FluentPet says dogs first say ‘outside,’ cats say ‘treat’

FluentPet analyzed more than 50 million button presses from roughly 2,160 dogs and cats and found clear patterns in first words, word order and regional adoption. The results point to how pets may use sound buttons to express needs, social bonds and timing — and where talking-pet ownership is most concentrated in the U.S.

Why it matters: - FluentPet’s data suggests dogs and cats are not pressing buttons at random. - The patterns point to emerging ways companion animals may express needs, social connection and timing. - The findings also offer a rare large-scale look at animal communication behavior across thousands of households.

What happened: - FluentPet analyzed more than 50 million button presses from about 1,550 dogs and 610 cats. - The company said the most common first button word for dogs is “outside.” - The most common first button word for cats is “treat.” - FluentPet defined a “first word” as the first button a learner used on three separate days.

The details: - For dogs, the top first words were “outside,” “play,” “treat,” “potty” and “food.” - For cats, the top first words were “treat,” “play,” “food” and “scritches” or “scratches.” - Names such as “Mom” and “Dad” accounted for about 5% of pets’ first three words. - Cat vocabulary skewed toward social contact. Words like “scratches,” “brush” and “cuddle” made up 16% of cats’ early vocabulary. - When pets had both “Mom” and “love you,” “Mom” came first in 72% of households. - Time words tended to come last. “Now” appeared second 64% of the time in combinations such as “food, now,” “outside, now” and “play, now.” - “Later” followed the same pattern as “now.” - FluentPet said the system lets people record words onto individual buttons so animals can start with simple concepts and move toward names, places, emotions and time words.

Between the lines: - The results suggest animals may be combining concepts in consistent ways, not just repeating isolated requests. - CEO and founder Leo Trottier said the data reflects what households value most: the moment a dog or cat appears to learn how to ask for exactly what it wants. - Trottier also said the pet industry has not fully taken seriously the idea that dogs and cats have vivid mental lives. - The company’s data is shaped by the words humans choose to offer first, which usually begin with practical needs.

What happened in cities: - FluentPet said Seattle has more FluentPet households than Los Angeles despite having about one-fifth of Los Angeles’ population. - That gives Seattle about five times Los Angeles’ per-capita rate. - Portland ranked third among major U.S. cities. - California held the largest share of U.S. customers at 15.5%. - On a per-capita basis, Washington ranked first at 2.7 times the national rate. - Oregon ranked second at 2.5 times the national rate. - Colorado, Utah and Massachusetts followed. - FluentPet said the geographic analysis excludes Amazon purchases, which represent a significant portion of U.S. sales.

What’s next: - FluentPet says its growing community could help answer questions that were hard to study at scale a few years ago. - Those questions include whether cats and dogs use the same vocabulary differently, whether word order naturally emerges, and how animals respond to concepts like “now” and “love.” - The company’s broader business focuses on recordable sound-button systems and educational resources for people communicating with animals.

The bottom line: - FluentPet’s 50 million-button dataset suggests talking pets may reveal real patterns in how animals prioritize needs, relationships and time.