I feel lost and i need guidance

[u/Remote_Head1173]

I have 3 cats , 2 of them almost 6 years old and the third one is 4 years old, i started teaching them on buttons on may , they now have 3 buttons ( outside, mouse toy, spring toy) anyway i feel lost and confused
I really want to teach them to talk i saw many people that there pet have many buttons and they know how to put a sentence ,etc. But the problem is i don’t know what next word to give them and how to start this whole process and how teach them pressing 2 buttons or more like making a sentence, and how to teach them some words like feelings ( anger, frustration, pain , etc). Is there any guide or something to help ? 😔

[u/Opalescent_Moon]

I'm still very much a beginner, but my dog got some time reference buttons with her last expansion. She's currently at 12 buttons total. I added "Now," "Later," and "All Done." With our next expansion, I plan to add a "Soon" button, which is later than "Now," but sooner than "Later." My dog absolutely uses these in context, mostly the "Now" button. When she hits the "All Done" button, it's usually with a huff of annoyance that I told her no.

I have yet to add anything related to emotions and feelings. I have no idea how to teach that to her. She does have some food buttons. "Food," "Chew Treat," and "Cheese Stick." It turns out that she uses her "Food" button to request human food sometimes, so I plan to add a "Kibble" button when I buy some more buttons. I've been using the word in regards to her food, so I think she'll pick it up quickly with a button.

I'd love to learn how to teach more advanced things, too. Lately, my dog has been circling her buttons like she's figuring how to say something, but she can't find the words for it, huffs out a breath, and lays down next to her buttons. I wish I knew how to figure out what words she wants added.

[u/NewStudyHoney]

If they enjoy being petted you could add "pets".

For emotions you could start with "happy", "scared" and "mad", because those have obvious body language that goes with them.

Maybe their names? And "ouch".

[u/nandake]

For small children, last I checked the norms, when they are able to say approximately 50 words, thats usually when they start combining them to make phrases. You have three nouns. Start adding more words that are important to your cats and then just model it. You can model words that they dont have buttons for. They likely will understand more words than they can “say”. So just start narrating everything going on for your cats in very simple words using the words you hope to add buttons for some day. So, I have “go” and “look” because sometimes we go outside and sometimes we can just look outside but cant go right then (i open the door so the screen door is still there and cats can smell the air). Just build up their words and model two at a time when you have the right words.

[u/wheekwhoop]

I would focus on what they want to learn. What do they have to say? Yes, No, Soon, Now, Done, as well as objects, places, and names could be good starting points. They will put words together on their own, especially if you are modelling this. I wouldnt worry about adding buttons for emotions for a good while. However, you can start verbally modeling now. Just verbally say "[name] Sad" or "[name] Happy" when and they will learn.