By Elisa Black-Taylor
Why doesn’t my cat Coral meow? I ask myself that question every night as Coral jumps into my lap for some quality petting time. I’d like to tell her story, and then I hope some of you may have some answers for my non-vocal cat.
Coral has been with us for over two years now. She was rescued from Greenville County Animal Care Services back in 2011 at the same time we rescued a cat named Jane. One of my friends from New York who’s very involved with GCACS asked me if I could take both cats. Jane went on to find her own family, but Coral has decided to stay with us on a permanent basis.
Coral’s paperwork at the shelter listed her as a stray. My daughter and I believe she was a stray, mainly because of her ears. Her ears were full of ear mites. We took her to the vet and got the medicine to treat her. She passed her physical as far as being healthy, other than the infestation of the mites. It took a good month to get all the gunk cleaned out where she’d have pretty ears.
Laura and I often wonder why anyone would turn her into the shelter. She never meows, always uses the litter box and isn’t fussy about her cat food. In other words, Coral is the perfect cat. Except she’s quiet. We’ve heard a hiss or two out of her when one of the other cats try to intrude upon her petting time in Laura’s lap.
Coral was often called our cat with no personality. That was before she let us know how much she enjoys chasing a laser light. It’s the first toy she’s ever played with. And she loves to drink out of a faucet. I’m more likely to see her taking a drink from the tub faucet than from the water bowl.
Coral is also beautiful. Not that beautiful will keep a cat off of death row. You all may remember Coral from the comment I made on Michael’s article here about being able to pick your cat out of an I.D. parade.
I commented on confusing Furby with Coral all the time. From the rear, they look identical to me. Laura says Coral is a slightly lighter color. And if I pet her I can tell the difference. She’s our softest cat. Her name should have been Cashmere.
I wonder whether Coral could have been feral at one time, since feral cats are known for keeping silent. Her ears were certainly dirty enough for her to have lived outside for a long period of time. Perhaps someone who just enjoys trapping cats and turning them in to the shelter caught her. We’ll never know. And Coral refuses to give up secrets about her past.
We’ve only had one other cat who kept silent for a very long time. That was Sealy. We pretty much know he was a feral. He still has feral-like behavior, such as he enjoys prowling for food. It was close to eight months before he ever meowed, and that was when he wanted out of my bedroom and the door was closed. He’ll also jump on top of Laura and meow for his breakfast. For the record, Sealy has the LOUDEST meow of any of our cats. He just doesn’t “talk” very often.
Any ideas on why Coral doesn’t meow? She’s healthy and friendly otherwise. I’ve never had such a quiet cat.
There are some pet friendly beaches around and I sure wish I could bring Monty. But what if someone had their dog there? He hates dogs. He hates riding in the car. But he’s so fascinated with water. I think he’d like the way the waves come up into the beach and recede again. But he’s just not a cat who likes to travel. I can’t explain that he’d like it once he got there. I’d love to put in some kind of water feature in our back yard. He would find it interesting. He’s been pushing rubber ducks into the bathtub again and enjoying the splash.
I think I might get a plastic kiddie pool (make that kitty pool) this summer and put an inch or two of water in it. Then I’ll use a fishing lure (hooks removed) in the water as a toy for him to chase. The cool water would feel good on a hot day. I could put a little step in the pool so he could sit on that and go into the water as much or as little as he wanted. It would be shallow so be wouldn’t get drenched, but a little cold water on the paws would help him cool down a bit, I would think.
Is that right? Tina Turner is a cat lover – and ailurophile? I bet she can’t spell that word 😉
Okay, Babe. I am listening to Tina Turner right now, and she loves cats, just like ALL of us on this website. >..< cheshire.
Lake Michigan is sort of like the ocean. You can’t see the other side, it can get really wild with huge waves just like the ocean and I guess it even has tides, but in a small way and they aren’t as noticeable as the ocean.
I’ll have to try to find that, Caroline!
I love Garrison Keillor! My favorite is his “Young Lutheran’s Guide to the Orchestra.”