Many people consider Italian to be one of the most beautiful and melodic languages in the world. And this seems to be true even when a cat is the one “speaking” it!

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The star of the video below is a truly polite kitty: when someone wishes him good morning, he immediately responds — in Italian, no less! Buongiorno! It’s probably not a case of Italian being his native language, nor has he signed up for a language course; it’s simply the way his sweet meow sounds. Still, there’s nothing wrong with smiling at it!

Could a cat really learn to speak? Even Italian?

Cats do not possess the cognitive abilities that would allow them to actually speak, and at this stage of evolution it is also physiologically impossible. Neither their vocal cords nor the structure of their mouths make speech possible. However, they do observe us and, in order to cooperate better, they also imitate us. They always try to use forms of communication that we respond to positively and actively.

This is essentially how meowing developed. Adult cats rarely meow at each other; they use other means to understand one another. Humans, however, do react to meowing, so cats use it as a tool to communicate effectively with us or to draw attention to themselves.

The full truth also includes the fact that although they are not capable of speaking human language, they do understand it — sometimes even hundreds of words. A living example of this is Billi, the “talking” cat. When we combine this with the fact that cats can vary the tone, pitch, and length of their meows, and that they readily imitate us, it’s not surprising that owners report more and more cases similar to the one in the video.

So anyone who talks a lot to their cat and responds in some way to its meowing — whether by meowing back or by using words — definitely encourages the kitty to vocalize more often in a similar manner. This is also something we can recommend because it helps strengthen the bond between owner and pet.

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