Find out what your cat says

Your kind words are very much appreciated. Cats are amazing, if only given the chance. Here's a case in point...

Night before last, just as I was falling asleep, I heard this ungodly CRASH coming from the kitchen. I thought the worst, of course, as I flew out of bed. Come to find out, Sadie had, quite literally, launched herself onto the 1st shelf of a built-in that held Tupperware in order to grab a field mouse that had apparently made the mistake of entering her domain. OMG, what can you say but "Good girl, Sadie! Such a good mouser!" to which she looks up, wiggles her bum and goes right back to mouse patrol while I drag my sorry behind to bed. She never caught the mouse, mind you, but was determined all the same.

This coming from a cat that I feared was nearing the end the previous week when she refused to eat. She loves her vet because he coos in her ear and she gently touches him with her paw, no claws. Yep, cats understand - don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

Hi Gail. Thank you for bringing us back on the subject of humans and cats understandingg each others. 😉
Yes, an old cat like Sadie has probably picked up quite a few human words over they years and that in combination with reading body language and knowing our routines will tell her what you mean. She'll have no need for any application like the one in Google's April fool. 😉

Yep, Sadie is really 16 years young! I got her when she was 5 from a co-worker who married and was moving out of state and couldn't take her. Since I was her 4th human, she decided I would be her last. We've developed such a close bond that we seem to read each other's mind and mood.

When I say "Want to go outside?" she will run to the door with her body harness and wait for me to put it on. She never wiggles or gets upset. If anything, she gets impatient for me to hook it up. Once outside, she sniffs everything, watches the world go 'round, then indicates she wants to go back inside within 10-15 minutes. She tells me what to do and I obey...just like all cat parents.

Gail, no I'm not in the USA (I'm going to start saving to visit there soon though!) I'm in Tasmania, Australia! I too don't know why people dump all the crap on Americans, I know some amazing people in America, but there are bad people there, as there are here in Aus and everywhere else.... If I were you I'd just play along, because until declawing is banned there you can expect for there to be a bad mark on America's name...

On a completely seperate note, is Sadie really 16? That's a mighty age for a cat with health issues. And she's walking on a leash, my 16-month-old cat will hardly do that... I must say I'm impressed Gail, here's an example of a good American, folks! =)

Colin, let me assure you that offending Michael was my last intent. I respect him very much, I just don't believe that, from a personal perspective, his comment is correct. You might think it is, but I might add you are one of those humans (like myself, and everyone else) who's daily life is changing this world to suit humans... Do you think mother nature wanted huge cities instead of forests? Humans are changing the world for humans, and we're going to change animals in the process.. I mean, domestication is the biggest sign of animal change!! I'm not saying that's a good thing, quite the opposite. I don't think we should change animals, but that's the way the world is working so to me it seems inevitable...

Also, one thing I was told long ago is to never believe you know everything about cats, it's not possible, so I don't believe that I know it all, but I do believe that I never will know it all. No one will.

My, this certainly has opened a can of worms...

I've come to realise that everyone who I see from regulary on this site is a true cat lover, otherwise they wouldn't spend time on the site talking about cats... That is why I believe that my way of looking after cats is right, but so is Michael's, Ruth's, and Gail's. We all want what's best for our cats, right?

Sure, there are certain obvious things that we know shouldn't be allowed, declawing for example, no one who declaws cats is a cat lover, they're an animal abuser. And then there are less obvious thing that come down to the individual, like claw clipping, discipline methods etc.
I think the indoors vs outdoors debate sits in the middle of these, it's an obvious thing and people have their own set opinions, but at the same time it comes down to the individual, as we can see here. Before I had Chilli I laughed at people who kept their cats indoors, I thought they were so stupid and just plain cruel, but you don't know what something is like until you try it. I know a cat can survive outdoors, I know a 14-year-old Aby who has been outdoor/indoors all her life, but at the same time there have been many cats that lived in the same home as her who have died outdoors, so again, it comes down to the individual as a cat...
I'm merely avoiding risks here, I mean, just today I lost my beautiful rabbit, he just vanished, I can't find him anywhere. Can you imagine if that happened to your cat? If it happened to my Chilli I would be an absolute mess... Though, having said that I still have hope for my rabbit, but he knows the area, as would an outdoors cat, but you never really know what could happen in this unpredictable world...

Rather than find fault with Maggie's comments, why not try controlling your own rudeness? Maggie is expressing a difference of opinion and rather than offering anything of value, you just attack her. Totally unacceptable. I don't even think she lives in the USA!

I am also pretty fed up with generalizations about Americans. The majority of us are very caring individuals who would rather do without ourselves than deprive our furkids.

While I agree with Ruth about needing pet welfare laws, they will be slow in coming. (The focus these days is on incarcerating pedophiles and exposing pedophile priests.)

My Sadie is 16 yrs with health issues. She's strictly indoors but does walk on a lead with me by her side and she loves it! She doesn't try to run outside and on the one occasion she slipped out without me knowing it, she stayed right at the door howling to let me know she was there!

"If you can't let a cat live a cat's life then don't keep one." - This is very telling. We cat lovers do not KEEP them, they live with us as family. Don't be so quick to judge when you do not know the individual circumstance, thank you.

Way to go Katt,passion,committment and the voice of experience say it all.
What on earth is wrong with folk who nitpick over another person's innocent remark?
Don't we all want what's best for every cat?
I know I do.
If our conscience is clear in the way that we treat our cats and we give them the best life we can,along with helping the less fortunate cats then that all that matters.

I agree with Michael and I don't think he is saying it's wrong to keep a cat indoors if it's dangerous outside.He is just saying what most UK people think,that it's a shame cats have to be deprived of a natural life because of the way things are in some places.For thousands of years cats were wild animals, living free, but gradually we have taken more and more of their natural lives and forced them to conform to our lives. Michael is right, cats are being changed to a different animal,they are being changed by many people to how they want them to be, not how they were born to be.
What annoys me is anyone who doesn't live in our country laying down the law that cats should never go out,that all manner of unspeakable things will happpen to them.It insults us as it infers we let our cats out and don't give a thought to them.We do, we have cat friendly gardens and live in cat friendly neighbourhoods without traffic.We are a country with Pet Welfare laws and part of those laws says animals must be allowed to live as natural a life as is fitting for their species.Another part says pets must be provided with the correct environment to stimulate them and they must not be abused in any way.
I think the USA urgently need a Pet Welfare law to stop the abuse of cats by punishment and cruel declawing.
I wish all cat lovers who care about ALL cats would live and let live.Instead of trying to prove we are the ones in the right, we need to accept each others circumstances and stop wasting time when we have the much more important job of educating the people who do abuse their cats.
I have spent a lot of today trying to help USA people with problems with their cats and it upsets me very much to see how much wrong 'advice' is given to them by some people. Some examples today are hitting or kicking the cat, squirting lemon juice or vinegar, holding him down, swinging him by the scruff,locking him in a cage,blowing in his face,tapping him on the nose, pushing fingers in his mouth .....these are the people we should be getting at !
So let's get on with it !

With all due respect to you too Ms Sharp by name sharp by nature.Yes I've read some of your comments before and believe it or not you don't know it all! I'm pretty sure Michael didn't deserve that remark from you!
Cats were never meant to be incarcerated,led like dogs on leashes,put in prams,declawed,shut away, punished or treated as second class to dogs by many Americans.
Don't think because you keep your cat incarcerated it's the right thing to do.
Cats have no say in their lives.They have to accept what we choose for them.
If you can't let a cat live a cat's life then don't keep one.

Sorry, Michael, but I also disagree about your comments about indoor cats. Had Sadie been let outdoors, one of many things would've happened: hit/killed by a car, attacked by wild animals, tortured by sick kids/adults, die a horrible death because of her thyroid condition...

Please do not disparage those of us who live in the USA who love our furkids like our own children. We do not declaw/devocalize, we go to the vet regularly, we volunteer to find homes for the homeless, we participate in TNR... We just happen to believe that indoor cats, given the proper stimuli, can lead rewarding lives with less chance of danger - particularly those who live in cities. The UK, according to my SIL, has loads of trees and villages with good people. Unfortunately, the USA is primarily a concrete jungle with screaming sirens, crazy people and much more land mass overall than the UK. The entire UK, from my understanding, could fit in the state of Texas! Our weather is so drastic from one state/region to another that, too, shortens the lifespan of cats, without proper care.

Unless you spend time touring the huge country known as the USA and learn to appreciate what makes it unique, it's really unfair to make assumptions. Don't worry...we're still appreciative with all you do for all of us.

Chilli is indoors only, still as much as a cat as the one's I see emerge from the bush though, not so much as the one's I see grated along the roads... He doesn't seem to mind being indoors, he never even tries to get out... Which is why, with all due respect, I despise comments like that.

I agree with the last comment. This is a nice comment. We should let cats be themselves. I happen to believe, however, that we are changing the cat to a different animal, particularly in the USA where there are many full time indoor cats.

Let cats keep some mystery about them.
The Deare knows,we have taken over enough of their naturale lives already.

God, I understand what you are saying about cats communicating their displeasure!

When I feed my lady cat (who is overweight) a reduced diet she looks at me in disgust and shouts at me.

I get the message loud and clear and give in...:). Which is why she is overweight.

Wow, that's amazing... I wouldn't mind using one that worked in reverse. You could have conversations with your animal. Hehe.

The look of sheer contempt from Sadie after her visit to the Vet spoke volumes!

After a thorough exam, an IV for fluids, blood drawn and lab tests to determine why she hadn't eaten in 3 days and lost .8-lbs. of body weight (along with the wringing of hands from her mommie), it was determined that she had a terrible case of GAS!!!

She's been relegated to small bits of Science Diet I/D wet food (bland diet) for a few days, no treats or dry food either - only fresh water alongside. Well, let me tell you, she is one unhappy cat!

She's getting tons of love and chirps like a little bird in contentment. Then comes dinnertime...hahahahaha...fooled ya! When she sees the same bland wet food again, she stomps her two front paws (like a bulldog), then looks up in disgust and grunts before walking away. You don't need a translator for that, LOL!

Our cats don't need words to make us understand them either lol
Jozef especially has a whole range of meows and expressions on his face to get exactly what he wants !

Finn, thanks for putting a smile on my face! But I already undertand my cat fully....here he is talking to me this morning. He is asking for his breakfast and to please stop photographing him...now.