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NEWS > SCIENCE > LAWSUIT DETERMINES ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT CATS CAN’T TALK
LAWSUIT DETERMINES ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT CATS CAN’T TALK
January 9 2011
New York, NY - Human beings and the other animals on the planet have always had an interconnected fate. In our earliest days, it is likely that the threats of other animals, predators and food competitors, led directly to our evolution into the species 
we have become. In recent years, humans have actively manipulated the lives of animals, determining their territory and domesticating them for food and for companionship. While all species have certainly felt the tough of human beings, some have gained significantly from our rise.
Cats and dogs in particular have been the primary beneficiaries of humanity’s reign on the planet. Living with us, side-by-side, they have themselves evolved to not only benefit us but also to advance the survival of their own species. Those animals are not with us solely for our benefit, their ability to adapt to humans has allowed their own species to flourish and expand, much like ours did with the discovery of tools and speech. Because of the long association we have had with cats and dogs they have become less pets than actual family members for many people who imbue them with human characteristics, most of which is simply fantasy. While those animals certainly communicate, the notion that they are forming coherent thoughts and actually try to transmit that to us has largely been dismissed, something central to a new lawsuit which opines that cats cannot actually speak and never could.
“These commercials from Clorox display ‘clever’ cats choosing ‘Fresh Step’ instead of ‘Super Scoop’. The voiceover states ‘are also smart enough to choose the litter with less odors. That’s because Fresh Step Scoopable litter with carbon is better at eliminating litter box odors than Arm & Hammer Super Scoop. Fresh Step: Cats know what they like,” said a spokesperson for New Jersey-based Church & Dwight Co. “Cats do not talk and it is widely understood in the scientific community that cat perception of malodor is materially different than human perception. We ask that Clorox Co. Ceases airing these ads and suggesting that cats have any preference in respect to these deodorizers.”
The lawsuit also cited numerous studies that showed cats really had no preference and had never said otherwise.
“Cats certainly communicate. They use their body language and meows to indicate certain base emotions and thoughts but the majority of that is based around core elements of survival, things like food and water. Even affection is a survival tool, one that has been honed by these animals over centuries. By being affectionate, they stay stocked with food,” said Scrape TV Zoology analyst Cambridge Walker. “There is certainly a significant amount of communication by all species of life on the planet, but they don’t speak in the ways we think of things. What they are ‘saying’ is nothing like what we understand it, it’s just very difficult to think through their brains.”
Human beings, it is believed, are the only species that has developed the brain capacity and vocal organs making speech possible.
“In this case it is likely the company used a little creative flourish to embellish the story. I think most people watching the ad would realize that cats aren’t actually going to voice a preference in respect to the time of litter or deodorizer that is used and the commercial was just playing a little bit, trying to illustrate their point,” continued Walker. “It seems things like that, badmouthing the competition, is common but I’m no lawyer. What this suit does show, and show effectively, is that the perception that animals can speak is still widely believed. Hopefully this case puts that notion to rest once and for all.”
No cats we spoke to had an opinion.
Anna Phillips, Science Correspondent
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