It’s common, these days, for people to put words in a cat’s mouth. There are quite a few cozy mystery series with talking and thinking cats. Cat-driven blogs abound. And what about all those cat shares from the Internet where someone narrates in the cat’s voice. How many of those words and phrases you see ascribed to a cat do you think are realistic?
I think most of us with cats will sometimes give our
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cats a voice—“Awww, do you love your mommy?” “Are you trying to tell me you want to play?” “Are you bored (hungry, angry, hot, cold, scared…)?” But most of us with cats don’t need to rely on the spoken word from Fluffy, we “listen” to her body language. I don’t know about your cat, but ours tell us when they’re hungry, when it’s their treat time, when they want to snuggle, and when they absolutely do not, and that they don’t appreciate being shoved into a carrier and driven someplace in the car.
Sophie begs for combing and petting. Lily begs for water running straight from the faucet and handouts from our dinner plates. They let us know when they’re in a playful mood and when they’re not and when they object to our style of play or having their nails trimmed, for example.
Our cats communicate using their whole body. They might move toward us or away from us, roll over on their back, sit on the book we’re reading, hide under the bed, or simply use their eyes, ears, tail, claws, and sometimes their teeth to make a point with us. Just yesterday, Lily became impatient to be served lunch and she hopped up on my desk and sat on the manuscript I was working on. When I continued writing, she grabbed my hand in both paws and began biting me.
No, cats don’t need a language. They speak volumes. All we have to do is listen (watch).
You got that right. My Katie when I would come home late and had been with a dog she would turn her back to me and when I called her name she would flick one ear at me.