“Mr. Sniffles. Mr. Sniffles? MR. SNIFFLES!” You know your cat knows his name, your cat knows that he knows his name, and you both know that he’s ignoring you. Researchers know it, too, and have tested it by playing cats recordings of their names being spoken aloud by four strangers and their owners. Although cats displayed behavior indicating that they knew their names were being called, they still chose not to respond, even to their owners.

The study, which was published in the journal Animal Cognition, suggested that this was because cats, unlike dogs, were not domesticated to listen to humans, or to try to please them. “Historically speaking, cats, unlike dogs, have not been domesticated to obey humans’ orders,” the authors wrote. “Rather, they seem to take the initiative in human-cat interaction.” LOOK AT ME, MR. SNIFFLES! LOOK AT ME.