What are cat talking buttons, and do they work?

Looking for new ways to have a heart-to-heart with your furry feline? Cat talking buttons are the next best thing to having a good old chin wag with your feline friend, and while your kitty might not be able to get everything off their chest, they can use their buttons to give you an idea of what they want (and need). Teaching your furry feline to talk using cat buttons is a stimulating and fun way to interact with them, strengthening the bond between the two of you and helping keep boredom at bay. But what are cat talking buttons, and do they actually work?

What are cat buttons?

Cat sitting and confused about those colorful buttons by the front door? Chances are they’re talk buttons for cats, which play a pre-recorded word or phrase when pressed. Most pet parents start off with just 2-3 buttons, but some clever cats have a repertoire of up to 50 different buttons to press! Over time, these buttons can form a basis for verbal communication as your cat learns to make specific requests by pressing a particular button. They sound pretty impressive, but can cats talk with buttons?

Do cat buttons work? 

Although your kitty probably won’t be giving any big speeches any time soon, buttons for cats to talk can be used to enhance your understanding of your fur baby and what they want. Whether you’ve litter trained your cat or they need to ask to go “outside”, cat buttons can be a fun alternative communication method but certainly shouldn’t replace natural cues such as body language (and meows!).

How do cat talking buttons work?

Just as we learn to associate words with specific actions, objects, and concepts, teaching your furry feline to use buttons to communicate is no different. Take the word “outside”, for example. Your feline friend won’t necessarily understand the dictionary definition of the word, but they will learn to associate the sound of the word with going outside. For this reason, it’s far easier for our fur babies to understand words that are easy to, well, understand - there are so many different ways to demonstrate the phrase “I love you” that it can be a tricky concept to get their heads around.

Related article: Are cats smarter than dogs?

What are the best talking buttons for cats?

As long as you can pre-record your chosen words, you’re on to a winner with most cat communication buttons. They don’t have to be specifically designed for cats, but lots of pre-programmed pet speech buttons have cues designed for dogs like “walk” and “park”. 

The popular FluentPet cat buttons are the talk of the town, offering starter packs for beginners like the Tester Kit and the Getting Started Kit. Pet parents can then add to their equipment with Speak Up Buttons, Sound Buttons, HexTiles in different colors and textures, and various other accessories. Popular for their excellent quality and durability, these talking buttons are easy to hear from the next room, and the nonslip foam they’re attached to is essential if you’ve got an extra excited kitty who loves to pounce on their favorite button!

For a more budget-friendly option, opt for a set of Ribosy speech buzzers. These buttons are easy to press for small-pawed pals, and pet parents can record their chosen command on each of the four buttons and re-record at any time. 

How to teach cats to talk with buttons

Whether your furry feline’s got the gift of the gab or not, teaching them how to use cat buttons for communication is easy with these simple tips and tricks.

1. Start by recording one short word on each of your cat talking buttons. Don’t get carried away with numerous buttons or complicated cues at this stage, stick to simple words your feline friend is likely to be familiar with already. 
2. Next, teach your cat what the words mean by demonstrating the action or object related to the word and showing them how to press the button. Cat got your tongue? Don’t worry, “play” is a good word to start with - simply press the button before demonstrating the action to them. Repeat this every time you play with your kitty - training sessions like these should be kept to about five minutes, as your furry feline will start to lose interest if it’s much longer.
3. Pay attention to your feline friend and once they start to get the hang of it, it’s time to respond to their own cues. Your response to the sound teaches them what the word means, so when your feline friend presses the word “play”, make sure you do as you’re told (within reason, of course!). 
4. Always reward your feline friend with the activity related to the word, not treats. For this reason, it’s a good idea to start with a few words that aren’t related to food, otherwise your feline friend might associate all of the words with food (and we wouldn’t want that!). 
5. It’s a good idea to include the command “no” in your repertoire of cat word buttons. It will enhance their understanding of the words, and can be particularly useful when you don’t have time to “play”. 
6. As you add more buttons, keep them relatively spaced out so your feline friend doesn’t have any trouble getting to them.
7. Practice makes perfect! Some kitties may take a few days to pick up this new form of communication but most furry friends will get the hang of it after about three months. For others, it might never click, but be patient and don’t force your kitty’s paw onto any of the buttons - they need to learn the meaning of the words at their own pace.
8. Don’t disregard strange combinations - your fur baby might not “speak” the same language as you, but they’re probably still trying to tell you something. 

Why do cats purr?

Purrs, meows, chirrups and chatters - and now, cat buttons! Suffice to say, our feline friends clearly have a lot to say - and while most pet parents would (understandably) assume that purring = a happy mog, that might not always be the case. We take a look at some of the main reasons why cats purr here.