Cats

My cat Natalie seems to understand the nature of questions in that they demand a response. She often does not respond to statements. She does follow commands (usually) without commentary. When I ask questions, though, she is incredibly chatty. This is not a new observation, but it seems worthy of a revisit today because she is talking a lot. I still have no real idea what she is replying, but she controls the sound and volume of her murmurs and meows to convey some sort of message.

She greets me at the door when I get home and makes a meow-chirp noise that I can only assume means "Hello" as it is two syllables. I wonder how much is mimicry and how much is true understanding of sound communication. I adopted her from the Humane Society on the earliest day they would allow me to, so it's safe to say that she didn't have a lot of influence from other cats as she matured.

Alison, on the other hand, is an extremely quiet animal when it comes to meowing. I didn't get her until she was, perhaps, 7 months old. She had been returned to the Humane Society from another family. She is still accustomed to being held like a baby and being "dolled" up, which tells me that there was probably a young girl with whom she lived prior to being added to my family. When she sees little girls with long, blond hair on TV, she has run up to them and started purring. I find this quirk a little odd for any animal.

There were some behavioral problems for the first year or so, and I am certain that she was abused. She even used to cower and run if she did happen to make a meowing noise. It was not in play, either. Her irrational fear of normal household items has taken many years to train away. Peeing herself when she'd see a broom or rolled up magazine or newspaper was almost enough to make me take her back to the HS, but I made a commitment to the animal, and I did not break it. She no longer fears me or these objects, although she hasn't warmed up to the broom, even though it is no longer a threat.

The noises she makes are based on what she can manipulate with her paws. She loves plastic bags and seems to enjoy crinkling them early in the morning they way young children do to irritate parents or siblings. I have found stores of bags tucked away in places I can barely reach, so there is some prankster-like attitude in her character.

Why did I write all this? I don't know. Perhaps Natalie's responses to my questions earlier today got me thinking or perhaps I am trying to avoid writing lesson plans.