Billi is worried about how long Dad has been gone. She wants Mom to look for him outside. In Billi's mind, the only reason why he hasn't come back by now is he's injured, lost or trapped and needs help before it's too late.
I remember when our kid stayed at grandparents for the first time, we came home without her, and our cat was going crazy, yelling at us and looking for her, like trying to explain that we lost our kid somewhere.
Yup you are right my dogs do the same thing until either we both come home or Boyfriend is gone and probably when I'm gone too I would assume that In an animal world and also previously and still in a human world when somebody Doesn't come back for a bit and you don't see them you start to worry And then you really worry when it takes longer I've started to tell my dogs it's OK it's OK To let them know that I already know the answer
They're instinctively bent to think in that direction, yes. But they have some vague comprehension of our ability to call eachother and face-time (especially this cat). I think the cat felt ignored when mom was typing on her phone when they could "look for dad" by calling him. And I bet he was happy once they did. I've been the dad in this same exact situation. Our cat was going crazy about my disappearance, and our loudspeaker convo's were the only thing that would settle him.
I agree with you so much. I grew up with cats and every time I watch Billi's videos, I think of all the things they tried to tell me and my family, but we never understood. I'm glad that Billi is helping in research that might make these buttons available for all pets in the future....
@Sharon Gagnist my cats went through the same. At their last years of life they were taking gabapentin, steroids, cbd oil and collagen for arthritis. Not to mention physical therapy and acupuncture when they developed herniated lumbar disks... we spent so much money but at least they were able to walk until their last days 😔
Silliaek - I was thinking the same thing. I remember hearing people say that cats don't think of you when you're not around. That sure turned out to be a false assumption! I think it was Bunny the dog who asked one time where grandma was... or was that also Billi? It's clear that our animals have image memories of us that get triggered just like ours do. It will be interesting to see the consequences and insights we find as these animals continue to grow in their communication abilities. Will having the mental tool of words foster a greater mental ability? What are the limits?
June 25, 2024 Just learned Billi has recently succumbed to her kidney disease. She is at peace and free from discomfort, and is a great and forever historical Feline Lady. She leaves millions in tears over her passing. Condolences to Mom, Dad & her other close family & friends. 😭💔🕯️
Oh, how sad! Kidney disease is so common in kitties and usually by the time it’s diagnosed, 70% of kidney function is gone. I lost my baby Dude to it. I made the mistake of doing subcutaneous fluids for years. He died at 20. But I should have let him go sooner. I was selfish.
Oh my gawd. I'm so sorry to hear this! Much love to Billie's mom and dad! Thank you for sharing her journey with us! You've inspired me to get these buttons to work with my Morla and her son Atreyu. I'm sure at least 1 of the 2 will be able to master these. I'm hoping both can get the hang of it, but I'm itching to try it. This is a high priority for me the end of this year EARLY next year. Billie has been a massive inspiration to me. Also she was my introduction to the existence of these "talking" buttons. Thank you so much. Sending you MASSIVE ❤❤❤❤❤.
I frequently text my brother when his cat, Missy, is looking for him. He is usually at work, having just headed there or about an hour before he gets home. In between those 2 times, she is calm and spends a lot of time napping. They also play their own version of Marco Polo, which we call Missy Daddy. She wanders around the house looking for my brother yelling, and my brother calls her until she "finds" him.
My cat when I left for Germany for 3 months was very upset. My wife said He would sit by the door and meow-scream at the door. And sleep on my clothes. When I came back he was mad at me and started crying. I've legitimately never seen a cat cry before. He cried and curled up in my lap and was quite literally sobbing. To this day no one can convince me cats are not as attached as dogs.
My cat waits in the window for me to come back from work every night. She just sits there and as soon as she spots me walking down the street she springs up and goes nut. And I know she knows at what time I usually come back, because the few times I got home early she wasn't in the window yet. They are just as lovable as dogs, they just don't show it in the same ways!
I had an animal communicator tell me to explain to them days in ‘dark nights’, so like “I’ll be home in 3 dark nights” and it’s always worked like a charm. Or “I’ll be home when it’s light out” - give it a try! It helped my babe a ton
this is very interesting to me. getting them to pay attention and maybe even start quantifying the passing of time in terms of light and dark. i doubt they notice time passing much on their own, i doubt they pay attention to time passing enough to think to quantify it. but then the human pushes them to in order to allow them to quantify how long they'll have to wait for something, and then they have an incentive to quantify the passing of time in their mind. lowkey mindblowing.
@@fingerlickingoooood they’re such high consciousness they’re beyond time - they know there’s really no time, so the light and dark helps ground them in the 3D we have to deal with and be able to see our timelines easier.
It’s easier to know that cats clearly distinguish between people, than to prove that their interest is coming more from heart than from stomach. (common arguments about this exist) Anyway I believe my cat really loves me ... and cares for his stomach at the same time 😂
@@petrskupa6292 These days, my husband feeds the cats more often than I do because he's in the house more, but my lap is still their favorite. They definitely love me.
With toddlers sometimes it helps to look all around the house to show them their parent isn't there, then reassure them their parent is coming back soon
This reminds me of my cat. I blocked the door to a hiding spot that we didn't want him going to. When he realized it was blocked, he sat down and very slowly and deliberately looked right at me. Just like that.
The cat has no idea what these words actually mean. At best, he has a surface level of connection with certain words like 'dad' simply because of repetition of use, but there's no possible way he knows the context of words strung together, especially those involving emotional expression.
This video is one of the clearer examples of a coherent conversation, where you can't deny there's structure in billi's sentences. Dad must be a great dude if billi loves him so much.
@@winter9703you say that like humans come out of the womb with pre-installed dictionaries in their brains, like adults don't have to babble exaggerated mouth sounds for years to get the tiny savages to mimic the right ones at the right times no two human languages are one to one either, so give Billi a break for not having good grammar, she's learning a new language man if you lived with a cat you'd know they don't walk on weird things unless it's deliberate
@@winter9703 You can clearly see the cat looking at there owner for there reaction based on certain button presses as if waiting for a reaction or reply do this enough and the cat will definately understand what certain words mean, give them the abillity to express that themselves an teach them to use it definately possible, for cats to learn simple fraises that reflect what they want they don't even have to understand the word just know it's a gateway to something that correlates with that noise or sound that they want, it's a pretty simple concept quite complex for a animal but damn if this is interesting to see
@@breezybee777 This! Obviously the nuance is going to be lost on the cat, but they have the ability to make dozens of sounds to communicate with their own species, there is no reason it cannot learn a few specific noises for another creature. Words are no more complicated than any other kind of sound like ticks.
oh ya.. they do ...all the time.. i cant even come out of bathroom once without finding one of my cats standing outside the bathroom door waiting for the me... they are so loving!! and cute!!
@@preethimohan7830 In the wild, cats are most vulnerable when they eat, sleep and "go to the toilet", so they will watch each other's back when doing one of these things. So your cats watching out for you when you are in the bathroom is a sign that they are considering you to be part of their "tribe", and I guess you can call it an act of love.
I think "Look where then friend" might mean she wants you to find dad then she'll be friends with you again. Want x5 could be an attempt to describe sadness from her separation from dad. She's probably about to break through to a new level because she's been trying to express some pretty complex things lately. Really cool!
Actually I thought about this and wondered something different. Have you ever bern trying to explain something to someone and they keep giving you and answer you either don’t understand or don’t like so you rephrase the question hoping fir more elaboration or a different answer. I was wondering if when dad didn’t show up even much later she was trying to use different words to ask where dad was? She doesn’t have enough buttons to put it clearly another way, hence “where then friend?” Followed by lots of wants which we know she’s been using in conjunction with missing dad lots? Just a thought?
Wich honestly kinda makes sense no? I'd wager if a cat is missing from a wild pack they would go looking for it too, no? So the cat maybe doesn't understand humans have to go further away from their terretory from time to time.
I only recently discovered these pet button videos. I always knew dogs and cats were very smart, but this just brings in a whole perspective on their intelligence, and its absolutely fascinating
All living beings. Not just Cats and Dogs. There's amazing research that proves it in Ants, Bees, Insects in general, Arachnids and Spiders, Fish, Reptiles, Mammals, Birds and so on.
@@JamesGower-ch5zj Exactly. Cats are pretty smart, it's possible Billi figured out that these buttons are a good way of getting attention and all meaning is interpretation on the owner's side. We don't see every interaction, only the ones the owners feel are interesting or funny and even in these 'conversations' we get random word strings like "Look Where Then Friend"
@@TheTykeThank you so much for your comment! You are the first person to confirm exactly what I have been experiencing. It is just so awesome and fills me with wonder. I never used to think about this, but now I see God working in ways to bring about that new creation where we are all one. Lions will lie down with lambs and eat straw. You have made my day by you comment. Thank you 🎉
I agree. I'm not sure how many different buttons there are for negative emotion but I don't think even single words can really encompass the full breadth of emotion.
It reminds me of the enneagram personality test saying people will have different emotional expressions to the same underlying cause. For my type the (mad) button sends me into anxious and sad thought patterns, but for other people the same discomfort will trigger anger and hostility. The (mad) button points not to the angry reaction per se, but to that deeper disturbance that could be "angering" or "scary" or "saddening" depending on how you react to it.
My husband worked in a different area for 6 months once. Our cat was a hot mess. Howled and cried incessantly for him. It was awful. It's sweet Billi can tell you what she's going thru. Hopefully she sees dad soon. My husband came home every other weekend and our cat did zoomies all night. We'd go to bed and hear him zooming all over the house. Lol
I was given mind blowing advice once & I'm very thankful for it 🙏 I know it's not always possible but it helps so much to let pets SEE deceased loved ones, whether human or animal, if AT ALL possible. After that, I was always diligent to bring bonded pets to the vet whenever I had to put another down. Also once brought a friends cat to see her dead mom at the hospice facility. They definitely understand death & then they mourn. It seems to help them compared to a bonded animal/human just vanishing 😳 & the animal always searching/waiting for their beloveds return 🥺
Ah what more proof do we need...Billie you are so smart and you represent all our cats with all their personalities... Dad is lucky to be so loved by Billie.
@@animeaunty This is a really good idea. I always wondered if that would help somehow, as they obviously know what death looks like. But they won't necessarily understand that just vanishing means the same thing. Now to convince people it's definitely necessary for me to have the cat at the funeral. LOL.
I kinda understood the end sentences to mean "Why aren't you looking for dad???? :( " It's heartbreaking how much she misses him. She loves dad so much.
I live alone in this world. Sometimes I think about what it might be like to be loved or wanted. Watching this cat struggle with not understanding why a loved one is absent is wrecking me.
My friend has a cat that will legit greet me at the door like a dog and won't leave me alone for at least 30 minutes into my visiting with my friend. Not that I mind since he's a big old cuddle bug. And I've had many cats that were just as friendly. I don't know where the "aloof and indifferent" thing came from, honestly!
The people who say that don't understand cat language. Cats have the same emotions, but they just express it differently. If a cat is ignoring you, depending on context it can mean either "I'm not interested in you" or "I trust you enough that I don't feel the need to be on guard around you."
Cats lack the facial muscles that humans and dogs have that we easily recognize in the expression of emotion. I don't know why there's a painting called "Dog's Playing Poker" when it really should be cats.
I know I was like Does Billie remember where the buttons are or is this a step even further where she actually reads/recognizes the pictures on the buttons?
@@WhiteWolf-lm7gj @WhiteWolf-lm7gj I kind of think she is hitting random buttons. And the owners interpret whatever comes out. "Mad" "Mad" "Noise" "All done" "All done" Is that random buttons (All of the are within reach from where she's sitting, in fact these 3 buttons are next to each other in a row)? Or is the cat really angrily telling the lady to STFU? Especially since the cat is showing non of the body language cats use when angry or annoyed.
@@Hugh.Manatee Like a lot of other people have said, she seems to use "mad" as a catch all for things she can't express. Also, she chose to walk over there before hitting those buttons, why wouldn't she just hit buttons closer to her?
I think 50% of the time Billi doesn't mean "mad" as angry but is trying to convey disappointment or being sad or upset to some degree, Billy want you to "look for dad" and "then ask friend to look for dad" and "mom look for dad" because see "wants dad" she misses her human "dad" lol It made sense to me
Yeah, I think she just uses it to indicate that some aspect of the current state of affairs is undesired. I definitely don't think she's using it as narrowly as we would to indicate anger.
@@kathyjohnson2043 It's all good. 🙂 I don't know why it bugs me that people think Billi is a boy. Probably because I go through something similar only instead of misgendering me, they misspell my name, using the male spelling instead of the female spelling. 😅
I bought this for my one year old chocolate lab, I introduced him to one button as per the instructions about a month into it after. Getting an entire section down, I came home to find the entire thing ripped apart in a hundred pieces, my dog clearly was done talking. 😂
I have been day dreaming of getting one of these things and having great chats with my choc. Lab, but you just reality checked me. What on earth was I thinking?
I know Billi often looks at who she's talking to in order to make sure they're paying attention, but the sheer deliberateness on that first "mad" was off the charts 😂. Place paw then look then press.
I just realised I actually know where the "mad" button is 😂 I didn't _know_ that I knew that, but when Billi walked over to the orange section, I was like "uh oh, here comes a 'mad'!", & a "mad" did indeed occur 😂
@@ComedorDelrico Apparently! I don't even watch every video, & I'm horribly unobservant, but my brain obviously decided this detail should be filed for future reference 🤷♀
@@jmiller3579 Same- like, I definitely don't want Billi to be mad, but it's just too hilarious 😂 The first Billi video I watched was "no words, only rage", where she went absolutely nuclear on the "mad" button- I dunno what horrible sin Kendra had committed, but Billi was NOT having it.
I left for college and my cat, then 12, formerly aloof and very grumpy, slept on my bed all day every day while I was gone, got super listless and depressed, no interest in toys, or the other cats. That first summer, I returned to a cat who for the first time since he was under 16 weeks, began snuggling against me on his own. Totally wild to me, since while I was very much His Person he'd only ever occassionally slept at my feet, on top of the covers. Every summer after, then every day after graduating he slept under my covers, cuddled to my side. In his last few months, he even began sleeping on my chest/belly at night. Cats definitely miss their people.
back when I was 7 I found a abandoned stray cat that was friendly she was already fully grown , I took her home and we quickly formed a strong bond she was absolutely my favorite thing in the world but I sometimes wonder does she think about her previous owners , or where they so bad she forgot them , beacuse she never showed any signs of that . she just kept loving me everytime I went out yeh we had to keep her outside since eh can't explain but the house situation is complicated and we can't keep pets indoor , anyway as a cat she obviously climbed and explored the neighborhood often , killed tons of rats and later had kittens which she fully trusted me with and wanted to introduce ne to her 6 babies, I didn't wanna build a bond with all of them tho so they became neighborhood that would come around at night to sleep but usually wouldn't be home all day. so that was fun
my cat is super clingy, n chirps really happy when the family comes home. however, whenever i am gone for more than a day she actually seems really disinterested and dejected. can’t tell if its because she’s mad at me for being gone or what lol
This makes my heart break. My husband died last year, and one of our cats, his favorite, was like this, even though she doesn’t “talk.” I still have to comfort her.
My dad just passed in April, and “his” cat (out of SEVEN freaking cats!) - she is an Old Lady Cat. Her name is Momma Kitty, bc she was the mother of ALL the other cats but 1… she was SO sad when he never came home from Hospice 😭…. But! Then, once I started visiting my Mom every day, MK immediately adopted ME as Her human. ♥️ I have, in the last four weeks, taught her to use the bedstairs to get into & out of bed… to come to my bed when she wants snuggles… to go meow (loudly) at the fridge when she wants food (she’s special needs & can’t eat dry food, & has to eat every 2-4 hours, around the clock)… AND- what “kisses” are… see, my Dad never kissed her, so this was foreign to her 😢 but she has since learnt to press her cheek into my face when I kiss her. Needless to say, I am thrilled & feel very special. Ok that is all, ty for reading this Comment.
My cat has not been the same since her biological mother died. They knew each other nine years. It's been a year and you can't tell how stressed she is. She constantly asks to go to the living room, which is the last place she saw her mother go before she died. I try to keep her comforted, but it doesn't always work.
I'm glad you tried the video call. My cat recognizes her "grandpa's" voice on phone, I think. I was thinking that she didn't tell you to shut up but just wanted the audiobook to stop. People that doubt her use of language should really see this video. It's so clear. And someone could intuitively know that a cat is moping because of the missing family member, but with the buttons, you can know exactly when she's thinking of him. Even though it's heartbreaking, you are communicating with each other so well. You can also share in missing him.
I was thinking that as well, about the audiobook. Since cats' hearing is so much better than ours, and Billie has expressed distaste for music before. My cat also doesn't like it when I have an audiobook on. He'll leave the room the instant I push play every time.
Makes sense. When a cat that is part of a group doesn't return for afew days, something bad has usually happened to that cat, and the other cats notice the absense of it. So basically, I'm fairly certain that Billi thinks that something horrible has happened to "Dad", like getting eaten by a predator or something like that. She is gonna be over the moon when "Dad" comes home... At least after she has ignored him for a few hours for leaving her.
What I find most interesting about this is how Billi presses the buttons about how she wants dad 5 times, the same amount of times you press “later” for, almost like she LONGS for dad. It’s adorable ❤
What a wonderful thing that our pets can learn another language to communicate with us. I have seen dogs do this but Billi is the first cat I have seen do this. I only wish we had this ability sooner. When I had my weimaraner, Kristina ❤, used to look me in my eyes because she wanted to tell me something and I used to guess what she wanted but the buttons would have been so much better than guessing.
Just when I think Billi can't break my heart one tiny bit more... She's really (at least from the viedos we've seen) been a trooper through this big more. Most cats her age would be miserabl;e. Billi is a good girl, and she should get lots of extra snuggles tonight. Maybe Dad can talk to Billi on the phone? It helps when my kitty misses his Grandma! Edit: I obviously hadn't gotten to the end yet! Poor Billi! And people think that animals don't remember people or places, or miss us when we're away. I can't wait to see Dad and Billi reunite!
My family moved about a year and a half ago. Our cat (who was around Billi's age then) handled the repeated changes in housing in a shortish time (about three changes in location over the course of just over two months after spending roughly a decade in our old home) nowhere near as well as Billi. She spent all her time either hiding out somewhere or on my dad's lap with very few exceptions. These days she's settled in about as well as she ever will, but she still spends the majority of her time hiding out in one of the two boxes she claimed (and we haven't got the heart to throw out despite her literally wearing a hole through one of them) or hanging out with my mom.
@@NikkiBubblesMom I know they grieve the loss of other pets profoundly as well. I'm so glad, too, that we have the technology now for Biili to at least talk to Dad a little bit. (And condolences on the loss of your parents. Our animal companions can be such a comfort in times of sorrow, and it doesn't surprise me at all that they grieve right along with us.)
@@tamaradelsohn5493 Aww, poor kitty! Mine can be so skittish, but they can be troopers, too. I got hurt a couple years ago and could no longer work. I had to move out of my expensive apartment, and didn't find a new place for 3 months. (It was right at the start of the pandemic, too, which only made things more awful!) We stayed on various friends' or family's sofas, though most could only have us there for a few weeks. So we moved around a bunch, which I know was traumatic for them both. But they were so brave (except for the car rides, which they have always hated). After a few hours in a new place they'd come out and explore, and charm their hosts. Now we've been settled for a couple years, and I'm so proud of them. They adapt, but they let us know they're not happy about it! And I've had some of those boxes before that are so loved and worn, and covered in toenail marks and fur, but I just don't have the heart to take them away. My black cat has an Emotional Support Skunk. It's one of those long, "unstuffed" dog toys. It's longer than him, but when he's upset (mainly when everyone is asleep and he's lonely, or when there are no humans at home), he will carry the skunk around in his mouth and howl mournfully until someone comforts him. If I'm out of the house, I always come home to that skunk in a new spot, laid out in a long, straight line. It's what we call a "lovey"--a toy that is not for playing, but for loving on. It gets washed by kitty, and slept with, but never chased. I have only been honored once to have the skunk left in my bed as a gift, though he brings me other gifts like a crow. (He brought me a sneaker once!) Once, the skunk had gotten really matted and dirty, and I put it in the washing machine. I didn't want to risk the dryer, so I hung it up on a hanger from a hook in the ceiling. He. Was. Horrified! It took me a while to figure out that all of his jumping and climbing was an attempt to get his "friend" down from where I'd hung him. And they say cats don't have personalities or thoughts...
We have a cat that “talks”. The first 10 years I thought she wanted something. I couldn’t figure out what she wanted, and then one day I realized she just wants to talk. So I talk to her and then she goes on her way doing her cat thing.
Same! It mostly happens at night, when he's cozy on the couch. He likes to engage in other people's conversations too. He used to talk to us like he would to a bird he's trying to catch, but over the years it has morphed into a more normal meowing. I love cats
When she said "do you want to try calling him?" I totally lost my $hit, unexpectedly the tears spilled over. Like . . . I can't even with how much this is like a situation that happened within my own family where a kid was missing their Dad . . .right down to the same suggestion about about calling him being made. Beyond that, this is some pretty complex communication going on here. Billy obviously has strong feelings about this and it is pushing her to really use this tool to convey that. I don't care what the doubters say. This is ground breaking stuff in terms of our understanding of animal cognition and language use.
We live in Australia, just before the pandemic my husband went to the US for a couple of weeks, that was fine. What wasn't fine was him isolating for two weeks in the caravan outside when he got home, the cat just couldn't understand why he wouldn't come in the house. Took ages to forgive him, our cat can really hold a grudge.
I had been working overseas for six months. Plane home was delayed hours so I ended up arriving home at midnight. Hubs was working - house was in darkness. I came in through the garage and a little face appeared. It was the big cat - he meowed hello. Before I had chance to speak, I heard my little girl cat that I hand raised galloping through the house. She turned the corner, stopped mid paw, and her eyes grew huge. It was so obvious that I could have cried. She must have thought I was gone and she would never see me again. She slept on top of my chest for the next week. Yes, they do love and miss their person. Felt so much for Billi.
I love how Billy's mom is so patient with her.When she keeps going to the dad button waning dad and she calmly says that she's sorry and tries to explain that dad is away and that billy will see dad later
Generally Dad appears only as legs or body, no face so showing us an actual video call is very unlikely. Pretty sure Billi wants to see Dad's face on the call, not his legs. 😀
My theory on these buttons is, the animals don’t know what the buttons saying exactly, but they have a perfect understanding on the concept that the buttons speak to people. That alone is pretty insane the cat is definitely trying to talk to her
If you think about it, isn't that all language? Like how babies learn. They don't know 'dad' means "father' they just know it makes the hairy one happy, and it makes him show up
it seems like he can associate a word to a concept, just no understanding of the larger structures of language like grammer or word order. He can understand words like "food, mom, and dad" just fine, but even if he had all the buttons in the world he still couldn't use them in a sentence.
@@Charles37400No one has delved much into grammar from what I've seen, but a grammar does evolve naturally with most of these fluent pets. Need to be aware of various languages to understand. For example, Billi uses Japanese word order.
I am a caregiver to an elderly woman. When her 90 yr old husband passed, their cat waited & looked for him for over a year . When I'd pull up in his truck the cat would come running to see if he'd finally come home. 😢 One day the cat ran in the house and peed on his bed. Always believed it was her communicationing frustration over his disappearance. Sadly the cat died shortly after. She was 14 yrs old. RIP Miley
To tell him/remind him she was here, still here, waiting for him - her 'calling card', so that he would know when he returned that she was still around and could be found. Scent means so much to animals 😢
You need to do a countdown of days. Show a calendar type visual and cross off the days. I promise you it will help. She clearly has a concept of night and day.
Yes, there was already such a suggestion once, to teach Billi the calendar. It would have to be huge though and with yellow and blue markings, as someone mentioned the cats have poorer eyesight and have partial color blindness. How about arranging yellow or orange and blue sticky notes on the wall in the shape of the calendar and point at each note saying word "later". And remove one sticky note every day counting one "later" less every day?
@@dwsel Probably shouldn't use "later" to describe each day, since that might confuse her. But since she has a concept of morning/afternoon/night, they might be able to do the same thing using one of those words
It’s so precious when cats are obviously looking for a specific person. I don’t stay away from home very often so when I have done, my cat would apparently lead my parents into my room, look around and then look back at them like “Where is she?”
Videos like this really show off how proficient Billi has become at expressing herself with her buttons. She's not just pressing buttons that give her rewards, but trying to understand why things have changed and when they'll go back to normal. It's incredibly interesting and moving
My cats hated moving and didn't like it when "dad" was away for work more than "normal" hours. It really stressed them out if either of us was gone in an unusual way. We would make sure and wear a Tshirt a lot leading up to it and place the Tshirt in one of their beds. One for each. Having the scent seemed to be a little bit of comfort along with phone calls at a set time that they knew was coming. They really depended on routine a lot, so I think that partially helped and told them he was just away for longer but was definitely coming back. All but one were badly abandoned when we got them and forced to learn how to survive outdoors though initially raised indoors. I think either of us being away from inside the house for unexpected times caused anxiety due to that. Billi is so sweet. I really enjoy seeing her interactions with you. 🦋
"Our beloved retainer is absent. We have repeatedly adjured our servant to seek him out and restore him to us, but we are answered with nothing but excuses and delays. We are most displeased..." #HerMadjesty
For a split second I thought I should get something like this to my cats, but changed my mind. Their screaming at me already is enough. I don't need it translated! 😂
My brand new kitten, only 12 weeks old, can definitely identify people, and their presence. When partner goes to work he paces him and down her side of the bed, insists i open the en suite shower door to prove she is not in there. The other day I told him she was at work and he pulled her work tunic off the dresser (she was in plain clothes that day) as if to say “clearly not”. He spent the entire day walking between lounge and bedroom crying out from the minute she left to when he heard car pulls up on drive. Then he ran to bed spot and layed down making out he had been patiently expecting her all day.
Omg that's incredible how much information they understand and intuit. That whole "patiently waiting" thing I've definitely witnessed. Our Russian blue will clearly be upset or wanting something then when he knows you're looking he'll lick his leg to deflect and act cool. 😆
This was a heartbreaking video. Poor Billie and poor you (trying to explain all while missing Dad yourself). I notice you said you weren't sure if Billie understood or was comforted by the phone call, but perhaps, if possible, Dad could call at about the same time each day. Since Billie has a better understanding of time , it would make "later" more concrete in that she would hear Dad's voice each day at a predictable time. You are both hanging in there as best you can. Hope the family is soon together again.
We have four rescued cats and they’re the most loving creatures on the planet. Not silly like a dog but concerned about their family. I wish they could communicate like this kitty has learned to do!
I almost think that when she did wantx5 hmm?x5 she was asking what you wanted in exchange for her being able to see dad. She trades cuddles for fan toy, so what more does mom want for dad? My heart can’t take it!
I wonder if Billi thinks "look Dad later" means you're going to look for Dad later, and she's anxious because she thinks he's missing and you should look for him now.
Look for, as in search, is a completely seperate thing from look. The cat doesn't know about the word "look", so it isn't closer to "look for" than any of the other buttons. From what we can see the button seems to be pretty directly linked to just look, or see.
@@tizzas1232 They can recognize the specific sounds you make that mean one thing yes. But that's where it ends - your cat might recognize a "sheet" as a bedsheet, but expecting it to then understand that a sheet can also refer to paper is unrealistic. And that is the exact kind of abstraction you are expecting of a cat here. It is also pretty similar to how humans learn foreign languages - so many words have multiple meanings, and just because you learned that "Birne" means pear in german doesn't mean you immediately understand that a "Lichtbirne" is a lightbulb.
@@Gabriel64468 Because language is so instinctive for humans, I think we easily forget how messy, complex, and contextual it is. There were people in the 1950s who thought reliable, automated translation by computer was right around the corner. It's 2023 and it still basically sucks unless you're converting between related European languages. What this cat is doing is already incredible. We definitely don't need and shouldn't assume that she understands everything we're telling her exactly the way we meant it.
In case nobody else has told you Kendra, esp Billi, she would be beyond upset if she were parted from you for more than a day or two. Us Mom’s always get the worst deal 😢
I'm starting to believe what they say that half the internet is cat videos. The more I click on them the more my feed fills up with cats! Sweet kitty you have.
Omg goodness, poor Billi! 🥺 It makes me think of how my mom's cat must have felt when my dad passed several years ago; he was her favorite person in the world 🥺🥺. I moved back in several months later, and she's been attached at my hip since. I'm glad Billi got to see dad in video chat 💜💜
Awwwww I have been trying to tell people forever that your pets love you, they really do miss you. I always hear, "they're just animals" Thanks to Billi I have proof, they love, they miss, and they mourn us. They are such a blessing to have in our lives. Massive pets and cuddles to Billi. Missing someone is hard 🫂💙
I'm really curious how Billi reacted to the videochat with dad. Did she recognise him/understand it? She is such a sweetheart, it was breaking my heart too.
My 8 y.o. baby cat did recognise me on the phone. When I moved to another city I'd video call my mom and my cat was acting anxious, she'd look at the screen and talk to me a little. My other cat seems to recognise my voice and all the compliments I do but she doesn't look at the screen and doesn't interact with it. Well, actually for interacting, sometimes she rubs her face on the phone, maybe because she recognises the voice
@@BilliSpeaksfor a vacation we had a camera we could talk through,to the kitties . Our girl kitty knew it was our voices. She checked in every couple hours. We missed her and when I checked again she had her eyeball right up to the lens meowing for us.
@@oliviao3686 All my cats ever did not really react when held up to a mirror (though one kept stopping and grooming himself when he walked past one a lot). They all hardly reacted to the phone or recordings, but sometimes certain sounds or exclamations (some that I'd say were relatively unique to the people they knew). They all understood mirrors (used them to observe and then chase down another using the reflection, clearly understanding their own position in relation to the other cat through the reflective angles) or screens (had fun with aquarium DVDs... for a little while) and sometimes happened to react to cats meowing on TV. Cats do react very differently to visual cues. Screens or mirrors can leave them utterly unimpressed due to that (unless a kitten sees a mirror for the first time and tries to "play" with the "other" kitten or gets scared of it, but alas, so do toddlers until they grasp the concept of reflection). For the video calls, I think it is more a kind of realization that the image / device is not the person - people, obviously, are not little boxes. The voice sounds different too (we are much more used to the acoustic distortion that comes out of speakers/boxes/headphones, after all, we *know* whom we called), but cats may still pick up on certain pitches or lows that translate well enough through the devices or certain patterns of speech or phrases / series of sounds. The rubbing may be as pragmatic as you hold it and they wanna claim it / "befriend" it, so you'd pet them, or it may be because it does indeed remind them (due to above mentioned certain sounds) of the person and trigger that response, or maybe an attempt to make the object more "alive" smelling because it clashes with the association of the recognition. They may to some degree even come to understand, that the device connects to a far away person, someone who isn't physically there, but the concept doesn't give them the same gratification as an actual presence, the connection we get through communicating that way being far removed from their ways of interacting, so they (mostly) ignore it. After all, they can hardly respond back - there is no interaction in it for them. To even the most perceptive and intelligent cat, capable of grasping the concept, a phone and even a video call remains hollow, vain, useless. At least, that's my interpretation based on my own personal / biased(?) observations on my cats' behaviors...
@@BilliSpeaks try keeping a worn t-shirt seperate from the other laundry, so that Billy can smell him, and hear him at the same time? Cats are ok with the idea that members of a colony might wander off for a few days, but after a longer period they can assume that you might not be coming back, But, fresh smells means you're not really that far away? Though now that I say that it could just frustrate her more as she starts looking for him more because "fresh smell means he's not so far away, why isn't he here then?"
It’s the eye contact when pressing “ mad “ for me 😂
It’s so you know she really means it 😹
It’s so funny, I’m sorry!
@@BilliSpeaks 🤣🤣
Billi loves eye contact pressing mad 😂
@@BilliSpeaks I don't know how you keep from laughing 😂
"Shut up, Mom! You're not Dad!"
Billi is the quintessential teenager.
Knowing to start and maintain eye contact when expressing stress so it’s not taken as a joke by the parents. Naurrr 😂😂😂
she was probably saying
"I don't want your later!"
"I just want Dad to come back"
Billie missed Dad so badly 😢
yes
Shut up, Mom. You’re not *my* Dad!🤣
Noise all done all done, mom!
Billi is worried about how long Dad has been gone. She wants Mom to look for him outside. In Billi's mind, the only reason why he hasn't come back by now is he's injured, lost or trapped and needs help before it's too late.
I remember when our kid stayed at grandparents for the first time, we came home without her, and our cat was going crazy, yelling at us and looking for her, like trying to explain that we lost our kid somewhere.
Yup you are right my dogs do the same thing until either we both come home or Boyfriend is gone and probably when I'm gone too I would assume that In an animal world and also previously and still in a human world when somebody Doesn't come back for a bit and you don't see them you start to worry And then you really worry when it takes longer I've started to tell my dogs it's OK it's OK To let them know that I already know the answer
You can read his mind
It did seem like he was a bit stressed or overly concerned like when a cat misses a kitten. At least he didn't start wailing, that always kills me.
They're instinctively bent to think in that direction, yes. But they have some vague comprehension of our ability to call eachother and face-time (especially this cat). I think the cat felt ignored when mom was typing on her phone when they could "look for dad" by calling him. And I bet he was happy once they did.
I've been the dad in this same exact situation. Our cat was going crazy about my disappearance, and our loudspeaker convo's were the only thing that would settle him.
"Look Where Then Friend."
Translation:
"Find Dad and we'll be friends again."
Billi - the savage!
Ohhhh, I think you may be right!! T_T Even more sad!
Yup, this. Until that happens, Billi mad mad mad dad where hmm? all done
This.
That was my interpretation too!
And tell dad to bring Squirrel with him!
What's heartbreaking is all the cats that have these emotions and thoughts but aren't able to express them like Billie can
now we know 😢
I agree with you so much. I grew up with cats and every time I watch Billi's videos, I think of all the things they tried to tell me and my family, but we never understood. I'm glad that Billi is helping in research that might make these buttons available for all pets in the future....
I wish my cat could 'talk' like Billie. I spent a lot of $$ just to find out she has arthritis. No surprise she's almost 18.
@Sharon Gagnist my cats went through the same. At their last years of life they were taking gabapentin, steroids, cbd oil and collagen for arthritis. Not to mention physical therapy and acupuncture when they developed herniated lumbar disks... we spent so much money but at least they were able to walk until their last days 😔
Silliaek - I was thinking the same thing. I remember hearing people say that cats don't think of you when you're not around. That sure turned out to be a false assumption!
I think it was Bunny the dog who asked one time where grandma was... or was that also Billi? It's clear that our animals have image memories of us that get triggered just like ours do. It will be interesting to see the consequences and insights we find as these animals continue to grow in their communication abilities.
Will having the mental tool of words foster a greater mental ability? What are the limits?
June 25, 2024
Just learned Billi has recently succumbed to her kidney disease. She is at peace and free from discomfort, and is a great and forever historical Feline Lady. She leaves millions in tears over her passing. Condolences to Mom, Dad & her other close family & friends. 😭💔🕯️
Oh, how sad! Kidney disease is so common in kitties and usually by the time it’s diagnosed, 70% of kidney function is gone. I lost my baby Dude to it. I made the mistake of doing subcutaneous fluids for years. He died at 20. But I should have let him go sooner. I was selfish.
Maybe she wanted a friend
This is heartbreaking news. I know you miss Billi very much. ❤❤❤
Hang in there and cherish happy memories of her.❤❤
@@klmoll 😢🫂❤️🩹
Oh my gawd. I'm so sorry to hear this! Much love to Billie's mom and dad!
Thank you for sharing her journey with us!
You've inspired me to get these buttons to work with my Morla and her son Atreyu.
I'm sure at least 1 of the 2 will be able to master these. I'm hoping both can get the hang of it, but I'm itching to try it.
This is a high priority for me the end of this year EARLY next year.
Billie has been a massive inspiration to me. Also she was my introduction to the existence of these "talking" buttons.
Thank you so much. Sending you MASSIVE ❤❤❤❤❤.
I don’t know what’s cuter, Billi asking for dad or you calling another human to tell them the cat is asking about them lol
Exactly.
My mom calls my phone on Facetime and just asks for the cat when I pick up! 😆
@@laras678 OMG that's great
@@laras678 That will be me when my son leaves the nest.
I frequently text my brother when his cat, Missy, is looking for him. He is usually at work, having just headed there or about an hour before he gets home. In between those 2 times, she is calm and spends a lot of time napping. They also play their own version of Marco Polo, which we call Missy Daddy. She wanders around the house looking for my brother yelling, and my brother calls her until she "finds" him.
My cat when I left for Germany for 3 months was very upset. My wife said He would sit by the door and meow-scream at the door. And sleep on my clothes. When I came back he was mad at me and started crying. I've legitimately never seen a cat cry before. He cried and curled up in my lap and was quite literally sobbing. To this day no one can convince me cats are not as attached as dogs.
My cat waits in the window for me to come back from work every night. She just sits there and as soon as she spots me walking down the street she springs up and goes nut. And I know she knows at what time I usually come back, because the few times I got home early she wasn't in the window yet. They are just as lovable as dogs, they just don't show it in the same ways!
How many wife you have sir?
@@devondetroit2529 Your question makes no sense
Cat's are unable to cry emotional tears. Sorry to burst your bubble.
@ugyboogie shut up nobody cares
Bro when the cat said “noise all done” and she kept talking he looked at her like “DID I STUTTER”😂
I think billi was referring to the audiobook not telling her to shut up in my opinion
Billi telling you to shut up has me absolutely screaming.
I don’t want to hear any of your mess take me to Dad. Maybe you’re not clear on my feelings about this matter. 😂
I actually thought she was referring to the audiobook. She thought it was noise.
@@LFTRnow That's what I thought too, it was getting on her nerves.
"Noise. All done."
@@LFTRnow that’s what I think as well.
"Look where then friend" seems to be a request to send out a search party to bring dad safely to the new home. Poor Billi.
"So why are you doing NOTHING?? Mad-mad-mad-mad-mad."
What I got from "then friend" was "Okay clearly you don't remember. We used to have a friend called Dad, remember? Remember Dad?"
@@MyFireElf (Soundtrack builds; slow zoom on human's face.)
Or she downgraded "Mom" to "friend" status 😅 like "Then look for him, FRIEND"
I interpreted it as Billy saying, okay, if I can't have Dad, I want Friend. Where is Friend
I had an animal communicator tell me to explain to them days in ‘dark nights’, so like “I’ll be home in 3 dark nights” and it’s always worked like a charm. Or “I’ll be home when it’s light out” - give it a try! It helped my babe a ton
this is very interesting to me. getting them to pay attention and maybe even start quantifying the passing of time in terms of light and dark. i doubt they notice time passing much on their own, i doubt they pay attention to time passing enough to think to quantify it. but then the human pushes them to in order to allow them to quantify how long they'll have to wait for something, and then they have an incentive to quantify the passing of time in their mind. lowkey mindblowing.
@@fingerlickingoooood they’re such high consciousness they’re beyond time - they know there’s really no time, so the light and dark helps ground them in the 3D we have to deal with and be able to see our timelines easier.
@@aprilsvlogz so true
@@beelzebub7221 That one really made me laugh XD
Whoa! That's genius
now I've just gotta teach my cat to count first
Proof cats not only can tell the difference between humans, but that they miss us!!!
Anyone who doesn't think cats can tell the difference between people hasn't spent a lot of time with them. My chickens learned my calls as well.
Cat people have always known.
I don't know why everyone else can't see that.😏
Anyone who had at least one cat for o long period of time and established a relationship with it clearly knows that....
It’s easier to know that cats clearly distinguish between people, than to prove that their interest is coming more from heart than from stomach. (common arguments about this exist)
Anyway I believe my cat really loves me ... and cares for his stomach at the same time 😂
@@petrskupa6292 These days, my husband feeds the cats more often than I do because he's in the house more, but my lap is still their favorite. They definitely love me.
It must be so confusing for her that you, the provider of all things, wouldn't give her the one thing she wanted-- Dad.
😢
She's expressing the
concept of loneliness.
Yes exactly 👍
Loneliness or longing?
😢
4:23 She wants you to get your friends to go look for dad. She is trying to raise a search party for dad. That cat gets scary sometimes.
4:40 Billi really sat down and thought long and hard for that
I interpreted it as Billi saying that if mom tells her where to look for dad, then they can be friends again
look for a new friend since dad is dead.
With toddlers sometimes it helps to look all around the house to show them their parent isn't there, then reassure them their parent is coming back soon
I interpreted it as, "I won't be friends with you until you look for Dad".
The fact that she looks straight up at you before actuating the mad button is frightening.
This reminds me of my cat.
I blocked the door to a hiding spot that we didn't want him going to.
When he realized it was blocked, he sat down and very slowly and deliberately looked right at me. Just like that.
The cat has no idea what these words actually mean. At best, he has a surface level of connection with certain words like 'dad' simply because of repetition of use, but there's no possible way he knows the context of words strung together, especially those involving emotional expression.
@@OnlyTwoShoes It’s good enough for communication.
@@scottbirch968 the same thing could be said about a brick wall
@@OnlyTwoShoes Wrong. There may not be a conversation in the English language here, but meaning is being conveyed.
Get billi a “call dad” button
Yes
Thats a great idea 👍🏻❤
Now I want to see what the cat does when dad walks in the door.
Don't leave me hangin.
Yes!
I know!
This video is one of the clearer examples of a coherent conversation, where you can't deny there's structure in billi's sentences. Dad must be a great dude if billi loves him so much.
He sure is 💜
@@winter9703you say that like humans come out of the womb with pre-installed dictionaries in their brains, like adults don't have to babble exaggerated mouth sounds for years to get the tiny savages to mimic the right ones at the right times
no two human languages are one to one either, so give Billi a break for not having good grammar, she's learning a new language
man if you lived with a cat you'd know they don't walk on weird things unless it's deliberate
@@winter9703 she definitely is using specific buttons, even avoiding others. That doesn’t mean she knows what they mean probably.
@@winter9703 You can clearly see the cat looking at there owner for there reaction based on certain button presses as if waiting for a reaction or reply do this enough and the cat will definately understand what certain words mean, give them the abillity to express that themselves an teach them to use it definately possible, for cats to learn simple fraises that reflect what they want they don't even have to understand the word just know it's a gateway to something that correlates with that noise or sound that they want, it's a pretty simple concept quite complex for a animal but damn if this is interesting to see
@@breezybee777 This!
Obviously the nuance is going to be lost on the cat, but they have the ability to make dozens of sounds to communicate with their own species, there is no reason it cannot learn a few specific noises for another creature.
Words are no more complicated than any other kind of sound like ticks.
A cat's favorite button being "mad" was the easiest thing to predict.
Watching this is like "Yup, this is EXACTLY what I imagine a talking cat would say" 😂
Exactly - they literally carry an expression that vasilates between annoyed and pissed
@@julesknight1511you put a bad word
@@Pandas-teddy-cat-channelits not a swear word-
Kinda breaks my heart to see her asking for Dad so much, cats definitely miss their humans!
She loves him so much 🥹
@@BilliSpeaks and you. She just wants the full-set. lol
oh ya.. they do ...all the time.. i cant even come out of bathroom once without finding one of my cats standing outside the bathroom door waiting for the me... they are so loving!! and cute!!
@@preethimohan7830 In the wild, cats are most vulnerable when they eat, sleep and "go to the toilet", so they will watch each other's back when doing one of these things. So your cats watching out for you when you are in the bathroom is a sign that they are considering you to be part of their "tribe", and I guess you can call it an act of love.
@@DolphinsPlayingInAquaMoonlight lol then m a proud kitty tribe member!! :D
I think "Look where then friend" might mean she wants you to find dad then she'll be friends with you again. Want x5 could be an attempt to describe sadness from her separation from dad. She's probably about to break through to a new level because she's been trying to express some pretty complex things lately. Really cool!
Ascension
The cat might also be saying that the dad is her friend. “Look where then for my friend.”
Actually I thought about this and wondered something different. Have you ever bern trying to explain something to someone and they keep giving you and answer you either don’t understand or don’t like so you rephrase the question hoping fir more elaboration or a different answer. I was wondering if when dad didn’t show up even much later she was trying to use different words to ask where dad was? She doesn’t have enough buttons to put it clearly another way, hence “where then friend?” Followed by lots of wants which we know she’s been using in conjunction with missing dad lots? Just a thought?
@@SquirrelThis this makes so much sense
@@SquirrelThis I thought the same, seemed more like a kid hardly trying to rephrase something after they weren't understood.
This is very poignant after the news that Billi has passed. My condolences, Kendra, on the loss of such a special cat.
I love how she understands quantities, as shown by her pressing "want" multiple times when she *really* wants something.
He doesn't. And you're delusional if you think that.
@@BlameNate He does, Actually.
@@TheRlzzardOfOz No, actually, lol. he doesn't. i'm sorry you're this ignorant
@@BlameNateimagine being upset that a cat is more intelligent than you
@@BlameNate Are you a telepath? Can you read the thoughts of a cat?
"Where is Dad? You're not even looking." OH SWEET BABY
Billi’s like “WHY AREN’T YOU PANICKING DAD IS MISSING!”
Yeah that’s exactly what it seemed.
Wich honestly kinda makes sense no? I'd wager if a cat is missing from a wild pack they would go looking for it too, no? So the cat maybe doesn't understand humans have to go further away from their terretory from time to time.
I only recently discovered these pet button videos. I always knew dogs and cats were very smart, but this just brings in a whole perspective on their intelligence, and its absolutely fascinating
All living beings. Not just Cats and Dogs. There's amazing research that proves it in Ants, Bees, Insects in general, Arachnids and Spiders, Fish, Reptiles, Mammals, Birds and so on.
There's nothing here to prove it's not random.
@@JamesGower-ch5zj Exactly. Cats are pretty smart, it's possible Billi figured out that these buttons are a good way of getting attention and all meaning is interpretation on the owner's side. We don't see every interaction, only the ones the owners feel are interesting or funny and even in these 'conversations' we get random word strings like "Look Where Then Friend"
@@TheTykeThank you so much for your comment! You are the first person to confirm exactly what I have been experiencing. It is just so awesome and fills me with wonder. I never used to think about this, but now I see God working in ways to bring about that new creation where we are all one. Lions will lie down with lambs and eat straw. You have made my day by you comment. Thank you 🎉
@@TheTykecan you please let me know what research if you can remember?
I think mad here means Billi feels powerless. It's beautiful you videocalled him so Billi could hear and see dad
I agree. I'm not sure how many different buttons there are for negative emotion but I don't think even single words can really encompass the full breadth of emotion.
I WAS THINKING THAT TOO!!!! My word with the "want x 5" and looking around was "emptiness." Poor Billi.
It reminds me of the enneagram personality test saying people will have different emotional expressions to the same underlying cause. For my type the (mad) button sends me into anxious and sad thought patterns, but for other people the same discomfort will trigger anger and hostility.
The (mad) button points not to the angry reaction per se, but to that deeper disturbance that could be "angering" or "scary" or "saddening" depending on how you react to it.
I want to know how the cat reacted when She called him
How come it took that long to call though?
My husband worked in a different area for 6 months once. Our cat was a hot mess. Howled and cried incessantly for him. It was awful. It's sweet Billi can tell you what she's going thru. Hopefully she sees dad soon. My husband came home every other weekend and our cat did zoomies all night. We'd go to bed and hear him zooming all over the house. Lol
Lovely story.
When my husband died, two of his girl cats stopped interacting with me. Only saw them at meal time. This lasted a few years.
I was given mind blowing advice once & I'm very thankful for it 🙏
I know it's not always possible but it helps so much to let pets SEE deceased loved ones, whether human or animal, if AT ALL possible.
After that, I was always diligent to bring bonded pets to the vet whenever I had to put another down. Also once brought a friends cat to see her dead mom at the hospice facility.
They definitely understand death & then they mourn. It seems to help them compared to a bonded animal/human just vanishing 😳 & the animal always searching/waiting for their beloveds return 🥺
Ah what more proof do we need...Billie you are so smart and you represent all our cats with all their personalities... Dad is lucky to be so loved by Billie.
@@animeaunty This is a really good idea. I always wondered if that would help somehow, as they obviously know what death looks like. But they won't necessarily understand that just vanishing means the same thing.
Now to convince people it's definitely necessary for me to have the cat at the funeral. LOL.
I think Billie isn't MAD but CONCERNED WORRIED ABOUT THE DAD WHO IS NOT HOME and does not understand the concept of traveling for work.
I want to give Billi the benefit of doubt that she was commenting on you pausing the audiobook rather than telling you to shut up 😂
That's actually a solid point, hadn't thought of that tbh. +1
probaby had a background frequency that bothered her, my cat couldn't stand sound coming out of my phone but didn't mind loud music or anything
That’s what I thought too.
Yes! My cat hates it when I play audiobooks or podcasts over the speaker.
I kinda understood the end sentences to mean "Why aren't you looking for dad???? :( " It's heartbreaking how much she misses him. She loves dad so much.
Yes.
Yes, that’s how I understood it. I think she think mom is not seeing how serious it is 😂
i thought that too but more as in "look for him, who knows he might be stuck under the sofa" kinda way lol
I live alone in this world. Sometimes I think about what it might be like to be loved or wanted. Watching this cat struggle with not understanding why a loved one is absent is wrecking me.
As a Macleod please join a church and make friends. Volunteer if you can. I know that God loves you. From one (part) Scottish person to another ❤
Do you want a friend?
I've been very emotional today, and here I am, at 3AM, laying down in bed, crying my soul out for a kitty who misses her dad 😭
I hope your day got better.
@@macklinillustration thanks. I am a bit better indeed
@@worldpeace6322how are you feeling now, rainbow smiley face pfper?
@@childeofepickness much better, thanks
I started crying too but tried not to fall apart. Sad 😢
I guess this video blows the "cats are aloof and indifferent" crowd out of the water.💖
This blows Rudyard Kipling's "The Cat that Walks by Himself" out of the water.
My friend has a cat that will legit greet me at the door like a dog and won't leave me alone for at least 30 minutes into my visiting with my friend. Not that I mind since he's a big old cuddle bug. And I've had many cats that were just as friendly. I don't know where the "aloof and indifferent" thing came from, honestly!
The people who say that don't understand cat language. Cats have the same emotions, but they just express it differently.
If a cat is ignoring you, depending on context it can mean either "I'm not interested in you" or "I trust you enough that I don't feel the need to be on guard around you."
Cats lack the facial muscles that humans and dogs have that we easily recognize in the expression of emotion. I don't know why there's a painting called "Dog's Playing Poker" when it really should be cats.
I think it’s partly because some people expect cats to interact with them on demand, like dogs will, but cats often choose whether to interact or not.
Above all else, I’m impressed by how confident she is with each button. She knows the word and button position well.
I know I was like
Does Billie remember where the buttons are or is this a step even further where she actually reads/recognizes the pictures on the buttons?
@@SupHapCak Or maybe she just presses any button, because that gets her attention?
@@Hugh.ManateeThen she would be hitting completely random buttons
@@WhiteWolf-lm7gj @WhiteWolf-lm7gj I kind of think she is hitting random buttons. And the owners interpret whatever comes out.
"Mad" "Mad" "Noise" "All done" "All done"
Is that random buttons (All of the are within reach from where she's sitting, in fact these 3 buttons are next to each other in a row)? Or is the cat really angrily telling the lady to STFU? Especially since the cat is showing non of the body language cats use when angry or annoyed.
@@Hugh.Manatee Like a lot of other people have said, she seems to use "mad" as a catch all for things she can't express. Also, she chose to walk over there before hitting those buttons, why wouldn't she just hit buttons closer to her?
I think 50% of the time Billi doesn't mean "mad" as angry but is trying to convey disappointment or being sad or upset to some degree, Billy want you to "look for dad" and "then ask friend to look for dad" and "mom look for dad" because see "wants dad" she misses her human "dad" lol It made sense to me
I want you to know, that I'm not angry with you, I'm just disappointed.
-Billi, probably.
Lol, when cats are angry they have no problem showing it
@@Romns1513 Today I learned... my father might actually be a cat.
Yeah, I think she just uses it to indicate that some aspect of the current state of affairs is undesired. I definitely don't think she's using it as narrowly as we would to indicate anger.
I have a dumb theory, that what Billi means by "mad" is "I don't have a button for what I want to say."
Billi calmly tries again to help you understand her. Billi has more patience than my young adult son who exasperatingly says, "I already told you. "
Billi is a female, but yeah. Language barriers are so hard to get across, but I think Billi is nailing it.
@@sunshinegamer1981 silly me, I knew she was a lady. I've corrected my post. Thanks for noticing. And I agree, Billi nails it every time!
@@kathyjohnson2043 It's all good. 🙂 I don't know why it bugs me that people think Billi is a boy. Probably because I go through something similar only instead of misgendering me, they misspell my name, using the male spelling instead of the female spelling. 😅
@@sunshinegamer1981 LOL. Don't even get me started on Cathy, Catherine...
@@kathyjohnson2043 But have you heard of Qatherine.....
I bought this for my one year old chocolate lab, I introduced him to one button as per the instructions about a month into it after. Getting an entire section down, I came home to find the entire thing ripped apart in a hundred pieces, my dog clearly was done talking. 😂
I have been day dreaming of getting one of these things and having great chats with my choc. Lab, but you just reality checked me. What on earth was I thinking?
@@rotkatzeredcat4284 haha got to love them though ! They are one of the best , I also have a golden retriever who's awesome as well .
You can Velcro the buttons to a sheet of plywood!
I know Billi often looks at who she's talking to in order to make sure they're paying attention, but the sheer deliberateness on that first "mad" was off the charts 😂. Place paw then look then press.
I just realised I actually know where the "mad" button is 😂 I didn't _know_ that I knew that, but when Billi walked over to the orange section, I was like "uh oh, here comes a 'mad'!", & a "mad" did indeed occur 😂
The sign of a true fan! 😂😂
I’m always waiting for her to press mad each time I watch lol
@@ComedorDelrico Apparently! I don't even watch every video, & I'm horribly unobservant, but my brain obviously decided this detail should be filed for future reference 🤷♀
@@jmiller3579 Same- like, I definitely don't want Billi to be mad, but it's just too hilarious 😂 The first Billi video I watched was "no words, only rage", where she went absolutely nuclear on the "mad" button- I dunno what horrible sin Kendra had committed, but Billi was NOT having it.
That and "fan toy", hahaha! Oh, and "hmm?" but that's because Kendra is constantly using it.
I like how she carefully steps around the buttons when she's not going to say any words.
If you've ever wonder if your cat truly misses you when you're away, Billi just gave you the answer
I left for college and my cat, then 12, formerly aloof and very grumpy, slept on my bed all day every day while I was gone, got super listless and depressed, no interest in toys, or the other cats. That first summer, I returned to a cat who for the first time since he was under 16 weeks, began snuggling against me on his own. Totally wild to me, since while I was very much His Person he'd only ever occassionally slept at my feet, on top of the covers. Every summer after, then every day after graduating he slept under my covers, cuddled to my side. In his last few months, he even began sleeping on my chest/belly at night. Cats definitely miss their people.
@@Miyori999 Great story! 🥲
back when I was 7 I found a abandoned stray cat that was friendly she was already fully grown , I took her home and we quickly formed a strong bond she was absolutely my favorite thing in the world
but I sometimes wonder does she think about her previous owners , or where they so bad she forgot them , beacuse she never showed any signs of that . she just kept loving me everytime I went out
yeh we had to keep her outside since eh can't explain but the house situation is complicated and we can't keep pets indoor , anyway as a cat she obviously climbed and explored the neighborhood often , killed tons of rats and later had kittens which she fully trusted me with and wanted to introduce ne to her 6 babies, I didn't wanna build a bond with all of them tho so they became neighborhood that would come around at night to sleep but usually wouldn't be home all day. so that was fun
Look where there friend?
my cat is super clingy, n chirps really happy when the family comes home. however, whenever i am gone for more than a day she actually seems really disinterested and dejected. can’t tell if its because she’s mad at me for being gone or what lol
This breaks my heart for all three of you! I was remembering that "friend" was Billi's name for Dad until he got his own button.
Oh my goodness that means she was trying to really make sure Mom understood whom she was talking about. Like the one friend who used to come by more 😢
I think mad also just means "upset". But he seems to be very attached to dad. He asked so many times for dad it was heartbreaking.
I love how when I watch Bunny the Dog with these buttons she frequently uses "Love you" while Billi the cat prefers "mad" 🤣
Dogs vs cats! 😂😂😂
more likely the human was only capable of simple words like 'mad', instead of a range, like 'frustrated', 'sad', 'anger' etc.
#BecauseCat 😂😂😂
This makes my heart break. My husband died last year, and one of our cats, his favorite, was like this, even though she doesn’t “talk.” I still have to comfort her.
I’m so sorry for your loss! 😢 I’m glad you have some pets for tangible company though. God loves you very much.
My dad just passed in April, and “his” cat (out of SEVEN freaking cats!) - she is an Old Lady Cat. Her name is Momma Kitty, bc she was the mother of ALL the other cats but 1… she was SO sad when he never came home from Hospice 😭…. But! Then, once I started visiting my Mom every day, MK immediately adopted ME as Her human. ♥️ I have, in the last four weeks, taught her to use the bedstairs to get into & out of bed… to come to my bed when she wants snuggles… to go meow (loudly) at the fridge when she wants food (she’s special needs & can’t eat dry food, & has to eat every 2-4 hours, around the clock)… AND- what “kisses” are… see, my Dad never kissed her, so this was foreign to her 😢 but she has since learnt to press her cheek into my face when I kiss her. Needless to say, I am thrilled & feel very special. Ok that is all, ty for reading this Comment.
Also, Person: I am sorry for your loss. * Imaginary Hugs *
My cat has not been the same since her biological mother died. They knew each other nine years. It's been a year and you can't tell how stressed she is.
She constantly asks to go to the living room, which is the last place she saw her mother go before she died.
I try to keep her comforted, but it doesn't always work.
Rest in peace, Billy! We miss your cuteness and your smart conversations. 😢
I'm glad you tried the video call. My cat recognizes her "grandpa's" voice on phone, I think. I was thinking that she didn't tell you to shut up but just wanted the audiobook to stop. People that doubt her use of language should really see this video. It's so clear. And someone could intuitively know that a cat is moping because of the missing family member, but with the buttons, you can know exactly when she's thinking of him. Even though it's heartbreaking, you are communicating with each other so well. You can also share in missing him.
Agree the "noise" was most likely the audiobook.
My thought to. Though Mom is in a better place to judge (also her interpretation is funnier ;) )
@@jdm314 😁😁😁
I was thinking that as well, about the audiobook. Since cats' hearing is so much better than ours, and Billie has expressed distaste for music before. My cat also doesn't like it when I have an audiobook on. He'll leave the room the instant I push play every time.
Just like when she doesnt like mum playing musicals 😂😂
I'm convinced Billy uses the MAD button to express any kind of negative emotion, for lack or options. So ''mad'' could also mean sad or frustrated.
I say definitely frustrated; and panicking because why isn't he here right now...what is happening!?
Makes sense.
When a cat that is part of a group doesn't return for afew days, something bad has usually happened to that cat, and the other cats notice the absense of it.
So basically, I'm fairly certain that Billi thinks that something horrible has happened to "Dad", like getting eaten by a predator or something like that.
She is gonna be over the moon when "Dad" comes home... At least after she has ignored him for a few hours for leaving her.
As do many humans
My cat is watching this video with me. She was loafing it but sat up when I started watching it and is fascinated with Billy pressing the buttons.
What I find most interesting about this is how Billi presses the buttons about how she wants dad 5 times, the same amount of times you press “later” for, almost like she LONGS for dad.
It’s adorable ❤
What a wonderful thing that our pets can learn another language to communicate with us. I have seen dogs do this but Billi is the first cat I have seen do this. I only wish we had this ability sooner. When I had my weimaraner, Kristina ❤, used to look me in my eyes because she wanted to tell me something and I used to guess what she wanted but the buttons would have been so much better than guessing.
Just when I think Billi can't break my heart one tiny bit more...
She's really (at least from the viedos we've seen) been a trooper through this big more. Most cats her age would be miserabl;e. Billi is a good girl, and she should get lots of extra snuggles tonight. Maybe Dad can talk to Billi on the phone? It helps when my kitty misses his Grandma!
Edit: I obviously hadn't gotten to the end yet! Poor Billi! And people think that animals don't remember people or places, or miss us when we're away. I can't wait to see Dad and Billi reunite!
My family moved about a year and a half ago. Our cat (who was around Billi's age then) handled the repeated changes in housing in a shortish time (about three changes in location over the course of just over two months after spending roughly a decade in our old home) nowhere near as well as Billi. She spent all her time either hiding out somewhere or on my dad's lap with very few exceptions. These days she's settled in about as well as she ever will, but she still spends the majority of her time hiding out in one of the two boxes she claimed (and we haven't got the heart to throw out despite her literally wearing a hole through one of them) or hanging out with my mom.
My fur babies grieved the loss of my parents, so I am so happy Billi can talk to her dad.
@@NikkiBubblesMom I know they grieve the loss of other pets profoundly as well. I'm so glad, too, that we have the technology now for Biili to at least talk to Dad a little bit. (And condolences on the loss of your parents. Our animal companions can be such a comfort in times of sorrow, and it doesn't surprise me at all that they grieve right along with us.)
@@tamaradelsohn5493 Aww, poor kitty! Mine can be so skittish, but they can be troopers, too. I got hurt a couple years ago and could no longer work. I had to move out of my expensive apartment, and didn't find a new place for 3 months. (It was right at the start of the pandemic, too, which only made things more awful!)
We stayed on various friends' or family's sofas, though most could only have us there for a few weeks. So we moved around a bunch, which I know was traumatic for them both. But they were so brave (except for the car rides, which they have always hated). After a few hours in a new place they'd come out and explore, and charm their hosts.
Now we've been settled for a couple years, and I'm so proud of them. They adapt, but they let us know they're not happy about it! And I've had some of those boxes before that are so loved and worn, and covered in toenail marks and fur, but I just don't have the heart to take them away.
My black cat has an Emotional Support Skunk. It's one of those long, "unstuffed" dog toys. It's longer than him, but when he's upset (mainly when everyone is asleep and he's lonely, or when there are no humans at home), he will carry the skunk around in his mouth and howl mournfully until someone comforts him.
If I'm out of the house, I always come home to that skunk in a new spot, laid out in a long, straight line. It's what we call a "lovey"--a toy that is not for playing, but for loving on. It gets washed by kitty, and slept with, but never chased. I have only been honored once to have the skunk left in my bed as a gift, though he brings me other gifts like a crow. (He brought me a sneaker once!)
Once, the skunk had gotten really matted and dirty, and I put it in the washing machine. I didn't want to risk the dryer, so I hung it up on a hanger from a hook in the ceiling. He. Was. Horrified!
It took me a while to figure out that all of his jumping and climbing was an attempt to get his "friend" down from where I'd hung him.
And they say cats don't have personalities or thoughts...
I wonder if a big part of it aside from her sweet personality is that she's able to express herself and her feelings
6:22 this is probably my favorite Billi video. ❤ RIP Billi, you taught us so much!
What she died😭
@@The-Real-Lloyd-Garmadon- yes, back in June.
😢
We have a cat that “talks”. The first 10 years I thought she wanted something. I couldn’t figure out what she wanted, and then one day I realized she just wants to talk. So I talk to her and then she goes on her way doing her cat thing.
Hahahah we have a guinea pig that want our attention the same way your cat does 😂 she comes to us and stares until we talk to her or rub her head 😅
@@kat-fm1ng aww, that’s sweet ❤️
Same!
It mostly happens at night, when he's cozy on the couch.
He likes to engage in other people's conversations too.
He used to talk to us like he would to a bird he's trying to catch, but over the years it has morphed into a more normal meowing.
I love cats
"I'm here, and I love you, even if you're mad." The support and encouragement we all need!
omg the intentionality kills me! paw poised, looks up and back, make sure mom’s paying attention before telling her they’re mad.
When she said "do you want to try calling him?" I totally lost my $hit, unexpectedly the tears spilled over. Like . . . I can't even with how much this is like a situation that happened within my own family where a kid was missing their Dad . . .right down to the same suggestion about about calling him being made. Beyond that, this is some pretty complex communication going on here. Billy obviously has strong feelings about this and it is pushing her to really use this tool to convey that. I don't care what the doubters say. This is ground breaking stuff in terms of our understanding of animal cognition and language use.
How I agree with you!
It's absolutely fascinating. Poor baby though.
We live in Australia, just before the pandemic my husband went to the US for a couple of weeks, that was fine. What wasn't fine was him isolating for two weeks in the caravan outside when he got home, the cat just couldn't understand why he wouldn't come in the house. Took ages to forgive him, our cat can really hold a grudge.
Love this story. Cats will tell you how they feel, sometimes just refuse to forgive.
I shouldn’t laugh but I did 😹🥰
Oh I laughed too. But it was heartbreaking hearing him yelling for dad to come inside.
Dude I said hi to my cat over the phone and she meowed back at me. She is so sweet and smart.
I had been working overseas for six months. Plane home was delayed hours so I ended up arriving home at midnight. Hubs was working - house was in darkness. I came in through the garage and a little face appeared. It was the big cat - he meowed hello. Before I had chance to speak, I heard my little girl cat that I hand raised galloping through the house. She turned the corner, stopped mid paw, and her eyes grew huge. It was so obvious that I could have cried. She must have thought I was gone and she would never see me again. She slept on top of my chest for the next week. Yes, they do love and miss their person. Felt so much for Billi.
OMG Billi had me crying. Poor thing just doesn't understand right now.
Me too! 😭
She's so hopeful! 🥲
I love how Billy's mom is so patient with her.When she keeps going to the dad button waning dad and she calmly says that she's sorry and tries to explain that dad is away and that billy will see dad later
Billi is a Daddy’s girl!! 🤣❤️ Awww why did you cut it off there? Would have loved to have seen Billi’s reaction to Dad on the phone!!
Lively Stones I agree!
because she cried?
@@jeanhopman5659 this and also it's kinda private.
@@jeanhopman5659 IDK I'm sure they both miss him.
Generally Dad appears only as legs or body, no face so showing us an actual video call is very unlikely. Pretty sure Billi wants to see Dad's face on the call, not his legs. 😀
My theory on these buttons is, the animals don’t know what the buttons saying exactly, but they have a perfect understanding on the concept that the buttons speak to people. That alone is pretty insane the cat is definitely trying to talk to her
If you think about it, isn't that all language? Like how babies learn.
They don't know 'dad' means "father' they just know it makes the hairy one happy, and it makes him show up
@@TheDapperDragon exactly, i mean shit i didnt even know what most words really meant until i was basically an adult
it seems like he can associate a word to a concept, just no understanding of the larger structures of language like grammer or word order. He can understand words like "food, mom, and dad" just fine, but even if he had all the buttons in the world he still couldn't use them in a sentence.
@@Charles37400 yeah. like a toddler. of which a cat's brain is comparable.
@@Charles37400No one has delved much into grammar from what I've seen, but a grammar does evolve naturally with most of these fluent pets. Need to be aware of various languages to understand. For example, Billi uses Japanese word order.
Looks so cute with how she just walks up to the button without even looking at it and presses "MAD."
I am a caregiver to an elderly woman. When her 90 yr old husband passed, their cat waited & looked for him for over a year . When I'd pull up in his truck the cat would come running to see if he'd finally come home. 😢
One day the cat ran in the house and peed on his bed. Always believed it was her communicationing frustration over his disappearance. Sadly the cat died shortly after. She was 14 yrs old. RIP Miley
To tell him/remind him she was here, still here, waiting for him - her 'calling card', so that he would know when he returned that she was still around and could be found. Scent means so much to animals 😢
Hope that they are together now….🌈✨💔♥️
You need to do a countdown of days. Show a calendar type visual and cross off the days. I promise you it will help. She clearly has a concept of night and day.
Yes, there was already such a suggestion once, to teach Billi the calendar. It would have to be huge though and with yellow and blue markings, as someone mentioned the cats have poorer eyesight and have partial color blindness.
How about arranging yellow or orange and blue sticky notes on the wall in the shape of the calendar and point at each note saying word "later". And remove one sticky note every day counting one "later" less every day?
@@dwsel Probably shouldn't use "later" to describe each day, since that might confuse her. But since she has a concept of morning/afternoon/night, they might be able to do the same thing using one of those words
@@mikkurzhal7390 Or just call it "day" (no pun intended) like we normally do. I.e. calendar has days, each day = 1x morning + 1x afternoon + 1x night
Love you loops. xD
It’s so precious when cats are obviously looking for a specific person. I don’t stay away from home very often so when I have done, my cat would apparently lead my parents into my room, look around and then look back at them like “Where is she?”
Lol! Oh my goodness, she certainly did tell you to shut up! She will have none of your foul words of "later". Daddy's girls need their daddy.
This proves something that people always argue about cats: they *do* love you, they miss you, and if you ever go away they will notice.
They are
Car tells mom to shut up at 1:55
Pretty funny
Videos like this really show off how proficient Billi has become at expressing herself with her buttons. She's not just pressing buttons that give her rewards, but trying to understand why things have changed and when they'll go back to normal. It's incredibly interesting and moving
I think most cats would have that mad button wore completely out. Lol
I miss Billi a lot. I know you do too. What a winderful thing you got to share with us. Thank you for that.
My cats hated moving and didn't like it when "dad" was away for work more than "normal" hours. It really stressed them out if either of us was gone in an unusual way. We would make sure and wear a Tshirt a lot leading up to it and place the Tshirt in one of their beds. One for each. Having the scent seemed to be a little bit of comfort along with phone calls at a set time that they knew was coming. They really depended on routine a lot, so I think that partially helped and told them he was just away for longer but was definitely coming back. All but one were badly abandoned when we got them and forced to learn how to survive outdoors though initially raised indoors. I think either of us being away from inside the house for unexpected times caused anxiety due to that.
Billi is so sweet. I really enjoy seeing her interactions with you. 🦋
I love how Billi hits “want” and looks up at her each time. That cat is so fixated on Dad, I feel sorry for Mom.
Rip Billie I’m sorry for your loss
"Our beloved retainer is absent. We have repeatedly adjured our servant to seek him out and restore him to us, but we are answered with nothing but excuses and delays. We are most displeased..." #HerMadjesty
It's so cute that she knows she can look at you and have you listen to her while she pushes the button.
She still trusts you even while she is mad.
For a split second I thought I should get something like this to my cats, but changed my mind. Their screaming at me already is enough. I don't need it translated! 😂
"Mad" pressed continously for hours
😂
Same here lol, they express screaming or different meows at me lol.
if it makes you feel any better Noise All Done might have been about the audio book 😂
My brand new kitten, only 12 weeks old, can definitely identify people, and their presence. When partner goes to work he paces him and down her side of the bed, insists i open the en suite shower door to prove she is not in there. The other day I told him she was at work and he pulled her work tunic off the dresser (she was in plain clothes that day) as if to say “clearly not”.
He spent the entire day walking between lounge and bedroom crying out from the minute she left to when he heard car pulls up on drive. Then he ran to bed spot and layed down making out he had been patiently expecting her all day.
Omg that's incredible how much information they understand and intuit. That whole "patiently waiting" thing I've definitely witnessed. Our Russian blue will clearly be upset or wanting something then when he knows you're looking he'll lick his leg to deflect and act cool. 😆
Awwwwww, I love this anecdote. 😊
Life not the same without Billi. She was a gorgeous girl who brought much joy to not just her mum, dad and family but all of us who followed her life.
Have you considered making a few videos of dad to play for her when she is really missing him? It helps with small children when a parent is away.
This was a heartbreaking video. Poor Billie and poor you (trying to explain all while missing Dad yourself). I notice you said you weren't sure if Billie understood or was comforted by the phone call, but perhaps, if possible, Dad could call at about the same time each day. Since Billie has a better understanding of time , it would make "later" more concrete in that she would hear Dad's voice each day at a predictable time. You are both hanging in there as best you can. Hope the family is soon together again.
Dad TV 1x later hmm?
We have four rescued cats and they’re the most loving creatures on the planet. Not silly like a dog but concerned about their family. I wish they could communicate like this kitty has learned to do!
I almost think that when she did wantx5 hmm?x5 she was asking what you wanted in exchange for her being able to see dad. She trades cuddles for fan toy, so what more does mom want for dad?
My heart can’t take it!
She needs a "call" button to do video calls!
And now we are all sad she’s gone. So sweet.
I wonder if Billi thinks "look Dad later" means you're going to look for Dad later, and she's anxious because she thinks he's missing and you should look for him now.
Look for, as in search, is a completely seperate thing from look. The cat doesn't know about the word "look", so it isn't closer to "look for" than any of the other buttons.
From what we can see the button seems to be pretty directly linked to just look, or see.
Cat logic. Look now
@@Gabriel64468 I think cats do understand certain words.
@@tizzas1232 They can recognize the specific sounds you make that mean one thing yes.
But that's where it ends - your cat might recognize a "sheet" as a bedsheet, but expecting it to then understand that a sheet can also refer to paper is unrealistic.
And that is the exact kind of abstraction you are expecting of a cat here.
It is also pretty similar to how humans learn foreign languages - so many words have multiple meanings, and just because you learned that "Birne" means pear in german doesn't mean you immediately understand that a "Lichtbirne" is a lightbulb.
@@Gabriel64468 Because language is so instinctive for humans, I think we easily forget how messy, complex, and contextual it is. There were people in the 1950s who thought reliable, automated translation by computer was right around the corner. It's 2023 and it still basically sucks unless you're converting between related European languages. What this cat is doing is already incredible. We definitely don't need and shouldn't assume that she understands everything we're telling her exactly the way we meant it.
This is the most upset I've ever seen her!
It was a rough week 😹
In case nobody else has told you Kendra, esp Billi, she would be beyond upset if she were parted from you for more than a day or two. Us Mom’s always get the worst deal 😢
This baby is so smart trying so hard to communicate❤ i always have my cats like babies they are very sweet❤
Aww, she even asks where he is when she's told he can't come to them
I hope her dad watches these and knows he is missed. Billi mad that he isn't home.🤣🤣
I'm starting to believe what they say that half the internet is cat videos. The more I click on them the more my feed fills up with cats! Sweet kitty you have.
Omg goodness, poor Billi! 🥺 It makes me think of how my mom's cat must have felt when my dad passed several years ago; he was her favorite person in the world 🥺🥺. I moved back in several months later, and she's been attached at my hip since. I'm glad Billi got to see dad in video chat 💜💜
Awwwww I have been trying to tell people forever that your pets love you, they really do miss you. I always hear, "they're just animals" Thanks to Billi I have proof, they love, they miss, and they mourn us. They are such a blessing to have in our lives.
Massive pets and cuddles to Billi. Missing someone is hard 🫂💙
RIP Billie...You will be missed
I'm really curious how Billi reacted to the videochat with dad. Did she recognise him/understand it? She is such a sweetheart, it was breaking my heart too.
She doesn’t really seem to understand screens, so I’m not sure how much it helps!
My 8 y.o. baby cat did recognise me on the phone. When I moved to another city I'd video call my mom and my cat was acting anxious, she'd look at the screen and talk to me a little.
My other cat seems to recognise my voice and all the compliments I do but she doesn't look at the screen and doesn't interact with it.
Well, actually for interacting, sometimes she rubs her face on the phone, maybe because she recognises the voice
@@BilliSpeaksfor a vacation we had a camera we could talk through,to the kitties . Our girl kitty knew it was our voices. She checked in every couple hours. We missed her and when I checked again she had her eyeball right up to the lens meowing for us.
@@oliviao3686 All my cats ever did not really react when held up to a mirror (though one kept stopping and grooming himself when he walked past one a lot). They all hardly reacted to the phone or recordings, but sometimes certain sounds or exclamations (some that I'd say were relatively unique to the people they knew).
They all understood mirrors (used them to observe and then chase down another using the reflection, clearly understanding their own position in relation to the other cat through the reflective angles) or screens (had fun with aquarium DVDs... for a little while) and sometimes happened to react to cats meowing on TV.
Cats do react very differently to visual cues. Screens or mirrors can leave them utterly unimpressed due to that (unless a kitten sees a mirror for the first time and tries to "play" with the "other" kitten or gets scared of it, but alas, so do toddlers until they grasp the concept of reflection).
For the video calls, I think it is more a kind of realization that the image / device is not the person - people, obviously, are not little boxes. The voice sounds different too (we are much more used to the acoustic distortion that comes out of speakers/boxes/headphones, after all, we *know* whom we called), but cats may still pick up on certain pitches or lows that translate well enough through the devices or certain patterns of speech or phrases / series of sounds.
The rubbing may be as pragmatic as you hold it and they wanna claim it / "befriend" it, so you'd pet them, or it may be because it does indeed remind them (due to above mentioned certain sounds) of the person and trigger that response, or maybe an attempt to make the object more "alive" smelling because it clashes with the association of the recognition. They may to some degree even come to understand, that the device connects to a far away person, someone who isn't physically there, but the concept doesn't give them the same gratification as an actual presence, the connection we get through communicating that way being far removed from their ways of interacting, so they (mostly) ignore it. After all, they can hardly respond back - there is no interaction in it for them. To even the most perceptive and intelligent cat, capable of grasping the concept, a phone and even a video call remains hollow, vain, useless.
At least, that's my interpretation based on my own personal / biased(?) observations on my cats' behaviors...
@@BilliSpeaks try keeping a worn t-shirt seperate from the other laundry, so that Billy can smell him, and hear him at the same time?
Cats are ok with the idea that members of a colony might wander off for a few days, but after a longer period they can assume that you might not be coming back, But, fresh smells means you're not really that far away? Though now that I say that it could just frustrate her more as she starts looking for him more because "fresh smell means he's not so far away, why isn't he here then?"