Cats only meow because they want us to be their slaves

I suspect that talking to your cat is likely to make it more meowy, but there is a certain innate aspect to it that you can't change. We have a guest cat we are taking care of until our friends find a house (their apartment building doesn't allow pets) and he was almost silent for the first couple of months, but now he has become a real loudmouth around dinner time. He also was unresponsive when spoken too for several months, but he has now improved somewhat, so we think they just didn't talk to him.

Our own cat Henry only speaks when you first pet him, when he meows a greeting. If someone else pets him, he will greet them too. He has a very strong understanding of English, and responds well to explanations. For example, he has a bad habit of nipping me when he's hungry, but if I say "I won't feed you if you keep that up" he immediately stops.

Maybe he's telling you to clean the litter box...

My grandmother had a cat that would simply sit and wait on top of the refrigerator until the person she decided on walked by then Pow...feline on your head biting your ears.

Cats in heat are saying "spay me, please! Won;t somebody spay me!"

If it's a female cat they do tend to be a bit territorial...All I can say is "Fancy Feast"...works everytime

Our various cats are all very social...they hide out for a little while when strangers come over, but then come out to investigate and get acquainted. Our friends were over with their 6-year-old son Peter, he was petting Henry nicely for a while, then got bored and started fussing with his tail. I said, "Oh, you don't want to do that!" and he made a face and pulled Henry's tail. Henry smacked Peter's hand with his paw so hard you could hear the slap. Peter shrieked as if he'd been gutted. But there wasn't a mark on him, Henry had kept his claws in. Now he refers to Henry as "the biting cat."

Good story, somehow cat's seem to know just when to keep those claws in and just provide a warning and to really bring them out for protection.

So what is this cat saying? :)

Well, obviously this cat is saying how much he loves the person outside the cage, how delighted he is to be inside the cage, and then moving on to comment on the increased saltiness of this week's tuna (which is a state of affairs suiting him very well).

Geez...next time give me something harder.
*grin*

Are you sure there's nothing in there about being the spawn of Satan?

That cat is freaky. Almost as good as Pinky. ;)

Anchovies were too salty?

Seriously, if you know cats at all, you have to realize that cat is utterly terrified. It hurts me to see any animal that frightened. Why in the world would someone be filming the terror, instead of trying to alleviate it? People are so lacking in empathy to other living things. I just do not understand how we could be that way.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with you. The cat was terrorized by the camera and activity. Nobody stopped the terrorizing of the animal because the person filming it was entertained.

I love cats, I grew up with cats, including one we rescued from a litter in the woods. Regrettably, I seem to be becoming more and more allergic to them as I get older.

I think the noise coming out of that cat is one of the most disturbing things I've ever heard. I don't know if I would go with "terrified" over "mad as hell", but either way it is clearly in great distress and I do empathize with its situation.

Anyway I'm sorry if my posting this came across as insensitive, I just thought it was a novel example of "cat communication". (And I still think the poor thing sounds demon possessed)

I would agree the cat was terrified and initiating evacuation sequence, without success, panicking it further.

I miss my cat- he passed almost a year ago : (

It sucks losing a family member, but remember there are plenty that need resuing at any local animal shelter that's only going to kill them. and they're always willing to love you in return.

True. When our Fred died after a long battle with cancer, my girlfriend was broken up. Fred had been with her for 8 years, had actually jumped in the car with her when she moved out of her previous house, and she didn't want another cat. But I waited about a month, then took her down to the Humane Society on her birthday, where we found Henry, just a day away from the ovens. He climbed out of the cage and settled on her shoulders, and we said "Cute!!! He's a shoulder cat!!!"

That was the last time he did that, but it was enough to get him out of the gulag.

It's never easy having to go through that; dog or cat. They become and remain firmly entrenched as members of the family.

Never looked at it as which is better; just completely different in their perspective. Cats are usually more independent where dogs are litterally a "pack" mentality animal.

And your article is dead on. watch that mewing, worbbling, purring, kitten-like attitude vanish in an instant as the cat heads outside and becomes the silent predator for food nature tells him he is. Cats have mastered the ability to walk the fine edge of domesticated house pet and wild predator; easily crossing that line as they see fit. A truly adaptable creature.

I've always been amazed at how empathetic cats are. I saw a show on TV about custody battles over children, and one of the clips was of a little boy who was being put in the custody of his father. He was sitting on his mother's porch crying, and a big tabby was winding his body around and around him, obviously just as distressed.

A few weeks ago, I was doing hospice for a neighbor and he died while I was taking care of him. After everything was over with the paramedics and such, I went home and laid down on the couch. Henry came over and hopped on my chest and bumped his chin against my face, and then laid there and purred while I petted him. He's not a lap cat, so that was odd behavior for him.

Yeah...it is sometimes amazing the lengths to which they will go to comfort us.
Years ago, I was sitting crying hysterically on my stairs, and my cat got on the stair behind me and stood up on her back legs and wrapped her front legs around my back and just stayed like that for quite a while...it was the damndest thing.

Hmmmm... no wonder Egyptians considered them sacred animals.

You got cat hugged? That settles it, I'm definitely getting a cat now. Does anyone know where I would go to adopt one and what the process is?

Animal shelter...usually an application form and a small ($50-ish) adoption fee.
Classifieds...sometimes free to good homes, but you will have to go pay for their shots and neutering.

In either case, take them to the vet afterward and get 'em looked over, just to make sure they aren't carrying any illnesses or parasites.

After that, take 'em home and dose 'em up on catnip. *smile* Make sure you have a camera.

This is true. I don't own any cats; they co-habitate with me...on their terms as long a I keep that litter box clean.

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. ;)