Todd Talks - Response to Jackson Galaxy Video
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
- This video is in response to a @JacksonGalaxy video (link below) where I believe he is saying that cats who use buttons are not truly communicating but rather it is just a trained response, push this button and I get something. While I agree with Jackson that cats are not fully domesticated like dogs I do not feel that keeps them from communicating with people.
Todd is a 6 year old neutered male cat who has been with us since he was 3 months old. We started exploring the possibilities of communicating with each other through the use of recordable buttons one year ago. In that time Todd has learned and understands 32 words and still has a hunger to learn more. Together we are only learning individual words and concepts. About 5 months in Todd started using multiple words to ask for what he wanted example “Play” “Bird Toy”, “Want” “Laser Mouse”, etc. Todd has continued to expand on this using 3 and now 4 words at a time example “Soon” “Play” “Todd” “String Thing”.
He has also started using the buttons to just tell me things. He recently told me he was going to take a nap by pressing “Sleep” and then he gets up, goes to my recliner and goes to sleep in it. He told me “Todd” “Sleep” so I picked him up and put him in his basket on my desk, he moved to Glamour’s basket and went to sleep. Glamour found him in her basket asleep and swatted him in the head. He got up and said “No” which I believe was directed at Glamour then told me “Ouch” “Sleep”. I think ouch sleep is a great way to describe being woken up with a swat to the head. There was no request here and he wanted nothing other than to communicate to me what had happened.
I believe I have provided a fair amount of examples in this video showing Todd using the buttons to communicate what he is going to do or what has happened to him as well as using them to express far more than is necessary just to get what he wants.
@JacksonGalaxy I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Link to Jackson Galaxy's video: • Video
Update: It appears this video has been made private now and can no longer be viewed.
At the time of this video, Todd is a 6-year-old neutered male cat. Todd and his dad have been learning to communicate with each other since May of 2022 with the help of recordable buttons. We aim to let Todd express himself and tell me his wants and needs. Currently, Todd has 32 words on his soundboard. This channel is dedicated to Todd learning to “talk”. If you would like to see more of Todd and his day-to-day life please visit his Facebook page.
Links:
Todd on FaceBook: / spiffykitty
Todd on IG: / the_chronicles_of_todd
Hello. I too (like many other commenters so far) am a regular watcher of Billi's - so when the "Can Cats Communicate?" thumbnail showed up, I was like, "Not another skeptic." I don't know how people can watch Billi, Russell, and Todd, and not accept there's meaningful communication taking place.
To add to the examples shown in your own video and listed in the comments, I'll add one of my most "wow" moments from Billi. Billi had everything she wanted and was happily sitting with Kendra. Then Billi got up, walked over to the buttons, pressed "Happy," and returned to Kendra. There was nothing for Billi to gain other than self-expression - yet she got up from her comfortable spot and walked over specifically to say she was happy.
Exactly, Todd will do this too. I travel for work, when Todd sees the suitcase he tells me No and Mad. When I get back it's Happy, Love you, kisses, cuddles, belly rubs etc, lol
I am such person, because I see that the 'meaningful' part is always created by the owner not by the cat.
It is all anthropomorfism. nothing more nothing less. There is an abundance of solid knowledge how cats communicate and how to communicate. Cats are simply not lingual this is a way though to make money through RUclips... which is perhaps a solid reason. But it is based on lies.
@@BartvanderHorst Thank you, I thought I was losing my mind.
@@BartvanderHorstyou've obviously never spent much time with domestic animals, especially not cats. While I do agree many people erroneous attribute some behaviors to human like behaviors this type of communication is just that, communication. For example cats don't meow at other cats, only people and why is that? In an attempt to communicate with us in the way they know we use, verbally. Just because they're physically incapable of speaking our language doesn't mean they don't learn it nor does it mean when given a tool like these buttons that they are incapable of meaningful communication.
I just watched Billi speak, and she paced around her buttons while her aunt put a harness on her dog, Daphne, and left for a walk. When the aunt opened the door, Billi hit the Bye button, then walked over and watched them leave. Even if it is a trained response, it's used correctly, which is what the majority of polite communication is.
I feel very confident Bili understands and knows exactly what she is saying.
I saw Jackson's thumbnail and figured he was going to be a skeptic. I've been watching Todd, Billi and several other cats and dogs and I am thrilled to see this communication happening. Scientists at a university in Japan found that cats do understand us and they know their name and the names of all of the cats and people in their family so why wouldn't they learn to use the buttons. I wonder what Jackson would think if he saw a cat named Haillie crawl to the dog's buttons, crying in pain, to press "all done" "now" "bye". She cried for 18 minutes and then pressed the same sequence again. She must have learned the buttons from watching Bastion, the family's dog. Poor kitty had cancer.
The cats do more than just ask for things for themselves; some have asked for things for other cats in the family. There are examples of cats using the buttons to talk to the dog. Todd and other cats have made new words by combining buttons. Billi even named Kendra's coffee "catnip water". This wasn't modelled. Sometimes they just want to talk about their day like Todd did when he told you he was going to "sleep". I hope Jackson keeps watching videos of the cats who use the buttons and keeps an open mind about it.
Thanks for doing these videos chronicling Todd's journey with the buttons.
Thank you for your comment, Maureen. I think you stated that very well and Todd has done many of the things you talk about. He has asked to play with toys when he knew Glamour wanted to play and just sat back, watched and never participated but Glamour had a ball. He has found ways to express things he didn't have a word for yet using the buttons he has.
I hope Jackson will look at the videos and maybe give him more to think about. I don't know but I'm glad you are here for Todd's journey!
I've had multiple cats that knew everyone by name. I used to ask one where someone was, and she would look in that direction (she often knew when I didn't). Another cat always knew which door certain people would come through if I told her they were coming over. Billi giving her own names to Squirrel (friend) and "catnip water" were just amazing to me.
@@ikabikaboo exactly!
@@ikabikaboo The first time I heard Billi talk about "bird food" I wondered why she was talking about bird seed. Then Kendra explained it meant chicken. Cats are a lot smarter than a lot of humans think.
Thank you for sharing your cat Haillie's story even though it made me cry 🤎
I commented to Jackson Galaxy about Billi learning to ask for her medication after learning to eat it voluntarily. This IS communication.
Pilling a cat respectfully--yes.
Several people have said they have commented about Billi, it will be interesting to see what he has to say for sure!
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks Galaxy even said he is going to contact Kendra and possible have the interview with her about buttons. I really hope so. Did you know Kendra is a vet? I didn't know and found it from the comments from that (dissapointing) video.
well according to the likes of jackson, humans don't communicate either, we only have trained responses. you get hurt, you say "ouch". isn't that trained response?
you need food, you say "i'm hungry", again, trained response, right?
according to likes of jackson, everything in life is "trained response"
Is the jackson video down now? I was looking for it (I heard about it on the Billi video). I'm just curious to see how well he researched it before deciding it wasn't communication.
Watching Billi learn to just take the yucky medicine was amazing.
These so-called animal experts can call it whatever they want - we have found a way to enrich our relationship with our pets and vice versa, and yes, part of that is by giving them a platform to convey their needs and wants. Heck, Bunny the dog has even told her mom that she had a thorn in her paw…without the ability to COMMUNICATE this, who knows what could have happened to poor Bunny’s paw? I believe these buttons are amazing, and dare I say possibly necessary to have an optimal relationship with our beloved animals. Love you Spiffy Kitty! 💜
Thank you, Mona. I do believe Jackson Galaxy is very knowledgeable in his field and very good at what he does. If I heard what he was saying correctly I believe he feels dogs can communicate because they are domesticated and meet us at what he is calling the communication fence but cats are not there yet. I still feel that cats can truly communicate their wants and needs just as dogs and am trying to provide examples with Todd. I hope he and others will look at this and be willing to discuss and explore it more.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks I totally agree and also hope he keeps his mind open to explore this more. 😃
Also, Buns said, Stranger Paw.. 😊❤
Jackson Galaxy is very good . But he also have meet people who dont understand cats . And put human emotion on cats then the cats is scared and so forth . He has helped a lot cats from being put down or put in a shelter
@@casdeanwinchester483 good point, I think he is reacting from his experience of people trying trying amke cats human, which people also do with dogs... but dogs can use the buttons effectively and Billie speaks shows unequivaclly that cats can too.
I also believe that Todd is communicating with you. When he presses a button he looks at you, thats a confirmation of engagement to me. When Todd said Ouch Head, and later, head happy - that was amazing.
Yes, Todd continues to amaze me by the way he takes single words/concepts he knows and combines them to express things I did not teach him. That shows a true understanding of the words/concepts and true thought needed to put them together.
Oh, this is so cool!
Todd announces what he wants to do in the future, just like Billi does. This supports the hypothesis that cats like to plan their days.
Thank you for your comment, Johanna. Yes Todd will tell me what he wants to do later or soon. He will often let me know when he is "All Done" with something as well. He is a very sweet and smart boy.
I don't understand why this is a hypothesis. My kittens don't even have buttons and clearly plan their days. You can get this info but simply noting that they always tend to nap and play at the same time. This is usually in response to the patterns of the humans they live with. My kittens for instance know if my husband comes home late for his lunch, as they always greet us at the door when we return. But if we are early it takes longer because they are still napping, if we are late they may already be waiting. Cats may not read a clock,but they are very aware of the concept of time ( and probably would read clocks if we took the time to teach them). They know exactly what time "dinner time and breakfast time" is regardless of it being at varying times depending on what day it is, and they do not like it if "mommy" has something thats going to keep her late and "daddy" feeds them instead. Because this is a disruption to the routine they have planned out. Which includes waiting for mommy to sit down and eat her dinner before having some of their own. Among the many other scheduled items they have in their day.
My cat just learned to use her second button confidently, and it has been amazing seeing her work the new one out and that it is not the same as the first one... I have a phd in communication (humans lol), and I do consider my cat using her buttons as communicating with me. Todd is quite a character 🥰
Congratulations! I know Todd loves his buttons and is able to ask for what he wants when he wants it. If your cat is like Todd, you will need to add a Later button before long, or it will be requests non-stop.
I saw Jacksons video too and I diagree to him aswell, because I totaly saw different. Not only Todd can speak way better than he said, also Billi from another channel does. And I saw them both enjoing it to communicate with buttons. I think if Jackson had more time to look closely after Todd and Billis videos, he would change his mind
Thank you, FanatiX24. Billi is where I got the idea to do this with Todd and I do think/hope that if Jackson saw more of the videos it would if not change his mind it would at least open an in depth topic on the subject. I agree that I don't think he has seen enough videos yet.
that's the problem, people like jackson do this for views, they are no experts. they just rush over things and don't actually follow the content, they judge book by its cover.
i saw one other video by some "animal expert" who was saying same thing about Billi. i watched her video and she starts by saying "let's just check couple of most popular BilliSpeaks videos, beacuse that's what best describes their case" ... like WHAT? how does youtube algorithm has anything to do with what Billi can do?
this is not how youtube works .. your WORST video can have millions of views, while your other videos barely get anything. i once had one rushed video get over million views out of nowhere and it's definetely far from what i'd like to have on top of the popular list.
so she literally started the video with nonsense, then she looks thru some OLD BilliSpeaks videos that don't even show what Billi is capable of, those were just some random mix-ups from very start of BilliSpeaks channel, so she literally watched WRONG videos and then judges Billi's capabilites based on that ...
it's basically like judging person based on their WORST days in their life.
that's all those "experts" do, they judge things based on climpses of information they see, they don't actually sit down and watch all Todd's or Billi's videos, they only watch couple clips and most likely they rush thru them and then say "yea umm no, those are just trained responses"
I tried watching Jackson's video, but it has been set to private so i can't see it. It must have really ruffled some fur!
@@bodysnatcher256 So I am sure he realised that he said something not quite right in the video after he read the comments and saw other cats talking with buttons. That is a good thing, we are all humans and make mistakes, and he removed it fast
I wonder what would happen if Billi and Todd got together along with their own buttons? Would they chat?
Todd is definitely learning constantly, and trying to use more words to convey what he wants. He obviously won't understand the concept of sentences, but he knows you use more words when you talk to him, so he's clearly trying to do the same. He's such a smart boy. I saw a video where a woman who uses buttons believed her dog was telling her about his dreams, because he would wake up, and go press words that weren't related to the immediate situation. Imagine Todd sharing his dreams! I can't wait to see how he progresses in future.
I saw that video, I believe it was Bunny. I also saw on with Bunny where she asked what she was and was told a dog. Then she asked what mom was and was told a human. Bunny then said she was human and mom said no, Bunny is dog. Bunny pressed Bunny Human again and mom corrected he then Bunny asked why? That was an incredibly deep conversation to have with your dog. Todd is nowhere near that level but we'll see as his vocabulary grows and his knowledge increases. Thank you for your comment, Laura!
Having followed BilliSpeaks for a while, and now upon finding Todd... Cats ARE taking over the world! - and WE are enabling them! 😄 Todd is absolutely precious 🥺 Subbed!
Thank you, SSDD. I appreciate your comment and am glad you are here.
Even without the buttons, I listen to what my cats have to say. They learn my words and I learn their communication. It's called love.
Yes!
Thank you! I was disappointed by Jackson's video. I really thought he would be swayed by the evidence
Thank you for your comment, Jean. Well to be fair, we don't know how many or what video's he has seen. He may just need to see more like I shared which I feel show true communication and not just trained responses. I respect Jackson and the work he does.
This video shows no evidence just a cat pushing buttons and some explanation of what happened before or after the buttons were pushed.
I am so glad you made this. Jackson Galaxy is a great cat person but I think he would benefit from actually watching some of these videos. It might blow his mind. I know I have been very impressed by watching cats "talk" with their buttons so much that I have gotten a few for my boy. Thank you for this video. I hope Mr Galaxy sees it and watches others like Billy and Rustle to expand his thinking. 👍😸
Thank you, Zalvert. I agree Jackson is a great person and has done a great deal to help cats and their people. We don't know what videos and how many he has seen which is why I put this video together. I hope it will lead to more discussion and research on the topic.
I saw that video too and it's the first time I've thought he was way off base. Cats absolutely can express emotions and communicate through their buttons.
Thank you for your comment, Melissa. It may be that he has not seen enough or the right videos yet. It's hard to say until we know what he's seen.
There are two other things i disagree with him about, but yeah I unsubbed eith this one. Who made him the unequivocal truth and he was so closed minded about checking it out.
I agree with you completely! Plus it allows your kitty to tell you if they are not feeling well or in pain which could mean improved health and a longer lifespan. For example, Billi the cat tells her mom when her stomach hurts and she gives her catnip. She also had an illness where her mom actually told her that she had to have her medicine before her food instead of hiding it in a treat which made Billi distrustful. These buttons are amazing and your Todd is a joy to watch!
I have seen Billi do this on her videos. Yes, this is another goal I want for Todd and I. We will start learning body parts and I want him to be able to tell me if something hurts him.
I didn't get his leap from domestication being a requirement to communication. While a different starting point in terms of capacity, Koko the gorilla's ability to sign doesn't mean we've domesticated apes. Only thing I agreed with him on is that there probably isn't enough good research data at this point. Things happen without data proving they happen a billion times a day.
I agree with you, Jessica that there needs to be more data and the They Can Talk organization is doing a lot of research on it along with others. As for me, living and working with Todd I believe he is truly communicating with me.
Yass!! I just watched his video last night and was rather surprised/bummed out that he didn't seem to see the communication abilities of cats to be up there with dogs. I totally expected him to go the other way. I did hear the point he was making, and maybe it's good advise for some people who might not understand that you have to be able to read a cats "language" in their way along with the button training. I could see some people expecting too much from their kitties too fast without taking context into consideration. However it's very clear with your videos and with #billispeaks videos that you guys understand cats and don't expect them to be humans. And I think it's very obvious the cats both learn and enjoy being able to communicate with their humans in extra ways!! Thanks for this video♡ Maybe someday he will change his mind. :P
Thank you, Wolfi Lee. That is why I made the video, in hope it might start a discussion on it.
I am so glad you posted this. I wish that Jackson Galaxy had reached out to you and Todd and also Billispeaks before he posted his opinion. At a minimum he should have watched your videos and at least done a zoom session with you and Todd. He has missed the mark on several cat issues, but good on others. I'm really excited to see the communication growing with you and Todd.❤
Thank you! I agree with you that I think he needs to maybe have done a little more research.
Experts can be wrong, have looked at flawed data, or maybe they just need more examples to change their opinions. Cats are constantly communicating with us, even if we’re not the best at understanding cat. Tails, ears, posture etc are used to communicate constantly. Todd has been presented with a different way to communicate, which he clearly enjoys. As you have pointed out Todd is expressing feelings and telling you what he is going to do/has done, along with requesting things for the other cats, like asking for the brush for Glamour.
If it comes down to whether an animal is domesticated or not to be able to communicate, there wouldn’t be apes using sign language. Regardless of what Jackson Galaxy believes at this moment, you and Todd are communicating and enjoying the experience. Todd telling you that he loves you gets him nothing in a physical sense but affirmation that you love him too and, I think ,you (and us fans of Todd), get far more out of that press than he does.
Thank you, Bonnie. I believe Jackson did say that cats communicate through body language and I do believe it just may be a matter of having more information/videos which is why I created to response video. I had forgotten about Todd asking for the toys and brush for Glamour although that is hard to prove other than he pressed it and just sat and watched Glamour play. Thank you again, Bonnie and I'm glad you are here!
Im so glad you posted this video in response to Jackson's video. And you brought great examples! Well done. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
You are so welcome!
You gave really good examples of Todd communicating for the sake of just expressing himself. I hope Jackson Galaxy checks out your video.
Thank you, Gnab Gib. I hope so too. I have a lot of respect for Jackson work and I hope he will look at them and it can lead to a discussion about the subject.
Actually I'm here because of Billispeaks. With older age I realized how much different personalities animals have. But this "talking" just blows my mind. It's not only the words but they know exactly what button to push. More than amazing.
Welcome, I'm glad you are here! Yes, I agree, while Todd start a lot younger than Billi I agree with you how amazing it is. Todd has also used words he has to express ideas and concepts for words he did not have yet. A great example was before he had his Mad button he would tell me "Happy" "No" to let me know he didn't like something. I love watching how he thinks and uses his buttons. I only teach single words/concepts and on his own will use multiple words to ask for what he wants, far more than is necessary to get what he wanted with a single button push.
I stopped watching Jackson Galaxy a long time ago when I saw some of his "clients" on other shows talking about their cats in an entirely different light. They were talking about how much they loved their cat's quirks, the very ones Jackson was called in to correct. Todd is adorable, don't let anyone try to throw shade at you. You obviously dote on him. Thanks
Thank you for your comment, oldbat2ccats. I do love that little man with all my heart. I know the care and love Todd gets and I am not worried about what anyone may say.
As far as Jackson goes I would love to have a conversation to see him many and what videos he watch to draw his conclusion. I am hoping that the videos of Todd I shared will maybe give him more information.
Thank you again and I am glad you are here!
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks I was nearly on "My Cat From Hell". I have houseducks, and they had been clashing with my two cats, which is obviously a very dangerous situation.
When we did our interview with the show producers, they asked us leading questions like "so would you say you two have been arguing a lot over this?" and "Would you say you're close to splitting up over your cat's behavior"? I was like, no lady, I just don't want my cat and my duck to hurt each other.
She asked if I could frame it differently to amp up the drama. 🙄
@@WobblesandBean Drama sells TV so that's what producers want to put on their shows.
Todd is a genuine genius; and the greatest communicator since Ronald Reagan. I'm a believer that he knows what he's saying.
I subscribe to Billi Speaks. I’m a mom of a fur baby. I don’t know if I will do the buttons but I know she’s bright enough to learn if I do .
It is a lot of work and you need to be committed to it. It would not be fair to start it and then stop once they start learning. I am glad you are here for Todd's journey!
And some cats just don't take to it. I tried using one button with my previous cat and she just wasn't interested.
@@lonesparrow My cat kind of has a routine. She’s also very vocal. If I skip part of her routine she lets me know. I think bring in tune with your cat is the best way to communicate.
Thank you for uploading this response video! 👍
I watched Jackson Galaxy's one several hours before and wrote a rather long comment, explaining my thoughts and why I'm convinced he was not right on this topic. Argumented by pointing out to the "BilliSpeaks" channel. For whatever dark reason my comment could not be posted / has been deleted after I tried to model something I wrote. Being frustrated - "mad" - I didn't have the energy to write the whole stuff again... 😠😬
So I'm glad you made an effort to try to innitiate a discussion, as I am sure Jackson and other skeptical people might change their opinion when watching with open eyes and minds❣😸
Thank you, Heike Rosenau for your comment. I have run into the same issue before that happened to you. Now, whenever I am going to write a long comment I open up word and type it there then copy and paste. If anything happens I still have it and can try again.
I posted the video here and tagged his channel and I also uploaded it to the comment section of his website. I hope he will see it and it will start a conversation!
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks Ah, that's interesting that you had the same problem with commenting! It never crossed my mind something like that could happen... So thanks for the tipp; I now have to figure out how that will work on my tablet as I'm not really into that "tech stuff"! 😉
Jackson got a ton of comments on his video; I hope he reads them, as many of them mentioned "BilliSpeaks" and "CatManJohn" as well (at least the ones I read). With your one even on his website chances are high he will recognize. I hope he contacts you or / and Kendra (Billi's mom), and creates a second video when he made up his mind - acknowledging he underestimated our beloved cats, of course❣😸😂
@@heikerosenau1520 I also have the same problem. It's RUclips's fault. Something's wrong with its code. I alwayas copy/paste all long comments for this reason.
Many times when U edit Ur comment it desappears or doesn't modify even copying the text... 😱
@@DMMSC76 Ok... Thanks for confirming that problem! My first thought was that I made a mistake 😬
Thank you for posting this video! Most people don’t bother watching the progression of the learning process let along the specific research that is being done with this. I tried making that point clear and apparently set some people off.
Thank you, Robin, and you are welcome. You will never make everyone happy, and you will drive yourself crazy if you try. I just show what Todd and I do and let the videos speak for themselves.
I'm so happy yr vid went viral. I was going to post a link in Jackson's thread. But I had a busy day.
I came back to this video, and see the views and comments have exploded.
Thank you, Jon. I know am I shocked. I hope it will reach him and he will talk to Kendra (Billi's mom) or someone who is doing this for more information.
It feels real, and that's good enough. Thanks Dad, and Thanks Todd!!
He’s beautiful!💙
Thank you, platinumblondie . I appreciate it!
I saw Jackson’s video and so glad you made this great response of your gorgeous intelligent kitty Todd! It’s very clear he is communicating in compound sentences and ideas. I’ve been watching Billi advance for a long time and it’s so nice to see your channel too! I just subscribed! 😺❤️
Thank you! I am very familiar with Billi, she is the reason I started this with Todd. We love her. I'm so glad you are here!
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks I’m so glad too! I would really love to see a videos of how you started to teach Todd the buttons!
And that he wants to tell things and communicate, why would he otherwise say that he's going to sleep and he actually dies it afterwards so it's not just random or good luck.
Also human language is nothing but a TRAINED RESPONSE. We teach children words pretty much the same way.
Agreed
I rarely disagree with Jackson but he’s 100% wrong if he doesn’t think cats are communicating.
Love Todd!❤
Aww, thank you so much! To be fair, we don't know what or how many videos Jackson has seen. It may be that he just needs to see more or better videos.
I think people who only speak only one language are often ones who are more doubtful of animals communicating. They don't have personal experience on what it looks like when you are learning to communicate in a language different of your own.
I have often described it as you are in a foreign country and you only know 32 words to ask for get get everything you want and need. I think Todd is doing an amazing job with it.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks exactly.
There’s a cat named Billi on YT that has a channel (with her people) called “Billi speaks.” She’s a smart kitty. I watch for certain buttons she presses each time. It’s always the same buttons for certain words. Call it training or just smart, she gets her message across.
Yes, jan, I am a fan of Billi and they are the reason I started this with Todd.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks That’s cool 😎. I hope Todd keeps doing so well with his learning to communicate.
😺🐾🐾 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
@@jhood758 Thank you!
I am so impressed by you and Todd! My mind is blown.. especially w how he snapped on that last sentence. He has feelings, thoughts and a desire to express it. I just can’t say how impressed I am that you and Todd have an added layer of communication. Sadly, I’ve only seen your channel briefly once before and then forgot about it. But now I’m subscribing. I’m also subbed to billi and catmanjohn. Sorry it took me so long. Needed the reminder 💛 I’m very interested how Jackson may respond. You’ve made an excellent response video. I’ve always liked Jackson’s show, but you’re on to something as well. Don’t let anyone diminish your experience w Todd. Also, wonderful response to Maria.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Maria. I like Jackson too and think he does incredible work to help people and their cats. I don't know how many or what videos Jackson viewed before he reached the conclusion in his video, which has since been made private. I just think there is room for more discussion on the topic as in my opinion I think Todd and other are clearly demonstrating communication far beyond a push and reward.
I looked up the Jackson Galaxy link. I've been saving videos from Billi Speaks onto my news feed that *I* believe demonstrate that Billi is very much communicating with her mom Kendra at least at the level of a small human child, and I posted several of them, along with my analysis, to JG's video. We'll see what he has to say about them. I can only assume he's only watched a few of the videos, not the right ones, and not the most recent ones. I also compared Billi to hominids ("apes") communicating in sign language, as well as parrots who have shown full understanding of the language they use.
In the meantime, you might be amused by this video of a cat that communicates with its deaf owner using sign language: ruclips.net/video/PU7hPOY8n_Y/видео.html
Thank you, Athena. I appreciate you comments and thoughts. I am very familiar with Billi, she and Kendra are the reasons I started this with Todd. I uploaded this video to Jacksons site as well hoping it may start a conversation about the subject. Thank you again, and I'm glad you are here.
After watching many videos, I have no doubt that Todd and Billi (another talking cat) are using purposeful communication - I agree with all of the points you expressed in your video - plus, I would add that if Todd just wanted to push buttons to get a reward, then it would be more likely that he would push any random button - yet he works (sometimes with a bit of physical difficulty) at pushing a specific button - or he will sit and push a button and then he will have to get up and walk to another button to express himself - why do that if he is just pushing buttons to get rewarded? - it would be much easier for him to simply push another button near where he is sitting - no, I have to disagree with Jackson on this.
Thank you for your comment Sherri, I appreciate it. Yes, I agree with what you are saying. As for Todd and his button pushing he tends to paw at them like he is digging rather than pushing. They are very easy to push and he knows how. When he feels strongly about something he goes right to them and pushes them perfect. Lol
Todd is so intelligent to form sentences. Even to find the right button and remember its position is phenomenal!
It is amazing. I do put stickers on them with a unique picture to help him and thw word is on there to help me. Lol 😁
I love Todd! He’s just so sweet and smart!! ❤
It could be argued that human communication is just trained reward responses not communication. It certainly is that way with some people. I get the impression that one of the button trained animals uses the mad button because it knows there are more words it wants to use, but it doesn't have a button with the right word.
Todd has demonstrated this and I think is shows that he can think and communicate. Before he had Mad and Happy when he was mad or frustrated he chose to say "No Love You" which was the closet he could make to his feeling at the time. He knew Love you was a good and happy feeling. He received Happy before Mad and then when he wasn't happy he switched to "Happy No" or "No Happy" which was closer.
Then most recent example is when he wanted something but didn't have the word or know what it was he was saying "Want What" or "Want Hmm?" For quite a while I couldn't figure out what he was saying and I could tell he was getting frustrated. I think he got tired of me asking "Todd want this thing or Todd want that?" and he just wanted a break. He doesn't have a frustrated or just leave me alone button so he came up with "Want Dad No". I am truly impressed and amazed at how he finds way to express thought and ideas he doesn't have words for using the buttons he has.
You know, I've been thinking about that and I think that there's something to that. I've been contemplating how they're complaints about how cats/dogs are learning this is us trying to fit them in our boxes is reminiscent of autistic individuals and the call and response that hasn't been picked up innately. How is it any different?
Note: the ABA that is used to teach certain behaviors can be (and sometimes is) abusive. Discretion should be used when discussing this.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks that is definitely intelligence and definitely communication.
I haven't seen the video in question, but I am a cat person, currently have 6 and have always had at least a couple. They are much smarter than we ever gave them credit for. With a little patience I've taught my cats a whole lot of words but until the button videos I never thought of giving them the chance to communicate with me verbally, I just learned a lot about their behaviour and encouraged paw tapping / face rubbing as a yes, and standing still as a no. Our communication required a lot of guess work as they'd get my attention then I'd go through a list of things I thought they might want. Outside? Food? Cuddles? etc
That worked, but I'm getting into buttons now (some day I'll remember to buy the batteries!) and can't wait to see how my already communicative cats will take that on.
Cats definitely can communicate. I wish I had videos of my years of communication to prove that, maybe I'll start filming once we get a handle on buttons :)
In a minute I'm going to say 'bedtime' and my cats will wander to the bathroom, wait for me to brush my teeth, then all try to beat me to bed so they get the best spots. This is a nightly routine. I can say any other word in the same tone and they don't move. I can say it while sitting perfectly still and looking at a wall but they still get it. If we take the time to teach our cats, they absolutely can learn.
I LOVE all the cat (and dog) button videos and I love that more people are getting into them and learning to communicate with their pets :)
Thank you for your comment, and that sounds amazing what you have done with your kitties. It sounds like the button training should be straightforward for you.
It is obvious that he is communicating. It's amazing to watch.
Thank you!
Hi! I'm brand new to your channel!
I've been watching cows and other farm animals use buttons with context for several years.
I believe that an underlying reason to some skepticism is that a reduced understanding among non-human animals means the status quo remains as is, "we" are still "on top of the pyramid", and we can go on treating non-human animals as the inferiors we like to believe they are - I don't think most people feel this way consciously, but I do feel that I can hear/see this in some commentaries.
Thank you for sharing your relationship and experiences with Todd with us!
Thank you and welcome, Maynard's Spaceship. I am glad you are here! You may have hit on something, if we acknowledge that cat, dogs and other "pets" are capable of deeper thought and communication it may bring about some major changes in the way they are perceived and treated. I have always believed cats are far more intelligent than most people give them credit for.
TODD IS COMMUNICATING! TODD IS SPEAKING - LOOKS REAL TO ME
Thank you
To me, Jackson Galaxy has a vested interest to mystify cat communication, since his whole shtick is interpreting cat behavior *for* people. Cats communicating directly to owners threatens him, as it eliminates his niche as middle-man. I find his metaphors of meeting animals at a fence of communication and cries of anthropocentricity unconvincing as arguments, as it presupposes that AAC buttons inherently “cause” this or that owners don’t make similar mistakes reading body language and communicating with them non-verbally. Studies indicate cats took the first step by meowing TO communicate to humans, not the other way around! I see buttons as a way for humans to further cats obvious interest in making their feelings known to humans, rather than keeping innovation one-sided. He even laments that there aren’t studies that confirm the emotional states of cats, yet seems ignorant that the core idea of the They Can Talk Project is to study and learn of cat cognition and behavior with the help of researchers at UCSD! I’ve seen little to demonstrate his credentials as a cat behavior “expert” aren’t self-described. He appears to be a musician who fell into this role as a side-gig while working in and with shelters, not unlike Caesar Romeo, “The Dog Whisperer”- so I think his input as self-appointed “Cat Daddy” is pretty suspect in this area.
It is possible he has an ulterior motive. Though I would argue there's plenty clueless owners who still need his services and advice even if we start understanding animal communication much better. I'd like to think he's just being overtly cautious of the "everyday" person who sees someone on the internet doing the buttons successfully and decides they can just substitute learning about their animal with a gimmick. There are so many examples of people seeing someone who has put incredible effort to make a special situation work (parrot free flight training for example) and then jumping to doing it themselves completely unprepared and without the discipline it took the first person to make it work in the first place. This is obviously a detriment to the animal in the end.
I hope Jackson continues to learn and talk about this topic, or at least be more open to it. It's good to remember animals aren't people, always, but shutting down all new venues of study with that excuse is ignorant.
Thank you Ziggy, I don't see the AAC buttons as a threat. The number of people doing this is still very low. I respect Jackson, we do not know what or how many videos he has seen, it maybe he has not seen the right ones yet.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks I as well, respect what Galaxy and Romero are trying to do within their lanes, just that they overstate how studied and informed they are- to put it colloquially, they seem to lack “chops”. AAC communication with animals is far from a new phenomenon and there’s no shortage of videos in multiple languages of cats and humans communicating including on your channel. Considering Billi’s recent three year “buttonversity”, his video is late to the party, lazily researched, and his bad take deserves to be called out.
I totally agree with you, thank you for your comment!
Agreed. I don't like what he did in that video. I wouldn't probably go as far as accusing him of mystifying cat communication but I can appreciate a good shade and you cast one nicely 😀 I believe the buttons are one of the biggest inventions of our time. Galaxy truly deeply dissapointed me. I was already not sure about him because he sells some flower essences for cats which is not exactly science backed.
Absolutely subbed - Todd is splendid =) and - like Billi - is expressing more complex needs and desires than simply mashing the "food" button.
The thing about anyone calling fluent pet button usage just a "trained" response...I find that baffling. Have they never seen a small child first learning language though, association, repetition, and consistent modelling. What is that BUT learning language. How is it different?
The one thing I have longed for more than anything in my time with cats, is the ability to try and say - please trust, everything I do (even if you don't like it in that moment) is because it is in your best interest. I really wish it was possible. The very concept of discussing the need to have a medicine with a cat, trying to seek understanding that it will help with an "ouch" they are reporting, and get their consent and co-operation would be a dream come true.
Thank you, Valksy. I appreciate it and am glad you are here! Billi is amazing and the reason Todd and I are using the buttons today. I find it amazing how Billi has mastered the harder to teach concepts like "Before" and things like that. I am still trying to figure out how to teach Todd these concepts.
I have been watching Billi and Kendra talking about the medicine. I have a cat, Glamour, who will get very itchy skin in the fall and she needs medicine. She will not take it in a treat, when will eat around it and spit it out. I have to pill her to give it to her. She does not fight me after the first dose, I believe she understands it is helping her to feel better. I have always believed cats are far smarter than we give them credit for.
As far as Jacksons video goes, I don't know if you got to see it before it was taken down, I don't know what or how many videos he watch or what research he did. That's why I made the video, in hopes it might provide more information and lead to a discussion. I would love it if Jackson would reach out and talk to Billi's mom, or CatManJohn's, or me so we could answer questions or provide more video for him to look at.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks I didn't see the Jackson Galaxy video, I have watched a number of "button" users and find the evidence compelling that there is rudimentary genuine communication occurring.
I agree, animals can understand more than they get credit for. I had a diabetic cat who needed 2 insulin shots a day - she showed up on time for her jab and while she did flinch at the needle stick, she never struggled or resisted. I think she understood the cause and effect of how I was making her feel better.
First, yes a cat can express himself with buttons. That is proved in my opinion and Todd proved that too that’s obvious. That Jackson don’t get it, I can say, that i don’t get Jackson. 😅. That the cat sometimes mean a word in a wider sense, like “love” or other feelings, okay, but he understands it. And second, I am very curious dad, what Todd wanted when he was frustrated for two weeks. You sad now that you discovered it probably? What was it that he wanted? ( please forgive my language mistakes, I am a Dutch woman ).
Thank you Annemarie, your English is very good, I understood everything. I can speak no Dutch, lol. Jackson is very good at what he does and has helped many cat owners, I just feel he may not have all the information he needs to make a decision on this matter, and hope these videos will open a discussion. As to what Todd wanted, for two weeks he kept saying "Want What" and "Want Hmm". There was something he wanted but didn't have the words for and was trying to find a way of telling me with the words he had. It is like I am in your country but I only know 32 words of Dutch and I have to try to find a way of getting everything I need with just those words until I can learn more. I feel confident that Todd was telling me he was bored. I found the String Thing toy and added 3 more words to his soundboard. He has been happy and has not said Want What or Want Hmm again since. It is actually about time to give him his next set of words.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks Thank you for you’re answer! Yes I think you are wright with what you say about Jackson. But why wanting to convince him? And yes I hope you give Todd more buttons now, because he is very smart and more learning is less boring for him, I think. Thank you for sharing Todd with us. 🙏 I really love him and his talking attempts.♥️
@@annemariekrux3575 I am not want to convince him, I just want to have a discussion. He may learn something new and I may learn something new. It's not about right or wrong, I feel there is real communication from button using cats and just want the discussion.
I didn't watch Todd earlier but i am so glad to find another communicative kitty like that! i love how he comments on what he plans to do
Thank you, inu, I am glad you are here!
I’m with you on this, language can be a learned behavior, cheers!
He is smart cat❤
I think so too!
Jackson Galaxy responded to one of the comments recommending BilliSpeaks that he would try to interview Billi’s owner Kendra. I hope he does and watches more videos of cats using the buttons
That would be awesome, Kendra is a vet and I think she is very eloquent. I hope they talk.
What he should have done was interview Billi.
What an interesting little gentleman! He is *so* fast with some of those button presses :0
Thank you! Yes, I have found that if he is just casually making a request he takes his time and may paw at the button rather than pushing it. HE also will stop and think and touch buttons without activating them. Do I want to play Bird Toy or Laser Mouse but when he is mad or frustrated, he goes over and knows what he wants to say and quickly hammers the buttons. Lol
Unfortunately Jackson Galaxy is not the only one who's a button skeptic. I think it was last year one of the psychology-ish channels did a test video where ge atrmpted to do the buttons and it didn't seem to take. There were several flaws in his approach, though. One was that is was for only a month or so (humans need at least 90 days to reset a routine and truly learn different habits so how can we expect a pet to do better in less time?) and the second was that he tried to introduce multiple at once.
Thank you Christina, do you by chance have the link to the video you are talking about?
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks I've been trying to find the one I mentioned without success. There is on animal behaviorist that used some of Kendra's videos to showcase her skepticism. I'll post that one shortly.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks The one I think that I was writing about was from Neuro Transmissions and was about 2 years ago, right after BilliSpeaks started to take off. A more recent skeptic is KPassionate who is an marine animal behaviorist (in a related field to Kendra). Honestly what my dream study on this would be where the cats who are being taught with buttons are brought together to observe what happens. With that said, there's some ethical concerns Is have about that given what we know about unfamiliar cats in a common setting.
Then they have to use several cats if they want actual proof or study, cats have a very strong will, if a cat doesn't want to learn or isn't interested they wont.
It's possible that you may need a close relationship with with your cat too, so you can't just dismiss it if it doesn't work without looking at why.
Very interesting. He certainly makes some of the longest sentences in that first one.
I would say that telling you he's going to sleep is also an invitation for you to come with him. My cats and I nap together all the time, so that may be what he hoped to get out of it. He also might just like the attention of you talking to him. Of course, to get you to talk with him, he actually has to learn how to communicate properly with the buttons in the first place, so I don't think that invalidates communication.
One of the more interesting things I've seen this week if you're familiar with Billi Speaks is that tired of fighting with Billi about taking medicine, she's explained medicine to Billi and that Billi will only get food after medicine, which seems to have made Billi stop fighting about it and just take the medicine. So that seems to be genuine comprehension and understanding, otherwise why not keep fighting the medicine if you don't actually understand?
This became more interesting later when Billi actually reminded her owner that she should have medicine before getting her food. The medicine that she doesn't like, she's telling her owner that she's supposed to have it first and NOT get the treat of her meal.
I think how much cats understand varies from cat to cat. But I also think that with good training, cats can come to understand what specific buttons mean and put them together to express themselves. I think the emotional concepts like love and mad are going to be fuzzier and largely come across as feeling positive or negative. But positive and negative emotions are still a thing that they're actually expressing.
Thank you for your comments, Jennifer. He may have been inviting me to join him, I don't know. As it gets close to bedtime he does ask for Sleep Cuddles. We do cuddle in bed at night.
I am very familiar with Billi and I have seen the videos. Billi and Kendra are amazing. Billi is the reason I started with Todd. And yes, I believe they understand far more than most people give them credit for.
I agree that concepts like Mad, Love, and happy have broad meanings but I think the cats accurately group them in the right context.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks I agree cats will group emotions in the right general context. But to use Billi as an example again, just because I've watched a lot, sometimes mad means angry, sometimes mad means upset, and a lot of time mad seems to mean frustrated.
The mad button does a lot of contextual work.
Todd trying to convey mad as the opposite of love was pretty good thinking on his part with his limited (at the time) buttons. i also think it's interesting how much he wanted to communicate his emotions. It means he valued how he felt and he valued conveying that information to you. He prioritized it for some reason.
Ii was wondering if perhaps Todd was using it like saying goodnight, like i'm off to bed goodnight kind of way.
@@jenniferhanses well, if you only have one button for all negative emotions, you HAVE to use it in wide context. We can't really say they don't feel the difference because that's the only button they're given.
Todd is such a sweet cat, and smart! Best wishes to all of you!
Thank you! 😊
Yep Todd is one smart kitty ...he knows what he is doing....
I have had cats for years and have been pretty good at understanding what they wanted with looks, meows and pointing (by going to the objects/place) also their problem solving when they understand I don’t get it - to see these cats “talk” shows me pretty much the same, but made simpler for them, but with some bigger surprises when they add things they simply could not before. To see Todd being careful to hit the right button shows that he understands. Billy is a cat that takes the extra effort to tell her owner when she is mad, wonders about a sound or when fathers home. From a scientific stand point we don’t have enough data to confirm or disconfirm, but I think the data is going positive for the cat understanding more than we think.
Thank you for your comments, Stian. I agree you can see Todd and Billi being very careful about their button choice. When they make a mistake Billi will press "Oops" showing she knows what button she wants to push. I can tell when Todd makes a mistake too, he doesn't have an oops button yet but you can see him get frustrated, put his ears back and smash the right button. Lol There are studies going on right now like the one at TheyCanTalk.org and I think in the end they will find that this is true communication.
I'm not sure but that "sleep" button might need fixing. Lol Thanks for sharing this!
Thank you for the comment, Myraisins1. No, it's fine, Todd just tends to paw at the buttons like he is digging rather than pushing them down. I am always having to reseat buttons that he has pulled out trying to "push" them. Lol
This was my response to Jackson’s video:
“I think you are wrong.
Watching my first dog + buttons video I was not wholly surprised a dog could be trained to express him or her self with buttons. Dogs have a long history of domestication and working with (and for) humans through vocal commands. Though dogs lack the physical capacity for speech the buttons made sense to me that they could adapt to using them to communicate with humans.
The first cat + buttons video had me a shade more skeptical… Cats have a shorter domestication history with humans and generally don’t do trick or respond to vocal commands the same way dogs do. Generally when cats are working they are working alone catching mice. However having watched many cat + buttons videos of various different cats it seems to me they are using the buttons to communicate. They express their wants or needs and colour it with emotions too. I started as a doubter but now am a believer.
Perhaps dogs will be better with buttons, or quicker learners, or capable of using more words. I don’t know. But I do now believe cats can be trained to use buttons to communicate too.
On a side note I’ve even seen videos of a retired dairy cow that has learned to use a limited number of buttons. She does ask for food a lot (cows eat a lot) but her buttons also are used for other things too.”
That is a very good response, DBCuzitis
Do you have the name or link to the button dairy cow?
I would like to see that.
❤
@@CrankyBarista “Norma the talking cow”. Her sister cow is Nala (Nala annoys Norma sometimes)
@@DBCuzitis thank you!
Just watching this and agree with you about Todd's communication. Also, being frustrated about later is a natural way to learn the concept of time - ask any toddler ☺️ I love how clear he is when he is frustrated, he's telling you no and also using his cat language, keeping his back to you. Other times he communicates with you, he keeps checking in/facing you & waiting for a response.
I believe also, some cats will be very motivated to communicate with buttons. My 2 cats who I lost 4 & 5 years ago, showed this. One like glamour, communicating clearly with cat behaviour and a lovebug, the other one very keen to learn the meaning of different words. I think he would have absolutely loved buttons like Todd as he was seeking constant communication when he was awake. And responded appropriately to so many words and sentences. He would get me to follow him to what he wanted & I never focussed on training him, just being in tune with him.
I have a feeling Jackson may change his mind on this one. Experts can sometimes get stuck on one train of thought. Love all of your cats! Both Todd & Glamour bring back so many memories of my boys. Still catching up on videos so hoping to get to know Paulie a bit too.
Welcome, and thank you for your comment. It sounds like your two boys were wonderful cats. Yes, Glamour does an excellent job of letting me know what she wants with her body language and meows. I would live the opportunity to talk to Jackson about this and learn more about why he came to this conclusion and tell him all about what Todd can do. Again, welcome, and I'm glad you are here!
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks Thanks for the lovely welcome. I would love to watch you and Jackson have that conversation.
Thank you.
You can be observant and spend time with your cat. There are times when you have done all the things that are your routine with them and still end up scratching your head as to what they are wanting or needing. In those times I think it would be beneficial to have those buttons.
Todd is definitely communicating more than trained to push a button.
I agree completely , Penny. This is why I started this so he can tell me what he wants and also as he learns his body parts I want him to be able to tell me if he doesn't feel good and what hurts.
I just love that cats can communicate if they are in pain by using buttons. I heard cats hide their pain well otherwise.
I he had not told me I would not have known.
such a great cat !Todd is so smart and sweet.
Thank you
Todd is communicating with you both ways.
Svientists have proven cats are highly intelligent. They can count to 4, they can understand words too. Not all cats willingly use buttons. If they use it once, that is it. Othets like Todd and Billi use them a lot.
You have 3 cats, and Todd is the only one who wants to use the buttons. The other two do not.
I am glad my Indy doesn't shut the bathroom light off on me repeatedly when I use the washroom. Once was enough 😂 It is a button , not a switch.
Thank you for your comment, Krisinda. Yes I believe cats are highly intelligent and they understand far more than most people give them credit for. I thin a lot of it may be due to their aloof nature.
I have said pretty much my entire life that cats (animals in general) are smarter than most people give them credit for. I have seen and personally experienced just how smart our fur babies are.
I totally agree with you. I have felt the same way.
ok. After watching this I changed my mind about agreeing with J. Galaxy. thats one sweet smart kitty
Aww, thank you. It may be that Jackson just hasn't seen the videos he needs yet, and these might change his mind, too
I like Jackson but I think he hasn’t looked at enough data yet on this topic.
Thank you, J Mer for your comment. I would like to know how many and what videos he has watched before I can comment.
Sadly, some humans think they are experts, when it comes to certain animal topics, but they are not. J.G's video is back up. He knows a lot of stuff, has a lot of followers, but he doesn't know everything about cats - nobody does, nobody ever will! Anyone who thinks they know everything on a specific subject is full of themselves! Keep doing what your doing. I heard this recently - there's always going to be a wasp at a picnic.
It's interesting that he put it back up and appears to be unchanged, I wonder why he took it down.
I had a psychology professor long ago that felt that way. That's the old model of psychology. She was amazed when I showed her my dog knew the difference between going UP stairs and DOWN stairs. Yes, I think many pets are smart enough to talk to us. They just don't have the vocal control that we have.
I agree, the buttons give them that ability.
I KNOW they want to and can communicate as well. I think some have more desire to communicate than others but they def have the capability.
YEs, Todd is the only one of three cats who choose to use the buttons.
Watching cats like Todd and Billi, it is obvious they are using their buttons with intelligent understanding and purpose
I agree completely
I remember loving JG's videos when I was younger... Until one day he posted a video on why you shouldn't toilet train your cat. Basically his point boiled down to "cats are too dignified to use a human toilet" (as if a box of dirt is more dignified) strange to me how he does not want to anthropromorphise cats when he's watching other people's videos but does it himself in all his own. Dignity itself is a human concept alongside fame and legacy. Cats don't care how they are perceived by others, and it seems wrong for him to say people mistreating their cats when sometimes the cats are the ones who taught themselves to use a toilet from mimicking their people!
Wonderful video you made here, and the speed at which Todd strings together buttons is what really convinces me that he knows the buttons have meaning related to concepts and ideas, and not just tricks for rewards (even if that last sentence was a little mean! But understanding a "negative" feeling and expressing it together with the "no" button is astounding to me!)
Thank you, Clever Catchphrase, I appreciate the comments. I was a little shocked when Todd said the want dad no but I have to look at it like this. He had been trying to ask for something he didn't have the words for for almost two weeks. I was trying my best to figure out what he was saying and get him what he wanted. I knew he was getting more and more frustrated, and I think it just finally can to a head for him. I know he didn't really mean it like it sounded because right after he came to me for cuddles. It has to be so hard to try and ask for everything you want when you only know 32 words of the language.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks Have you considered that maybe he's using "no" to mean "know"? As in he "wants Dad to know/understand" what he wants? I realize you've never modeled that button in that way, and probably haven't made any special effort to teach the word know even without a button, but he has heard verbal speech all his life, and I'm sure you use "I know..." to convey that you understand something, which really can't be confused with the negative no, even though they sound alike. If those words were that easily confused, small children would have problems comprehending what we mean when we use no and know, but context makes it obvious. Of course this theory doesn't really explain Todd's "love you no"... I'd be less apt to think he means "I want you to know I love you" (he'd just say "love you") than "I don't love you" (typical spunky toddler talk). So maybe "want Dad no" is just another spunky toddler sentiment. Either way though, I bet he verbally understands "know" even though it sounds just like "no", and I wouldn't put it past him to repurpose that button for both meanings.
I actually kind of agreed with him on that video, his point was that is in a cats nature to dig and hide and which they can't do on a toilet. But at the same time my opinion is to give both options and if the cat keeps choosing the toilet then I don't see a problem and then you can even possibly after a while take away the litter box. But I don't think it's okay to force the cat to use the toilet as it's not natural for them, of course they will use it if there is no where else to do their business even if they don't like it.
Actually, JG was saying it's hard wired into to cats to dig and bury their waste and toilet training takes that from the cat. It has nothing to do with dignity. The saying it true people only hear what they want to hear.
I used to be skeptical about stuff like this when I first came across Bunny on Facebook, since it’s a bit unbelievable to say that you taught your pet how to talk. “Animals can’t speak” is one of the facts of life you learn growing up! But after I saw that video, RUclips started recommending a whole lot of them, mainly from the woman who started this trend (I think), and I was mostly convinced when her dog’s button for “beach” was broken, but her dog still attempted to communicate what it wanted, “big, outside, water!” Watching Billi, I’ve seen stuff like that more often, and it’s even more intriguing to see her walk up to her buttons completely unprompted!
I think the main issues people have, is the pets always look up at their owners and people always see it as that same response of that horse that learned math. Long story short, the horse did not know math, it was watching its owner as it tapped its hoof on the ground and stopped when he relaxed. The moment the owner was taken out of the equation, it couldn’t count anymore. It is obvious to me however that pets are looking up at their owners to make sure they’re listening.
And finally, it’s just that we’re taught that animals lack the capacity for communication.
I agree. I came across Billi first and was skeptical too. I later found Bunny, Steve, and others. I mainly focused on Billi and watched all her videos'. Billie is what made me decide to try this with Todd. There is a 3 part series video coming out today (Sunday) here showing just how amazing this truly is and the things Todd has done on his own. I only teach him single words/concepts the rest he is doing on his own. One of the most amazing things to me is like the "Big Outside Water" from Bunny where Todd will use the words he has to express something he does not have a word for and I have not taught him yet.
Wow! Todd is amazing!
Thank you 😊
I saw JG’s video. I always thought highly of him, until then! Maybe he was just trying to stir up controversy. He got blasted with many responses like these. Hope he reconsiders his position soon. All done.
Thank you for your comment, Jimo. I still think very highly of Jackson and the work he does for pets and their hoomans. That's why I shared these video's in hope maybe it will start a deeper discussion and we can all learn something more / new.
I too have always appreciated JG…but it’s going to be hard for many to come to terms with just how smart and sentient other species are as we begin to make great progress in breaking the codes of their communications and internal thinking processes! What’s even MORE incredible is…they are in effect translating AND learning our language code on top of it all! I guess we won’t need dog and cat whisperers at some point…job security issues?? Hmmmm?
So people should change their opinion because others disagree? Are you from North Korea?
Wow Todd seems to making a lot of sentences , where now when I watch he just gets to his point, here it seems like he was really trying to tell you ! ❤❤❤ amazing Todd
Thank you
I have lived with cats (non stop) since I'm 4 years old.
Am I an expert ? No !
I've learnt a lot about cats watching them and spending a lot of time with those beautiful creatures.
We rescued two kitties in 2000 and we ended up with an amazing family, it was so wonderful to see the dynamics of a family: how momma cat used to meow to call us to keep an eye on her babies while she ate, or first, where she chose to give birth to her babies (my bed !), years later one of her daughters gave birth in the very same place.
Now we live with 5 rescued cats, we're always at home.
Am I an expert ? Well, no. I know my cats. I think that I understand them quite well. They all have different personalities but we share something, we enjoy our quiet home.
Studies on cats are very, very limited. Now there are those buttons, I'm learning a lot with Todd, with Billy and with all those gorgeous internet cats. It's a fascinating world !
The way they used them in Todd's home, it's quite natural in my opinion.
Todd is not rewarded with treats each time he uses the buttons, Todd goes to his board to express himself, to communicate with his dad.
For me, no doubt, this is communication, free communication, there is no training here, just a beautiful cat chatting with his dad !
That is a beautiful story, and thank you for rescuing all those kitties! I agree with you, and the only "reward" is Todd getting what he asked for. I believe this is true communication.
Todd is 90% angelkitty and 10% naughtycat, just so we know he is REAL!
SUCH A GOOD BOY! ❤❤❤
Aww, thank you 😊
This make me so mad. To me it`s clear that cats express thought and have distingt personalities not just robots that responds to training and command! 😡 My cats don`t use buttons yet but we have talked about it. One of our cats use diffrent sounds for different places and when we mimic his ”words ” he goes to that room .
What bothers me most is Jackson Galaxy's video will cause people who knew nothing about this community to now seek out such videos and post negative comments.
Jackson admits in the video himself that he has a strong reputation for being a cat expert, he starts off making it very clear that he is someone he wants the audience to trust for an opinion on cats.
And using his prestige, he then delivers a biased "opinion" without having any effort to look into the actual subject of cats training on buttons.
He talks about dogs. Then ignores the entire research team in their work with cats. Ignores all the channels with Years of experience in the same research.
He makes every attempt to show limited effort, to make discrediting cats more reasonable.
If it wasn't deliberately to protect his bias, he was at least dangerously careless in his presentation of his opinion.
And it sends many new people in his community that trust his opinions to go and continue his baseless discrediting into a community of individual people with small audiences, the people who will be hurt most by a rude comment discrediting and or shaming them because Jackson Galaxy the expert they trust told them he doesn't believe in this whole thing he never bothered to understand.
Thank you for your comments, FlameEmber. I am not going to question Jackson's expert status, he has around 30 years working with and helping cats. I also do not know what research or how many videos he may have seen to reach his conclusion. I am hoping that Todd's video will at least get him to consider looking into this subject more and have a discussion with people working with cats learning to communicate through buttons.
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalks
I trust many of his opinions in what he researched thoroughly. I appreciate his actual expertise where he has earned it.
But then here's the most famous cat expert using his platform now to state not only is his opinion based without proper effort to even understand, he makes a point to state that cats aren't capable of this entire field of scientific study he refused to look into before presenting the whole wide audience of his that his expert opinion is that it's not real.
All the small channels who are now in the radar of someone who wants to dismiss it all as in the head of the cat owner is just...
Already, before this,
You could already go to BilliSpeaks most watched videos and sort by the newest comments.
See all the people coming into the video by way of the algorithm, with no other information or context to who Billi is or how she speaks.
There's so many disgusting comments.
Because people want to believe it's impossible. Want to call a person talking to their cat crazy. Want to dismiss it's a hoax for money or attention on the internet. Want to just be that person who justifies why cats can't be communicating.
And here's one more big push to send those people out to look for all of you and tell you how the most famous cat expert says your entire experience isn't real.
I love you and Todd. I love Billi and Kendra. I love Russel and Hannah. I love all the cats and their humans who built this relationship over many years.
I'm so personally disappointed I might not see the next cat and their beloved human communicating,
Because this negative attention might be the first or only engagement they get as they share the first videos of their journey.. 😒💔
I would respect of he thought no animals where capable of this because he doesn't have enough knowledge. But to hear a cat expert believe dogs can do this but not cats actually makes me mad, at least be open minded. Sure many cats are harder to train than dogs but to say that they are less intelligent, when you look at families with cats and dogs the cat often seems to be the leader (or at least someone the dog doesn't step on,), that to me at least is proof that the cat is as intelligent if not more intelligent than the dog in that family.
Billi Speaks is a channel that has a talking cat as well. I believe they do know what they are saying. 👍❤. Todd is a fluffy cutie
Thank you, Robin, I appreciate your comments. I am very familiar with Billi and Kendra, they are the reason I started this with Todd.
I have a theory that some people don't want to admit that animals can be as almost cognitive as humans. It is amazing when an animal like Todd can be bilingual. He understands concepts and then puts them into rational sentences.
Agreed
Ooh! I TOLD Jackson ( whom i do like very much) to spend some time with Billi AND Todd!
Aww, thank you, Sabine! I hope he will, I truly believe they are communicating with us more than just a trained response.
Awesome Todd!
BilliSpeaks another Awesome female cat.
Animals are much more Intelligent that we were been told by the scientists...
We are told many lies by those scientists....
It gives me the chills to think on those poor Cows Pigs Sheep Lambs Chikens Horses ect going to the Slaughter house...
I can very well UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE SCREAMING!!!
They sense things as much as us or even much better than us.
Thank you! I am very familiar with Billi, she is the reason Todd and I started the buttons.
So you, not a scientist is saying scientists are lying?
In a way, yes, it is trained, you have to teach (train) them what each button means, and how to press it. But when they start building sentences in their own like this, it’s beyond the training
Thank you, Anna, and that is exactly what I'm trying to say. I teach him string thing but when he says "Soon Play Todd String Thing" that is true communication and he is doing that on his own.
I wonder if Jackson Galaxy would say the same thing about young children with speech difficulties who use buttons like this to communicate. Galaxy saying that, says more about him than just being a skeptic. There are very clear issues with Behavioral Theory, if Cats and Dogs can be reasoned with, whats the point of using (B.F. Skinner) behavioral modification? If you give something a voice, that means you must listen. People in that realm of science do not like the idea of that.... And he sucks at guitar as well.
To be fair I don't know how many or what videos or research he saw prior to the video, which has since been taken down. That is why I made this video, in hopes it could provide more information and lead to a conversation about it. I do not agree with the statement that unlike dogs, cats can't communicate because they are not fully domesticated yet. I would point to Koko the gorilla who could speak in sign language.
I hope Jackson will reach out to Billi's mom or someone to discuss this and get more information.
Jackson needs to spend more time & have a more open mind. I walk dogs for a living & just know our pets have far more abilities then we think…
It's obvious cats are capable of learning how to use buttons to relay information and ideas, not just desires and demands. Sure, conditioning plays a role in their learning, especially at the beginning and with things like food, and at times they of course use them to achieve a desired effect or in association with a specific action. But the fact that we can also verbally communicate towards them once they learn the words, and that they can combine words to express things that were not formerly associated with them, I think cats lean more towards true use of the language they have than some dismissive people might expect.
That said, cats can also be conditioned to use the buttons in a more general sense, just by having them modelled and engaging with them, or being encouraged to do so. I'm sure many cats find it rewarding to communicate their thoughts they might not be able to otherwise, especially when they start to gain more complexity, like time scale and specific modifiers they tack on in tandem with other buttons. Because of the complexity of learning how to use and associate buttons, can it really be dismissed as simple conditioning? Or do cats realize and constantly experience the benefits of engaging with them as a method of communication? There are cats who practice long-term and consistent use, like Todd and Billi, which they display in observing the mundane in addition to just making requests and addressing needs, it's obvious they have decided that the overall experience is rewarding, that is, to engage in the exchange of the language as they have been taught. Of course that would take some conditioning to convince them of! I think they begin to realize the efficiency of them with humans, even just to supplement their own native verbalizations and body language. I think the only thing to be cautious of is to make sure they are associating words correctly since we are the ones who have to interpret what they've been taught. "Love you" is one I've had doubts that it means what we'd like it to, coming from them. But that's more association than conditioning - if it's not a request for the attention they get when it is modelled for them!
I agree with you Mars Todd, everything you are saying makes sense. The only thing I would modify is the "Love You" and "Mad" type buttons. Todd has only two buttons to express positive and negative emotions and as far as I can tell he always groups them correctly for the situation. I have always told my cats I love them, sometimes while giving them cuddles and sometimes just as I walk by. I believe while it may mot be love as we consider love I do think, at least with Todd, associated with affection. I believe Todd can learn to express different emotions and another viewer just asked me that question. He asked if Todd could learn the difference between Mad and Frustrated. I believe he could but I explained he only has 32 words right now and I feel there are many other words and concepts that will benefit more than different emotions. When he pushed the mad button when he sees me pull out my suitcase to go on a business trip I know he is not mad angry but mad hurt and sad that I have to travel again. When Todd get to where I feel he has a full board to let me know all his basic wants and needs I do plan on adding the other emotions and feelings.
Hi! I'm new to Todd's channel but I have been watching Billi for a very long time, from the earliest videos (have seen her move multiple times!). I totally respect Jackson Galaxy's ability to figure out what is going on with cats he has met, but this area of communication is so new, that since he has not done it himself, he's being overly cautious. I'm of the thought that these cats (and dogs) can communicate for more than just a reward or (or removal of a pain/annoyance). I hope JG can meaningfully engage with you and maybe learn something new, himself.
A continued conversation was all I was hoping for. I would like to find out what research he's done and seen and provide examples of Todd doing things far more than just push and reward. Welcome and I'm glad you are here!
@@TheChroniclesofToddToddTalksI think a continued conversation is needed. I took one linguistics class in college and wished I could change my major, but at that point it was too late. My impression when I listened to JG's argument was that he'd only seen videos of cats expressing "Love you," which can be questioned in my opinion. Not that cats don't love, however you want to define it, but that you can see their love through interactions. Ok, I get that. But I pointed out in the comments to that video that I wished I'd had the word buttons for my son's feral rescue who had a need to hunt indoors after he'd lived 8 years on the streets. It was a lot of time using trial and error to find out which toy prey he wanted to hunt. It might have also clued us in before Percy nearly crashed from kidney disease, if Percy felt any pain. And he might have been able to tell us that he had headaches from the brain tumor that we didn't know about until he was slammed with seizures that didn't stop for 2 days. He might not have been able to withstand cancer treatment, but we would have known when he couldn't bear the pain any more. I'd like to know the same with my current rescue, Ombre. All I have to go on are signs, but is the infection that wracked his body finally gone? All I can do is wait to see if the bite wound reopens, then call the vet to carry on with the next step in the care plan. I don't need him to tell me he loves me and is grateful, I only need to know how to help him, just like you and Todd.
Honestly we haven't had this line if communication available for long enough to actually make a propper definate line on how intelligent a cat is at communicating.
Honestly I think cats are more intelligent than most people think.
Though trying to figure out a "line" would be hard, I assume that cats like people fall on a bell curve of intelligence just like people.
Agreed, this has not been around long enough but there is a study on it for the last two years over at TheyCanTalk.Org. It's pretty interesting stuff
That is so awesome. I watch Billi and I love her, so now I have another genius cat to watch...love Todd too!
Thank you, Macster star. We love Billi too! She is the inspiration for Todd and I to start using the buttons. We are glad you are here, welcome!
I’ve been watching Todd’s videos with immense interest! I wonder what will happen if these “talking buttons” ever somehow get into the possession of farm animals?!
On a serious note, this time around I noticed that Todd mostly pushes buttons with his left front paw. I’m not sure if he does this generally, or just happened to be doing it this time - are cats consistently left-pawed or right-pawed, as most humans are left-handed or right-handed?
Most cats are left pawed. I have seen videos of cows and horses using the buttons.
Todd is such a great name. I love when cats have human names
Yes, I think it suits him perfect.
I have 2 cats currently using buttons and they both tell me when they want my attention, are hungry, when they want to play either with me or a specific toy!, I got a new food and one of them smelled it and went and pushed the NO button!! So I don't care what Jackson says...these buttons are totally revolutionizing our communication with them! ** I am in the process of recording and making videos of my cats talking!! Pretty sure it will blow people away..they were both born feral and one of them was feral his first year of his life
That is amazing and two in the same house! That is very rare. Please let me know when you get your channel up, I would love to follow it.
Aww sweet baby
Aww, thank you, Megan
A famous gorilla, Koko, was taught to communicate using American Sign Language. Koko knew the signs for bird and water. The first time Koko saw a duck, he signed “water bird.” Cats aren’t primates, but apparently their consciousness is sufficient to learn to communicate in this simple manner. Giving names consolidates consciousness. We do it all the time. Now . . . see if Todd can learn 2 + 2 = 4! In general, it appears animals can’t count. In the wild a mother with 8 pups will move them, for safety, to a secondary nest. After number 8, she goes back to bring another. Satisfied the old nest is truly empty, she returns to her babies. But may yet again go check the old nest.
If Todd knew math he would use it to try and wheedle one extra treat out of me. Lol Koko was amazing.
Glad you made this video
😊👍
Thank you, Kelly