The cat quickly realizes that the man is deaf, so it tries tapping him on the arm to get his attention. Once successful, the man nods his head and asks if the cat wants to eat while signing the word “food”. 

Next thing you know, the cat is doing the same movement!

Pogledajte ovu objavu na Instagramu.

Objavu dijeli Cat Memes (@catvibes.xd)

In a video shared on Instagram, the cat can be seen imitating the man’s gesture of putting fingers together and tapping them to his lips to indicate feeding. The cat tries to mimic the movement with its paw.

Impressively, the man rewards the cat for signing correctly by feeding it. Once the cat signs in the correct way, the man feeds it. He is doing an excellent job teaching the cat sign language. Here’s the original video shared on YouTube:

So, Can A Cat Really Learn Sign Language?

Well, the question seems pointless now that we’ve seen actual proof that it, indeed, can learn it. While research on cats is limited compared to dogs, there is evidence suggesting that cats are intelligent creatures.

Cats, just like dogs and toddlers, can easily learn the “pointing test”. They will go to the item you point to, or even follow your gaze. Cats are also able to perceive our emotions, similarly to dogs. 

Cat behaviorist Stephen Quandt explains that cats are always trying to figure out new ways to get yummy treats and rewards. Cats pay attention to our body language, listen to our voices, and are focused on our physical signs. 

Teaching a cat hand gestures, including sign language, is possible with positive reinforcement and treats. 

Cats can easily learn how to give a ‘high five’, so it’s actually not surprising that they learn a bit of sign language as well. Using your hands, and treats of course, you can teach a cat many things. As Quandt puts it:

“It’s all about the hand gesture and a reward.”

Basically, whenever you react positively to your cat’s actions, they learn to repeat them, especially if treats are involved.

This goes the other way around too. So in the first video, we see a cat communicating with its deaf owner, and now here’s another example of sign language. 

However, in this next video, we see a deaf cat using sign language and understanding signs from its owner.

It’s truly amazing what our feline companions can achieve when given the opportunity, a little effort, and some treats.