Question for cat people of the Lounge

[ganeshji]

Do you speak fluent cat? That is, can you tell by the way your kitty meows what he/she wants? Or can you just look at them and tell? Does your kitty have a "language" that is only discernible to you? How do you communicate with them?

[GoneOffShore]

1. Yes and no

Pretty easy to tell what the cats want and who they want to kill - usually each other.

I did read about a guy who talks to turkeys though.

[Rosemary2205]

2. Cats are like babies.

If you just pay attention for a few weeks it's easy to have the language down pat.

I'm not as good at reading other cats though.

[Left Is Write]

3. I speak "Dino" definitely.

He has various meows for the following things:

1. I'm hungry, dammit. I'm down to only 100 pellets in my food dish. Fill it up, woman.

2. I'm thirsty, dammit. I've sullied my water with food remnants. Let's clean it up, pronto!

3. I looooooooooooooove you. Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me! Scratch me!

4. I'm cold. Pick me up.

5. Ew! Litter box, woman! I've left a Tootsie Roll the size of Rhode Island in there - scoop! Now!

6. I want to play. You've been sitting there for two and a half minutes, which is two minutes and fifteen seconds too long. Throw me the mouse! Play! Play! Play!

7. I am cranky. I want to take a nap. There is something in my nap spot du jour. Move it.

[Rosemary2205]

4. LOL :)

PERFECT!!

or should I say puuurrrrfect.

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. Apparently

you also speak fluent "Lucy."

:rofl:

[MorningGlow]

5. Only one of our three cats speaks

She's our little pisspot--oldest of the three (as far as the vet can tell--they were all strays), last one we adopted, and the smallest--about the size of an 8-month-old kitten, but she's around 9 years old. She OWNS DH and she knows it. Her vocabulary is as follows:

Pissy peep #1: Feed me.

Pissy peep #2: It's time to go to bed and I shall sleep between your knees so I am not pounced by the other female (aka Lardass). Upstairs NOW or I will nag you with more pissy peeps until you obey.

Pissy peep #3: Right. I just got pounced by Lardass. I shall now go poop in a place other than my litter box to send you a message.

[SoyCat]

6. Yes! I am even fluent in cat mannerisms. That even applies to cats I've just met.--

When I was a kid and had just moved to FL, I managed to call a new neighbor's stuck cat out of a palm tree just by meowing to it. I think they thought I was nuts.

Then again, it also applies to certain breeds of dog. German shepherds automatically love me; it usually freaks their owners out when they instantly display the submissive stance and act like puppies!

[ganeshji]

7. I always thought that I could understand cats pretty well.

I guess I don't though because I have a stray cat that started following me around when I go outside and he just talks and talks but I have no idea what he wants. I fed him, he turned up his nose. I tried a different food. Nothing. I tried to pet him and he flopped over on his side and just stared at me but wouldn't let me pet him again. I finally walked away to go inside and he started crying at me and running behind me. When I stop he stops. When I go inside he sits on my windowsill and cries. I don't know what he wants. I don't get it.

[SoyCat]

8. I believe the cat really likes you and is just a bit nervous. The fact that is flopped over shows

that it will eventually let you pet him/her. Right now, it is just getting to know you. Try some high-pitched chirpy meows the next time the cat is conversing with you. It will recognize them as loving meows because that's how mother cats talk to their kittens. Cats tend to get positively blinky when they hear the high meows; it takes them back to kittenhood.

Edit: Add pluralization (oops)

[ganeshji]

10. I will try it.

He's outside right now.

[China_cat]

18. Maybe he just wants you to talk back to him.

[cwydro]

9. Absolutely

but I think it's mostly telepathic. Same with the dogs. Though they all have different sounds depending on their needs...

[LynneSin]

11. I speak quite fluently

Especially Evita, not only do I understand what she's saying, I can read her body language AND her eyes quite easily

[some guy]

12. no.

I pretty much just go feed them whenever they're bothering me, and hope that's what they wanted. :eyes:

Some times we fight about whether they should be on my lap or not, but that doesn't involve language skills; they just try to jump up on my lap, and end up digging claws into my leg...

[BarenakedLady]

13. Yes

Mostly, it is "Feed us, you lazy fucking bitch. Like right now." or "Pet me, you lazy fucking bitch. Like right now, while I drool on you." That's pretty much about all they say to me. :rofl:

[SoyCat]

14. Let me guess; is it a boy cat that drools on you? All my boys have been droolers

except my current one.

[BarenakedLady]

15. Yes, they both are

But I had a female cat a long time ago that was even worse...ewww

[SoyCat]

16. I've been lucky to not have female droolers. Eww, indeed. (Not the most endearing kitty trait!)

[SOteric]

19. I've been told I do speak fluent cat, though

rather than discern a specific 'language' in StirFry's intonation, we've developed a kind of communication system.

If he's hungry, he leads me to his dish. If he's thirsty, he leads me to his water bowl. If he wants to snuggle, he leads me to one of two spots we traditionally snuggle. If he wants to play, or get scratchies, he brings me his toy, or bats around something nearby, or brings the brush in his teeth.

If he doesn't feel well, he tends to come up looking for attention without a specific need or direction. So, he knows he'd like me to fix something for him, but he doesn't know how to tell me what. In which case, I observe his behaviour, eating habits, litter box, and grooming for clues to the nature of his discomfort.

In general, he's the world's greatest cat. He waits for me to wake up in the morning and comes to snuggle as soon as the alarm goes off. He comes running up to greet me when I get home from work. He sits quietly waiting for me to finish my work, even after he's 'paged' me for my assistance.

[flamingyouth]

20. We speak to all of our cats and they talk back.

One of our cats is deaf from birth and it's been interesting communicating with him. He makes great sounds - he has the loudest purr you've ever heard and the most wonderful trills. :D He knows when we're talking to him, he always looks right at our faces and he talks right back. :) All of our cats are real talkative.