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Mr Henry | Talking Bengal

@mrhenryknows

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🎩 Distinguished gentleman 📍London, UK
💬 AIC via accidental cognitive linguistics
👊🏼 Hand choice native + 🔘 Optimised buttons
👇🏼 AIC guide + discounts

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Henry learned to boop hand choices long before buttons.

I taught him to choose between toys, scritches, and brush within days of his arrival as a 1yo chaos gremlin. By popular demand, this carousel is a quick guide on how to teach this without using treats.

My top tips are to start with non-food physical objects, and build it into a routine like daily play or grooming - *not* a training session with food rewards. The reward is getting the option they chose, not treats.

🚫🍗 Why No Treats (YMMV)
Henry was very food motivated. I worried that he would boop any hand and be happy with whatever treat he got. I also believe that without treats, it’s not like trick training with a ‘correct answer’, so they’re more likely to focus on what they want.

We’ve been doing this for 3 years, since Henry was adopted. He can now boop to say he’s had a bad dream… 💭

As a first-time cat mum, I couldn’t read body language well yet but wanted to give Henry agency. Boops became our system. The aha moment people get with buttons? We had it first with boops.

When buttons arrived, community focus on independent pressing led me to try to reduce boops to move him over. He resisted. Then a conversation made me realise that in the buttonsphere, hand choices are considered supplementary to buttons, learned by more experienced users. For Henry, it’s the *other way round*.

Henry is very attached to our OG comms system, and who can blame him? It was how we first found connection, with our common language. In trying to follow button best practice, I nearly walked away from the foundation of our relationship.

Now, Henry prefers using his nose over his paws *cough*lazy*cough*. We happily communicate with both methods, and *he* chooses which. This is your reminder that buttons are but one communication channel ❤️

More tips in the comments!

🔘 Henry’s a 200-boop cat learning to button. We use hand choices and AIC buttons to communicate. If you appreciated this post and want to get our buttons, use MRHENRY for a 12% discount off @FluentPet.

#talkingcat #talkingbuttons #bengalcat #FluentPet #AIC taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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5 months ago

What’s the most unique part of Henry’s soundboard?

Probably the button box that he bops to indicate he wants a new word (temporarily) or button (permanently). Intrigued? Codesign is featured in our Highlights.

Henry started choosing his own buttons at button 13, because he knew how to choose, had 100+ words to choose from, and I thought why not? But I realised that we would quickly run out of space to accommodate his vocab, especially as it’s doubled since.

Enter the optimised board. It’s deliberately curated to work in conjunction with hand choices, within our limited space. As a result, it’s pretty advanced for its size (~65% abstract).

This means we (seriously, we) vet words carefully to see if they’re worth a button, or if hand choices will cover it. We don’t talk about button count here, to avoid perpetuating the misconception that it’s a measure of ability or progression. We’d encourage you to look at how words are used instead.

The button list is roughly in the order added, top to bottom, left to right. It looks jumbled, but Henry already knows all the words before they go on buttons. So we’re adding for utility, not for teaching. I’ll add some examples of how we decide on words in the comments.

If you’re hoping for inspiration, look less at the order and more at the variety of words to see what looks useful.

Ask us any questions in the comments!

🏷️ If you’ve made it this far, we have a 30% discount code to give away for @FluentPet buttons! DM us with how you’ll use it to win!

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | talking buttons | cat buttons | clever cat | animal cognition | animal intelligence taken in London, England by @mrhenryknows

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25 days ago

PSA cat pawrents, prioritise a PEE button over body parts!

Healthcare is a key reason many households start buttons. Urinary issues are common in cats and can be fatal in males. Medical presses are always intriguing, but have you ever seen one with this level of specificity?

The coolest part is where Henry leads with HOT PEE, even though he has both OUCH and ITCHY buttons nearby. I suspect he was referring to a burning sensation.

Maybe it felt so weird that HOT was the main thing he wanted to tell me. And only after I asked about OUCH and ITCHY did he realise oh yeah, that too. Henry has always been a very specific user of words.

The PEE button was one week old, talk about timing! I think this was very mild when we caught it.

▶️ The full version, including him explaining what was ANNOYING about the situation and choosing the way he took his MEDICINE, is now out on YT (@mrhenryknows)! Also linked in bio.

🩺 Disclaimer: Yes this was probably non-bacterial so technically not a UTI (nor does it develop into one); just trying to make it more human-friendly 😅. I believe the burning sensation may exist whether FIC or UTI…

🏷️ Use code MRHENRY for 12% off @FluentPet buttons to start your own communication journey!

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and talking buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | talking buttons | cat buttons | clever cat | animal cognition | animal intelligence | pet requests vet visit taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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a month ago

Did Henry effortlessly dismantle this old trope?

As with all words, I’ve modelled BRAVE for ages before putting it on a button. It’s not only something he understands, I suspect he actually aspires to it.

I’ve watched him calm himself and stop yelling when I tell him to be BRAVE. And he told me he was a dog because dogs are brave, though at the time I didn’t quite believe him.

So is it far-fetched to think he has some admiration for hungry cats he can’t see? I don’t think so.

Of course he doesn’t know where Africa is. But I’m pretty sure he’s inferred that it’s somewhere else. He knows the world is bigger than our house.

Was he trying to fob his wet food off on them? Quite possibly👸🏼🍰

🏷️ Use code MRHENRY for 12% off @fluentpet buttons for your learner to practice royal philanthropy!

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and talking buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication for animal cognition taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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2 days ago

If you’ve been following a while, you’ll know about Henry’s FEEDER obsession…

When a button doesn’t get a frequent YES response and learners stop using it, it’s called extinction.

When language learners can’t use a word and talk around it, it’s call circumlocution.

Henry knows that most of the time I say NO to FEEDER. It’s either on a timer, or he hasn’t eaten his wet food yet.

So naturally he’s testing all other alternatives to the word just in case.

So far, instead of FEEDER, he’s said MORE, MACHINE, OPEN, GO. And stared at the feeder. He’s a pretty effective communicator!

Our free guide to AIC our way is ready! Sign up at the link in bio.

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and @fluentpet buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | talking buttons | cat buttons | animal cognition taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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5 days ago

A food choosing session gone wrong... 🐟🍤

This was *not* a collab, just to be clear, it’s tongue-in-cheek. I paid for it with my own money 💸

I got a few of the tuna with shrimp since I know he likes prawns. Which he proves by choosing exactly that.

My mistake was telling him it was prawn food. In my head that’s how it was differentiated from the others. To his nose, that was a big fat lie. It doesn’t smell at all as prawny as his current Lily’s favourite.

Welp you can be sure if we ever recommend anything it would have passed the strictest standards.

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and talking buttons to speak his mind.

#talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat #lilyskitchenpetfood Augmentative Interspecies Communication for cat food review | animal cognition taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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8 days ago

I made the rookie error of leaving a box of food unopened overnight.

I also stupidly told Henry it was his NEW FOOD.

It probably didn’t help that he starved himself that day waiting for FEEDER instead of eating his wet food. He smelled the packet of kibble inside.

Looking back at this though, in the moment I thought he was asking to do FORAGE (where I hide kibble and he finds it). But then I remember that he’s learned to explain everything to me.

Was he explaining he had a midnight FORAGE?

🏷️ Use code MRHENRY for 12% off @FluentPet buttons so your furry friends can explain their criminal inclinations!

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and talking buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | cat buttons | animal cognition taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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10 days ago

Because he’s happy!

Henry had a great day going outside, chilling in the lobby practicing BRAVE, many pets, and then a bunch of new buttons including KISSES!

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life 🧘🏻

We’ve been quiet because I’ve been busy! Busy building a thing! If you’re interested in teaching AIC like a scientist, sign up to the waitlist in bio for our free guide

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and @fluentpet buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | talking buttons | animal cognition taken in London, England by @mrhenryknows

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13 days ago

Henry’s negotiations are reasoned arguments.

The rule in our house is if you don’t finish your food you don’t get more (otherwise he would refuse wet food and wait for FEEDER). So this was entirely self-inflicted.

He hadn’t finished his wet food by bedtime so he missed the feeder round. But he did eat it overnight. So he demanded his dues the next day.

But this is not vending machine behaviour. He laid out his argument logically. He has eaten the food now, so deliver the FEEDER. It’s compensation.

I think he mirrors my style because when I talk to him I explain what and why things are happening. So he thinks this is the way to communicate. Explain everything. Fascinating stuff!

I’m building a thing! If you’re interested in how I taught Henry to communicate at this level, sign up to the waitlist linked in bio.

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and @fluentpet buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | talking buttons | cat buttons | animal cognition taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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16 days ago

The aftermath of the redundant vet visit…

The vet? Fine👌. The bus there and back? Don’t remind him 👎

Henry learned REMEMBER through many of these types of modelling sessions (mostly just verbal), where I recount his eventful day. I think recapping distinct events that he can place in the past helped with context. He enjoys this especially when it was a good day we’re recounting 🥹

This REMEMBER I decided to use buttons to encourage him to use them too as he’s been slacking off lately. You can see how much I have to walk up and down the board to get to the words I want. It’s no wonder he chooses to go for keywords then waits for me to offer hand choices for the actual sentence. You can also see how I use events to model lots and lots of words!

I’ve linked a video of one of his first SETTLE presses. I taught SETTLE as rest, sleep, and of course he repurposed it against me.

🏷️ Use code MRHENRY for 12% off @FluentPet buttons for your furry friends to review their transportation!

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and @fluentpet buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | talking buttons | cat buttons | clever cat | animal cognition | animal intelligence taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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18 days ago

Are learners just pressing the nearest buttons? Researchers have found that when boards get big, learners get fatigued from having to walk across to press multiple buttons.

This was day 2 of Henry’s mysterious side OUCH. And the second day he was prodded by me trying to establish where exactly the OUCH was.

He previously pressed ALL DONE when he wanted me to stop touching him. I can only imagine how quickly his brain was processing to realise that button was under him. This time he uses one of his newer buttons, ALONE. Both meant the same thing. Leave me alone, Mum!

Unfortunately the vet couldn’t find the OUCH but she said he seemed healthy, and when I checked again over the next two days he said the OUCH was ALL DONE, so don’t worry.

On the bright side, it was a slower day at the vets so she actually took time to watch some videos I brought about Henry pressing buttons! Count that as a win!

🏷️ Use code MRHENRY for 12% off @FluentPet buttons to let your furry friends alarm you with their health status alerts!

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | talking buttons | cat buttons | clever cat | animal cognition | animal intelligence taken in London, United Kingdom by @mrhenryknows

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20 days ago

Sometimes (ok maybe a lot of times) we get pretty cryptic presses with our learners.

It doesn’t mean they don’t know what they’re doing, or pressing random buttons. Usually it’s us who failed to understand.

If Henry goes for helpdesk options l usually try to help. But to help, I need to actually know what the issue is. Sadly he doesn’t use a lot of nouns…

FIX has been used to fix issues with sounds, smells, buttons, meals, and correcting situations that were not up to standard. Fixing a living thing that is broken is a new use case, which I’ve never modelled.

Could he be talking about himself?

🏷️ Use code MRHENRY for 12% off @FluentPet buttons to start your own cryptic communication journey!

👊🏼🔘 Henry’s a multi-modal AIC communicator who uses hand choices and buttons to speak his mind.

#FluentPet #talkingcat #smartcat #AIC #bengalcat Augmentative Interspecies Communication | talking buttons | cat buttons | clever cat | animal cognition | animal intelligence taken in London, England by @mrhenryknows

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22 days ago