A Chinese man says his cat can clearly pronounce his own name.

Mr Sun, from Beijing, says two-year-old Agui says his name when he gets frightened.

“Last year I was helping him take a bath, and he was scared of the water. After couple of ‘miaows, I heard a clear ‘Agui’,” he said.

“At first I doubted what I was hearing, but he kept calling his name, very clearly, and sounding like a child.”

Mr Sun says that from then on, Agui has said his own name whenever he is frightened.

“At bath time, when he gets a shot from the vet, or gets scared playing outside, he cries out, ‘Agui’,” he added.

The Fangzhuang Pet Hospital has filmed Agui saying his name when Mr Sun pretended to give him a bath.

A hospital spokesperson said repeatedly hearing his own name would have made an impression on Agui which comes out under stress.

“If the owner can give him systematic training, the cat should be able to speak more Chinese,” a spokesperson claimed.

(Ananova via James)

By Sun Tzu on 22-03-2007