conversations

[tamaranth]

I'm starting to notice what a chatty cat Shiva is. Maybe she couldn't get my attention til now. She has distinctly different miaows for different occasions, and it's easy to assign them meanings: "I'm ba-ack!" and "Oh, hello O HAI THER" and "I didn't say stop MOAR LUV NOW" and "Am starving CAN HAS FUD?".*

She also gurgles a great deal: pretty much constantly, in fact, and fairly loudly. Clearly her digestion is in excellent shape post-irrigation.

I still want to know who was snoring last night while she was out of the room.

* am probably imagining the one that seems to mean "FORMER HUMANZ? DOES NOT WANT"

Comments

[ladymoonray.livejournal.com]

Does she still do silent miaows? Or has that translated into O HAI THER, which is how I've always interpreted them?

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

There are still some silent miaows, but there's also a very distinctive three-beat miaow (mi-i-aow, if you can imagine this) which is produced when she comes back to me from eating or using the litter tray.
I have just tried to imitate the three-beat miaow and got a very dirty look. I think my intonation is wrong.

[lj_stowaway]

This is exactly what happened to me post-Figaro!

It wasn't until his brother died that Cleo opened up. Figgy had been my favorite (in my heart; in practice I was scrupulous about treating them equally all their lives) but once Cleo became an Only Cat, he blossomed (and I started noticing more) and he quickly became my dearest and favoritest cat EVER in a long lifetime of wonderful cats.

He too had an extensive and very clear vocabulary. Between his endless chatting and the LOOKS he gave, I was never in any doubt about what was up.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

perhaps there's hope for Shiva then! I'm afraid I did treat Sam as Best Cat much of the time, because he was so much more personable. And last week I was horrible and wished it had been Shiva instead. She does seem to be coming out of her shell, though, and I'm starting to notice the positive things: she grooms better, she doesn't smell (!), and she accepts a firm 'no' re: the food on my plate that I haven't finished eating.

(Negative!me says 'must not get too attached, she's elderly too'. But one can't live like that.)

[woolymonkey.livejournal.com]

What's the one for "INTELLECTUAL CAT IS UNDERSTIMULATED. CAN HAZ CAMBRIDGE? NOW?"

[lj_stowaway]

Yep, Cleo's behaviour improved, too. He'd always been rowdy and a trouble-maker, but I think a lot of that was the whole sibling-rivalry thing. He and Figgy did act out all their lives to get my attention.

(Right, one *can't* live like that. I told myself the same thing. After all, they were at the end of an average cat's life when Figgy died... BUT I had five more priceless years with Cleo, so.)

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

It sounds as though she has very similar intonations to Bentham (who having defeated THE MICE is now showing signs of distinct utility).

Unlike the cats, I can't count

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

I suspect she's read too much about laboratory animals! (Should never have left her alone in the room with Quicksilver.)

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

five years is a lot of extra time!

So far Shiva has not done any of her former attention-seeking behaviours (mostly very messy and smelly). Again, sibling rivalry. Though she did beat Sam up a lot, because he was there.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

A lot of cats do become more vocal if they find themselves solo. It helps to build a new bond between you, soon.
Caspian comes back to check on us every once in a while -- he sits on my feet. And when we moved in, the house had a 'previous' cat who hung around for about a month watching before deciding that Caspian would do. They come to visit, I'm certain of it.

[marypcb.livejournal.com]

one of the nicest lessons cats teach is 'enjoy the NAO' (along with 'a warm bed on a rainy day is enough for supreme comfort' and 'it's never too late for a snack^H^H^H^scritch').

prides are different from packs; the hierarchy is challenged more and changed less, and it doesn't show up in the same easy-to-spot behaviours (cat chess! imagine dogs staying still long enough for cat chess!). female cats expect to be dominant, and if anything gets in the way of that they can get quite persnickety.

every cat owner has favourites; you can't help it, and the feedback loop reinforces it. it's nice that Shiva is better company - even with the gurgling!

[madcatwoman.livejournal.com]

Teasle has certainly blossomed since Starless died last August. Starless was Eldest Cat and Best Cat, and "spoke" with my intonations and curled up with me every night after Dave died. Teasle was the big young bully who always started fights, but wasn't chatty or quite as affectionate in the same way.
Helluva difference now. We have devised our own routines and, while he doesn't sleep behind my knees like Starless did, he comes to make sure I'm tucked up in bed safely and we can haz snuggles and furring together.
I'm sure they come to visit. I've definitely had a cat where no cat really was...