It may be just as well that I don't normally live by myself (Mr Life and Daughter 2 went up Snowdon today) because I'm finding myself talking to the cats quite a lot.It's possibly to get quite a conversation going with Sirius, the gentleman cat, though admittedly only when he initiates it, and even then his topics tend to be food related. His main opening gambit is "Mwah??????" (going up at the end like an Australian), which means "Are you going to feed me now, else I shall fade away and collapse in front of your very eyes?", though there's also "Mwah???" - less urgent: "I realise that you're sitting in the study, blogging, but I'd prefer you to accompany me to the kitchen and add some jelly stuff to the perfectly good meat - from which I have licked the jelly - already in my plate."
Cassie, the lady feline, has really only one piece of verbal communication and that's "Aaaah!!!!", which means "Put me down AT ONCE!!!!."
Both cats' communications are perfectly effective.
However their lack of response to my chatting hasn't stopped me, this weekend, from narrating my actions to either cat ("Right, I'm going out into the garden now"... "I think I'll have some soup") and asking them questions ("What have I done with the keys?")
What do you think? Getting a bit senile? Or do you do it too? (I imagine people also talk to dogs.)
I am so glad I am not the only one....talking to my cats and letting them know what I'm doing...but it feels quite normal at the time!
ReplyDeleteOh, this just makes me well up again. Yes, I absolutely used to do that with my cat, too.
ReplyDeleteFor heaven's sake, of COURSE you must talk to your cats! Try to avoid sickly-sweet baby talk, because they will only despise you, but any old topic interests them if said lovingly. And if said lovingly while moving towards the food cupboard, so much the better!
ReplyDeleteI even talk to the children. Which is even more pointless than talking to the cat.
ReplyDeleteD occasionally admits to me that he talks with Moby a lot when I'm not home. I always reply, "well, he's a very good listener."
ReplyDeleteTalking with animals is esential to maintain a healthy, happy life!
ReplyDeleteAs to talking with dogs.......
http://yourmanforfuninrapidan.blogspot.com/2010/02/some-things-i-say-to-my-dog.html
Oops that would be esSential.
ReplyDeleteI talk to both dogs and now the cat. Morty is quite the conversationalist at times, and will anwer me for at least 5 times before going off in disgust. I always tell Honey what I am doing.
ReplyDeletei talk to the babies in my life - they listen without judging, for the most part, and that is ever so much better than trying to make a point to their parents
ReplyDeleteI talk to Stan my black Lab all the time. i also talk to my orchids every day I spend far too much time on my own.
ReplyDeleteHell, I talk to anything that sits still long enough!
ReplyDelete8-)
Cats understand everything, though.
Yep - talking to them is fine, plus you can never really get into an argument! I still remember Cassie's little squeal when you pick her up!
ReplyDeleteOf course I talk to the cats! And the sheep (I often baa at them and they baa back), and the cows (moo!) and the birds - they're very chatty and friendly. And whatever else shows up...raccoons, skunks, possums, etc. (usually underneath the birdfeeder at night).
ReplyDeleteBut..back to the cats. Hannah is mostly a whisperer of sweet nothings, while Jasmine talks quite loudly, especially now that she appears, most unfortunately, to be deaf (quite a story in itself which I should one day blog about).
It would be rude not to answer when spoken to, don't you think? And they always seem willing to listen :)
We haven't any cats or dogs to talk to, sadly. Husband is often caught standing in the kitchen talking to the bluetits and finches on the window feeder and I've just been giving the car a piece of my mind.....
ReplyDeleteYou did say you seem to get more comments when you blog about the cats :) Mine has a nice line in complaints about the incorrect way the door has been opened - as in, 'If you had opened it properly it would be warm and sunny out there. Please do it again and properly this time.' But she has also one heck of a purr which makes up for a lot!
ReplyDeleteMom used to call it cupboard love when the cats would talk to her or with her in close range of the cat food cupboard....
ReplyDeleteI talk to myself all the time....And....I don't even have cats.
I do try to restrain myself when I'm out in public....but, still catch myself doing it. It's getting bad though.....