Communicating with Cats

Cats are masters of the meow, of course. But do all their little noises mean anything more than, well, "meow"?
We've all heard of horse whisperers...but are there "cat talkers" and talking cats?!

I am not a professional, but I can definitely speak from years of experience communicating with numerous cats. The "meow" means something... and different types of meows have different meanings.

A cat may make one sound when he wants attention, one for each specific demand (food, clean litter, going outside), and yet another one to tell you he loves you and is glad you are his parent. He may use still different meows to chat with his cat pals.

I had one cat who I firmly believe was trying to speak people language! It's true! He could say "'mrout", his version of "out" when he wanted to go outside. And he called my mother "ram-ma", his version of grandma!

Some cats meow more than others, just like some children are more talkative than others. You should definitely spend time learning your cats' particular mode of communication.

In different areas of the world, the "manner" of keeping cats varies. In my experience, U.S. and Canadian citizens are more likely to have cats as indoor pets. My personal view of cats is that they are children, friends, playmates, and a source of unconditional love.

When I lived in the U.K., I noticed the general view towards cats as pets seemed less familiar. Cats were more likely to be either completely outdoor animals who owners put food out for, or indoor-outdoor animals they would occasionally pet.

Some cat owners have them solely for the purpose of cleaning up a rodent population on property such as a farm.

I barely remember my first cats. There were 3, I think kittens. Holly, Cocoa and one whose name I don't recall. My main memory is that one of them scratched my face and my dad made us get rid of them!

In 1989, living in my first apartment, I found the world's whackiest cat... Rocky. He was the runt of the litter and had some Manx blood, so he was tail-less.
Rocky loved food and quickly out-grew his runt status. At his peak he weighed 32 lbs! He was also very intelligent. Some of his meows were very clearly attempts at talking!
Rocky passed away several years ago from liver failure.

My next cats were Alistair and Mimi, who helped me survive a difficult period of my life when I was living with my abuser.
Mim, who I found abandonned at age 4 weeks, was a super snuggler who always wanted to be either on or against me. Sometimes she'd crawl under a blanket to make herself secure. She purred almost constantly.
They went into foster care when I finally went to a dv shelter.

Since then there have been others... at the top of the list is Ginger-bean, a giant creamy red tabby I rescued from life in a parking lot, who loved being held and clearly communicated his appreciation for my care.

And the seven cat family I live part of each year with in Florida, whose "brood" now ranges in age from 2.5 to 10 years. All were rescued from abuse or abandonment (I am working on a lens featuring their stories!)
Each cat has a unique personality and together they make quite a crew!!!

Or rather, of people putting words into their cats' mouths... the lolcats phenomenon!

lolcats were originally called "cat macros". In these often hilarious, often plain bizarre, images, people take pictures of cats and add text captions of what the cat is supposedly thinking or doing.

There is even at least one book dedicated to this pop culture sensation!

I Can Has Cheezburger?:
A LOLcat Colleckshun
(Lolcat Colleckshun)

www.Lensroll.com

and also at