How Cats Communicate
@owlwings (43910)
Cambridge, England
March 12, 2016 8:47am CST
This is Dusty, my cat. Sadly, he is no more, having been killed crossing the road some time ago. The photo was taken (as you see) two years ago.
Outside the room I call my office there is a small bookcase on which stands the phone and a small pile of books. When Dusty required the attention of his servant, he wouldn't miaow or scratch at the door like any normal cat. He would jump up by the phone and systematically push books one by one onto the floor. Of course, this always got my full attention and his needs were attended to immediately!
Cats are extremely resourceful and intelligent, even though they don't speak 'human'. They certainly understand 'human' (when they choose to acknowledge it, of course).
The photo shows his typical 'hard stare' of impatience and annoyance that his minion is being so slow in attending his summons.
34 people like this
32 responses
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
12 Mar 16
Cats do communicate. Once, after returning from a trip and picking up our pets from a kennel where they stayed, our cat sat down in front of me and gave me such a look of fear, that I picked her up and took her immediately to the emergency vet. He told me she had one collapsed lung and the other was partially filled with liquid. He kept her over night and saved her life. He sent us to a specialist. She was on nitroglycerin for heart failure for the rest of her very long life. She told me her problem with her eyes. They do communicate, if we pay attention.
5 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
13 Mar 16
@paigea Yes. The look on her face was impossible to ignore.
2 people like this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
12 Mar 16
Dusty was so cute @owlwings . I'm sorry he's gone. You can imagine with me having 12 indoor and 2 outdoor cats what my life is like. The one that follows me to the bathroom (Cry Baby) talks constantly. 4 litter boxes scooped 5x's per day. All I have to do is jiggle the bag of treats and say, "Who wants a treat?" and I better be in a wide stance. If I lay down on the couch to take a nap, I'm covered by 4 of them. Oh, and several of these lovelies weigh around 15 pounds.
3 people like this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
14 Mar 16
great looking bright cat, shame he's gone
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44998)
• Preston, England
15 Mar 16
@owlwings yes sadly their luck runs out on that sooner or later
1 person likes this
@jstory07 (139965)
• Roseburg, Oregon
12 Mar 16
Cats do know what they want and will get the attention that they need to get it. Mine always ran into the kitchen when they woke up and went around my legs until they got their soft food.
@slund2041 (3314)
• United States
18 Mar 16
I am sorry you lost your cat. I know how hard it is to lose a pet. You had a beautiful cat.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61101)
• United States
17 Mar 16
Cats are very interesting animals and really more entertaining than dogs.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
12 Mar 16
going to say, I recognize that stare, guessing either 'out' 'food' 'water' or 'homage'. heheh
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
12 Mar 16
I think the nearest on that occasion might have been 'homage?' though it might have been 'out!' because his way out (and in) was through the hopper window in my room. I would interpret that particular stare, however, more as a teenage 'have I been outrageous enough to attract your attention?'.
1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23404)
• United Kingdom
15 Mar 16
I love it especially the when they choose to acknowledge it. That is something I do not like about cats. They come to you on their terms unlike a dog. Call a dog and it will come wagging its tail. A cat will hide and just ignore you unless of course it is feeding time.
1 person likes this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
15 Mar 16
We are definitely in the world purely to serve. We are supposed to worship, feed and attend to the every whim of cats. That is a human's purpose in life. Dogs, on the other hand see us as the leader of the pack and see their duty as to worship, (sometimes) obey, help and entertain us in every way they can in return for food, approval and pats.
@Macarrosel (7498)
• Philippines
15 Mar 16
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Your cat is so cute.
1 person likes this
@youless (112586)
• Guangzhou, China
13 Mar 16
I am sorry that Dusty is gone. In fact two days ago I dreamed about my two cats which already passed away because of old age. It was a very strange dream because there was a very big lion in my house and I was so scared. I locked the lion outside and we were indoors.
I think cats know how to get our attention. They will look at you or walk around you. And then you will stop what you are doing right now and then pet them
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39509)
• United States
13 Mar 16
my deepest condolences 'n the loss 'f mr. dusty - what a handsome fella he was 'n no doubt brought'cha great joy. cats'r funny critters, that's fer certain. the one here's convinced i've a clue exactly what she's sayin' 'n tends to carry'n quite the conversations. use to've a pup who'd talk back with her 'n i wish i'd a video camera to've captured those moments. alas, jest memories...
1 person likes this
@Poppylicious (11133)
•
14 Mar 16
Awww, what a cheeky little monkey! Our memories of our cats are so sweet.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
14 Mar 16
I get that very same stare from my cat when she's annoyed that there are no treats in her bowl. When the stare doesn't get me moving fast enough for her, she begins howling. She's 13 now and quite set in her ways. I'm getting on in years, too, and can't move as fast as she'd like. But some how, we manage. :D Dusty was a gorgeous boy. I'm so sorry you had to lose him like that.
1 person likes this
