that Glamour was now happy or that glamour back was now happy. There were no treats, it was unsolicited, this is not the first time that I have seen an animal a dog or a cat use the buttons to inform the owner that one of the other pets in the house had a problem and needed attention and use the buttons to describe what the problem was. That's not a food trick, or a clicker response. That's conscious communication.

[@idahardy4052]

The cat communicator doesn’t believe the cat can or wants to communicate. I had a little dog who would ring a bell to go outside. One day, he wanted one of the toys the other dog was playing with, so he went over to the bell and rang it. I went to the door to let him out and all the dogs ran outside but this one that rang the bell turned around and got the toy. This first time was an accident, I think. But then he repeated it again and again over the years. It was funny and none of the other dogs ever caught on.

[@LiluBob]

@@idahardy4052 I love animals who do that, who show us their true nature and intelligence lol

[@vgamesx1]

Even without buttons, cats clearly learn some words, not just food related, such as if I say "gonna get ya" he understands I'm about to reach for him and usually reacts by running off because I tend to say it when I'm playing.

[@gaycryptidhours]

This! I do this and my boy will run at me playfully for a game of chase.

[@samuelreid4529]

I wish this man would interact with his comment section.

[@kimfleury]

Interestingly, Dr. Kendra of @Billi Speaks had long been training Billi using traditional methods. She added a "Training" button, and Billi now uses it to request a training session. Billi has two motivations for wanting a training session: She's rewarded with treats, and better than food alone she's rewarded with interaction with her Mom. I don't understand why the criticism in this video focuses on emotions expressed with buttons. If those were the only buttons, then it would be a fair criticism. I wish I had buttons for my son's feral rescue, because he had so many health issues that it would have been nice if he could have communicated them before the emergency vet visits. We kept a close eye on the tell-tale behaviors, but i knew darned well that by the time a cat shows a behavior, the sickness or condition is already dangerous. I don't know if Percy would have used the buttons, but it would have been worth a try. Besides his poor health, he also was a hunter, and being rescued with an injury when he was already 7 or 8, he was just not inclined to show typical household cat behaviors indicating that he wanted to hunt some pretend prey (i.e. play). When he was ready to hunt, he targeted ankles. My son was able to train him to use a paw touch, but he wouldn't do that with me, and yes I used time tested training techniques to encourage appropriate behaviors while extinguishing undesirable behaviors. And he was full on tooth and claw, as to be expected from a feral. I've still got scars, and he died coming up on 3 years ago. At least he had regular meals and shelter from inclement weather, and got to enjoy his final few years, but it would have been better for him if he had a way to tell us what part of his body hurt before he was in need of emergency veterinary care.

[@whitneygagnon8010]

I love the points you make here! We’ve got 4 buttons for the dog (outside, water, yes and no) and one of our two cats will occasionally also use them to get our attention. He does seem to have the same understanding of the vocabulary that the dog does… but the cat who doesn’t use buttons realistically has us just as well trained as the cat who does 😂

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from?

[@amemabastet9055]

I was amazed by Todd a while back, who told his da that the other cat (who don't use the buttons) had a sore back. So da took that cat to the vet, who found the problem. This is waaaaay beyond pressing buttons to get food.

[@ELXABER]

I always remind my wife that cats understand far more than most people realize. She got her first cat a year ago. Just because they're ambivalent doesn't mean they don't understand. I've always talked to mine like a person, and half or more understand most keywords in a sentence. Just remember they are wild animals, so they may or may not care what you want. 🤣

[@BornRemaining]

Henry meows, I respond vocally, if he meows again I stand up, he leads me to what he wants in order to ask for something. He'll take me to the toy drawer, to the fridge, to the cricket cage, whatever he's wanting that isn't scratchies or cuddles. Sometimes he'll just get me to follow him for a stroll around the ground floor just to reinforce to himself that he's being heard and cared about, checking to make sure I'm looking at him the whole time. (Traumatic kittenhood abandonment outside way before weaning messed this poor baby up, but he's okay.)

[@christamarch947]

I would like to hear your take on the channel BilliSpeaks on KZbin. I do agree not every cat is going to take to button communication. Personally, I think it depends on how well you read your own cat and how much you interact with them. I know my cats have learned what certain human words mean and you could, in theory, translate that to a button through repetition. That appears to be what has happened with Billi on the BilliSpeaks channel.

[@hannajung7512]

I think it is more likely that Billie is good in working through previously established routines to make it aopear she has a conversation on camera. You have no idea what is going on when the camera is of, and you also cannot see everything that is going on when it is on. Cats can with time learn the contextual meaning of some words if they are relevant for them, but that is not the same as talking. and yes cats can for some things be trained to push a button to get a specific reward, this is not "understanding" though. That the cat realises she gets a treat when she pushes a button that sounds out "hunger" does not mean she is actually hungry or that she understands which feeling is connected to the word.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from

[@monicaleonte8913]

​​@@hannajung7512Does that matter though? I think decades of bullshit ape sign language studies (conducted by one handler and one bonded animal, with no real hard data to demonstrate success and no reproducibility with other handlers) have poisoned the well with regards to what the practical application here is. (AFAIK the consensus is that a chimp doing modified sign language doesn't understand language any better than a cat with buttons.) People are so fixated on whether animals can learn *language* that they forget that the point of language is just communication, which can be achieved without language. A cat using buttons isn't really using language, but they are communicating what's on their mind. I think that's plenty neat in of itself.

[@Mark-wq7wd]

I cut cable a decade + ago, but stumbling on this channel today made me smile. Thanks! Subbed!

[@Rebeyells]

Have you seen the cats that want to communicate though? Honestly I get that not all cats want to but also not all cats love going outside on leash…

[@Rebeyells]

I mostly say this cause I have normal cats and a truly insane mojito cat-dog that I swear to god I think would love this

[@InfiniteAnvil]

@@Rebeyells Right? Right now, when my cat wants to play, I offer her each toy in turn. If she doesn't want that toy she doesn't engage and will eventually meow like "next". I'm confident that she'll enjoy the ability to ask for the toy she wants by name, once we're finally living in a place where there's floor space for a button pad.

[@Rebeyells]

Exactly! My cat ‘Old Man’ who passed away last year is the only cat I’ve had that truly LOVED a leash. He would get so excited when he saw his harness and mostly he wanted to walk to a nice sunny spot and sit there. They are all so unique and you just gotta follow their lead 💕

[@littlekitsune1]

Language/communication as a whole is essentially a very complicated form of learned responses we learn as kids so we aren't just crying our whole lives as the only form. Cats have already been proven to modify their language exclusively to coexist with humans better (meows) and this is just letting them advance that modification. Most people using the buttons with their cats acknowledge the human tinted glasses issue and work to bridge the gap better by incorporating the cat's body language and context clues into it too. All this to say, I don't think it's worth excluding the idea just because it starts as trained or learned responses. That's language in a nutshell, and it can grow and flourish from there, helping people be closer to understanding their cats and vice versa. Isn't that what we ultimately want? And as an aside, I watch Billi Speaks, which is run by a vet. Very good medical and behavioral points of view from her about the subject.

[@TallulahBangkok]

I would love for you to talk to Kendra, Billi’s mom, since Billi has a robust vocabulary and starts a lot of conversations, and make a video about that. I feel like cats communicate well as it is, but they can do a lot more than we sometime give them credit for.

[@Osgoodgirl]

Unfortunately a lot of us who are cat parents in the AIC community have reached out to Jackson and he has refused to connect with us - just shared this video a second time without understanding AIC.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you from

[@roselove001]

This makes so much sense! I DO believe most animals are much more intelligent than many people give them credit for, but there are differences in how we communicate. Learning how they communicate makes more sense to me than trying to force them to communicate in our way. Exception might be treats and outside buttons but… my cats would just press on these two ALL the time! 😂 I already know what they want when (for instance) they look at the doorknob then look back at me repeatedly! (Followed by the almost immediate polite raps and meows on the glass door when the weather isn’t good.)🙀

[@Alaisha7]

Todd warned his person when one of his fur siblings had a back ouch. That cat was taken to the vet and it was determined that she really did have back issues. SO yay buttons and yay Todd. Notice I didn't mention treats? That's because this wasn't about treats and treats were not part of that equation.

[@kathrinholweger8743]

This makes a lot of sense to me. I use buttons with my cats (well, one of them). I never quite understood how I should train or test for conceptual words and I never tried. I do believe in actions and they work well. Tells me when she wants outside (proving it by running in the direction), reminds me when I forget a meal, tells me when she wants to play. It’s super fun.

[@swedneck]

This is what makes sense to me as well, just using them to make standard communication more obvious, mostly to us humans. And this is why you don't give them a "hungry" button, that is utterly useless as that is the default state and will be treated as an infinite treats dispenser.

[@chocolatefrenzieya]

You need to watch BilliSpeaks. She talks in sentences. Her mom was able to get her to eat medicine with no tricks by telling her it helped her tummy not hurt. She still clearly hates the meds, but eats it willingly. It's crazy. She has an ear button to say where she wants pets, but used it once to say a loud noise hurt her ears, implying she related ears as hearing organs. There are many more pretty impressive cognitive examples she gives.

[@barbarapaine8054]

My cat communicates without pushing buttons: “I want food in my food puzzle” “put that on the floor” “I don’t like being picked up” “I want that food,not what’s in my dish” “Hello how are you” “Are you awake?” “It’s time for my clicker training”…and many more. I agree with the meeting at the fence.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you frm

[@judyragen3892]

My cats let me know what they want. They get my attention and lead me in the direction of what they want me to do . ( open the window....change water bowl .... need food ....clean litter box. ) etc. I love how we communicate. 😉💕

[@Memento_Mori_Morals]

Yeah this. One time I thought my cat just wanted to play as a teen and I was busy with schoolwork. It took an hour or so but I finished and when I turned I saw in horror he didn't wanna play, he couldn't get to his litter box. I let him in and poor thing really had to pee. Surprised he didn't go on the floor, I wouldn't have minded it was my fault. He was the best kitty.

[@shikiira4185]

Cats are still smarter than we think. There's this one cat on tiktok that used the buttons to convey a concern about a coyote attack on their catio the prior night. One of the cats was at the buttons, warily eyeing the catio while pressing the buttons "mom" and "stranger" repeatedly. The cat was taught the word stranger because they were very stranger wary. The owner managed to teach the cat the word on days strangers would appear at the home. The cat picked up the word quickly and often used to to describe animals or people they'd see outside the window, by combining "stranger" and "window". As such, when the night after the coyote attack, the cat, named justin, contstantly referenced the coyotes via "stranger". The "mom" the used the normal phrase of "stranger"(along with "dog") and "all done" to reassure the coyotes were gone to justin. Upon doing this, Justin's body language relaxed and he flopped onto the floor playfully.

[@liloheinrich8659]

Cats only do what they want to and feel less of a need to please their owners than dogs so it may take them a longer time to come around to wanting to use and learn the buttons, but I believe they are just as smart as dogs and have just as many things they want to say, and that if you give them the opportunity you will be able to talk to them through this new route of communication. My grandmas old cat, laptop, he used to meow in certain ways to mean outside or food or other things and he used to bring her flowers he picked from outside

[@SharkyLunasaurus]

Wow this is the only time I have not agreed with Jackson on something to do with cats. I think that most cats probably don't need the buttons, but like with Billi or Russel I think it really helps them mentally and especially with Billi she clearly initiates conversation. You need to rethink your opinion on this one.

[@anneknoche22]

My cat and I have superb communication. I tried clicker-training a few years ago, and I know now to give my baby a treat every time he chooses to go through his play tunnel 😅

[@garyc4289]

Agreed, the buttons are probably not best for conveying cat emotions to their humans. However, they are spot-on for things like "Outside!", "Adventure!", "Litter Box Alert!", "Dinners!" (meaning canned food), etc. I have 5 of the buttons and 23 indoor cats .. 2 adoptions, 21 rescues. All but one cat uses the buttons 'appropriately' ... one doesn't use any of them. Did take some weeks (about 7) for most of them to figure out/associate the button with its corresponding reward/activity. The only one I occasionally hear at 3:00am is the "Litter Box Alert!" ... obviously. Thanks Jackson!!

[@AySz88]

Okay, even if "only" training, that sort of success rate deserves some videos to show it off! I hope you're at least documenting it with the studies!

[@wanderinwolf3804]

Well my counter point to you during your Human Tinted Glasses portion of the video, is our communication as humans is a trained behavior as well. So yes, trained behaviors is an excellent form of building communication.

[@KidarWolf]

Especially noticeable to me as an autistic person. For me, speech and reading and writing came easily, but the body language of non-autistic humans is still a bit of a mystery. Animal body language is much easier for me to read, and animals seem to read me better than non-autistic humans do.

[@Muhdah1972]

I think the most interesting cat using buttons is YT's Billie the Cat. I haven't seen those videos in awhile but I think she was the first cat I ever saw using buttons. My cat has tapped my leg with her paw when she wants something usually food 😊 I'm just waiting for this to go full animal farm. We may end up not liking what cats, or dogs have to say if they could speak a human language.

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you frm

[@Just-Nikki]

Billi knows what she’s saying. She puts words together to bridge the gap if she doesn’t have the appropriate button. Kendra ( Billi’s mom ) is a credible resource if you would like to speak with someone on the subject.

[@daughterofthestars08]

Training cats is so fun. My cat gives me a fist bump before each meal. My dad trained his cat to ring a bell for a treat and has been working on other tricks too, which keeps his very intelligent cat engaged and happy!

[@mittens4859]

Okay, that cat nuzzling his human just melted my heart

[@tschuessikowski]

A lot of people already mentioned BilliSpeaks, and I'm also a great fan of her. In addition to these comments I'd like to say, that cats already developed a unique way of communication with humans: the meowing. This behavior is not seen under adult cats, only between cats and humans. Further so, does every cat develope a unique "set" of meowing-sounds for different needs, which I found super interesting (learned it in a documentary). I also noticed, that Billi barely meows, I would say she only seems to meow, when she has no access to her buttons (for example when they are outside for a walk). I am pretty sure Jackson knows about that, this is why I am extra surprised, that he is so strongly against the idea of talking buttons for cats. I see them as sort of "Meow-Translator". And as the other comments said, I would love to see a respectful discussion between Jackson, Kendra and Billi ;)

[@kylieskiffington479]

I have not tried buttons yet, but recently purchased them for my cats. I feel you see it as the human using buttons to get the cat to do what the human wants. I see it as giving the cats a human voice we can understand better. If my cat is wanting something and I check the food, water, open the door, pet them, play with them, and none of that seems to do it, you cant tell what they need. With the buttons they can tell you what they want, exactly. Making the cats sit a certain place when you make dinner sounds more human centered.

[@Cwgrlup]

Cats absolutely speak and understand their humans. The more we talk to them, the more vocabulary they learn.

[@TheAnswerIs42Marvin]

Hey Jackson! I think you might find this interesting: I've been doing a lyrical linguistic study (of sorts) with my two cats since their adoption, almost 3 years back. They mimic the syllable count and musical tone of voice, when they can (I have seen them struggle with 'pronouncing' things that involve jumping quickly between musical ranges)(I use combinations of Hi-Mid-Low tone of voice per syllable). Think of Japanese or Mandarin, where the tone of voice used changes the definition of a word. One cat was raised with dogs (Gracie), the other as a cat (Mara). I have been teaching them both the same actionable words such as "Hello" (Hi-Low), "Outside" (Mid-Mid), "Time for Bed" (Mid-Low-Hi), "Water" (Mid-Mid/Low), "Dinner" (Mid-Low), "Treat" (another 2 syllabic word drawn out into 3, etc), "Pet" (Mid), "Scratch" (Mid), "Be nice" (Low-Mid), "Play with--" (Hi-Hi-insert pet name), "No." (Low), "Yeah!" (Hi), "Hmm?" (This one is 1 syllable that starts Low and ends Hi). When talking to either cat, I only use words they know (if I can help it). This has helped family and friends interact with them too! Much to their amusement. I've been trying to introduce "Good Morning" as well to help provide a frame work for the concept of time passing when it's paired with "Time for Bed". Even with a simple vocabulary, it has been very humbling to witness how both cats utilize their 'words'. However, It is getting harder to think of different combinations of these musical tones to help us understand each other (and that they don't struggle to 'say'), so I've pretty much stopped adding vocab for now. Imagine my surprise when Mara says to me: "Mid-(her name)-Mid-Low-Hi!" while leading me to her food bowl. Translated: "Pet/scratch Mara Dinner Yeah!" She sounded absolutely STRANGLED while saying it, but this was quickly followed by me petting her while she ate and a 10/10 on the Richter Scale of purring. She has rarely strung words together for phrases but she does not repeat them again after the initial request. She expects my to keep her request in mind during our interactions, which she will prompt me with bodily actions on her part. (Such as further attempts of her leading me to her food bowl) which I confer with her "Pet Mara Dinner, Hmm?" or "Pet Mara Time for Bed, Hmm?" (petting her on the bed, another favorite of hers) which she replies with "Yeah!" or "No." depending on what she wants (Sometimes she's conflicted when I offer her both choices. She'll flatten her ears a tiny bit and loiter at the cross section in the hall looking towards one or the other until she decides, LOL). Communication with them usually becomes a game of 20 questions. "Hello" from me is always rewarded with a tail perk and a chirp from them. Some times they even say it back. "Outside" is more like "Through/Outside/Open" to them. "Water" is Water/Rain/Shower/ANY liquid thing. So I can tell them it's raining hard outside so I won't let them out, despite their requests by saying: "No Outside. Outside Water." They realize I'm not trying to be mean, they grumble but don't throw a tantrum anymore. This also helps in instances when Mara perceives Gracie's body language as aggressive when filtered through her known 'cat body language'. And vice versa. Mara gets SO weirded out when Gracie tries to sniff her butt. When I narrate for them, you can visibly see both dial back the tension. Ex) Gracie goes to sniff Mara's butt/tail. Mara feels a tickle, not realizing Gracie is that close and immediately turns, seemingly warry/tense. Gracie reacts by tensing up as well with a tiny bit of ear flattening + pulling back a tiny bit. (Understandably so: Mara has claws, Gracie does not.) "Be Nice. Gracie Hello Mara." Both blink. Ears stop getting flatter. Postures ease. They do both still warily separate though. They used to get into hissing fights before running off in separate directions. Teaching them a simple "Common Language" of sorts seems to help tremendously with their CONSTANT miscommunication. They back each other up when either one mentions the word "Dinner" or "Outside" to me now too. I have not done anything for communicating feelings though. I'm not sure I could accurately pin a definition to such words that they would know, with out a doubt, the true definition. I'm inclined to agree with you on that. Body language is enough for feelings, no words needed. But yeah, I've been GEEKING out about it (Hence the LOOOONG post). Music is just so FREAKING cool; a true universal language! Figured that I could share my excitement here and that someone else might think that it's just as neat.

[@50gramsof]

My cat loves watching Billie Speaks videos

[@mishkawolfforever5951]

the saddest one tho ive seen is when a pet let the owners know they were dying and saying goodbye again and then a few minutes would say goodbye again, they passed within 24hrs i believe of starting that

[@Sweetpeabowgirl]

Your so correct. Affection and physical touch IS the ultimate means of communication. I wish more humans would use their hands gentle upon another, whether human OR animal. It’s felt between everyone!

[@jamespatrick20906]

Hello there nice comment, I’m really impressed if you don’t mind please where are you frm

[@rottingsun]

Look normally I would agree with you Jackson, but after seeing the Billie the cat video where he's missing his dad who is out of town, and repeatedly pressing buttons that seem to be loosely asking where dad is and when he will be back, I just can't agree. I get that with cats, it seems motivated by exterior reasons. But seeing a cat that mostly used the mad button switch to the dad button when the dad went out of town, even going so far as to indicate that "just mom" wasn't cutting it towards the end, swayed me.