Thanks to those who have answered so far. I think it's funny about "Get down from there." It reminds me that Beauty, my black girl, understands, "Beauty! Get down!" because she gets up on the high dresser to eat her sister's high calorie food instead of her diet food which is kept on the floor in the kitchen. She also understands "Back!" because she gets back from the door if she is trying to get out as someone is coming in. She is a silly because if she does get out, she is sorry and immediately wants to come back in - sometimes you can feel her little heart racing with excitement, or is it fear? - when she does manage to get outside sometimes, or even when we take her outside in our arms. Both she and Indigo may understand "Come on!" when said encouragingly to them as they are considering hopping up onto my lap. It's hard to tell if they understand, or if they are making up their own minds. It's also quite possible that it is the intonations they recognize, rather than the words per se. At one time, at least, Beauty would respond to the hand signal "come" from my son - palm up, fingers beckoning. Now she just responds to being called by name - and it is very cute when he calls her and she breaks into what he calls her "trot." She is roly-poly, and therefore not especially athletic looking, so she looks cute when she trots. (Can you tell I am completely in love with my kitties?)