Conversations with Min

[pjthompson]

Conversations with Min really do occur all the time, though maybe not quite in the form they are sometimes relayed here. Min allows me creative leeway in my portrayal of our conversations. She understands the need to stay adaptive that way because she's a very chatty cat and has a wide range of vocalizations she likes to employ—her own creative leeway. Amongst my favorites:

Nyuh - ending on a downward note, it's quite a definitive negative response
Myeep - ending on an upward note, it sounds quite affirmative
Muh - this also ends on an upward note and you can practically hear her shrug with this one

She often responds to questions with one of these, or one of her other myriad sounds. She likes the back and forth and has apparently realized that when the human ends a babble on an ascending note, some response is called for. Sometimes she also shakes her head. I thought this might be due to ear problems, but her ears are clean, and it's something she only does now and then. I read somewhere that fans will sometimes tickle the sensitive hair inside cats' ears and make them shake their heads. This is supposed to also be why they don't like you kissing them or holding them too close when you talk—although I think it much more likely that's a dignity issue.

Anyway, last night I was reading "Inhuman" by Eileen Wilks from the new anthology On the Prowl (also starring Patricia Briggs, Karen Chance, and Sunny). In this story, one of the characters says that cats can sometimes attain sentience, if they hang out with sentient beings and have telepathic abilities. I was mulling this over when Min came running into the room and put her front paws up on the footstool.

Me: Is that right, Min? Are you sentient?

"Nyuh," she said and shook her head.

When I dissolved into laughter, she added, "Stop laughing, you big goon, and come to bed. It's past our bedtime!"

Whether Min cares to acknowledge her sentience or not, she has certainly managed to train me quite effectively. I immediately got up and prepared for bed.

ETA: Min just found out I'd originally used my default picture on this entry instead of her picture. She was not amused.

Comments

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

There are some people with two legs who do not register how articulate people with four legs (feline or canine) can be. I feel sorry for them.

I came up with an idea that miapatrick is running with: a situation concerning alien contact, where someone is turned down because they did not have a pet. Reason: they are not in tune with communicating with people who do not happen to be Homo sapiens sapiens

[pjthompson]

lol! I like that idea. Yes, the four-footers are quite eloquent sometimes.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

As you know, I just read Tempting Danger (but I ordered the next two off Amazon today!) and one of the things that cracked me up was Max's "But all telepaths go crazy. Unless they're cats." and then Lily's all "Wait. Cats are telepaths?" and I thought of Dirty Harry and was, "Well, your cat probably is." :D

[pjthompson]

lol--and she's returned to the theme in this story. Something tells me she's a cat person. :-)

p.s. The characters from the prequel novelette/novella that I told you about *may* be coming back into the story in book four. At least, that's my theory.

[inkbabies.livejournal.com]

My kitties are very vocal too....a lot of the time it revolves around feeding time....or "open the door silly monkey" but they definitly talk and will hold a conversation with me...

[pjthompson]

For some reason, Min always balls me out when I get out of the shower. I pull back the curtain and she's sitting on the terlet or the counter and she really reads me the riot act. "Why are you hiding from me in there?? And what's that kinky thing you're doing with that horrible, horrible water??"

[inkbabies.livejournal.com]

lol...my cats will get right in the shower with me if I don't shut them out of the bathroom

[pjthompson]

Min tried that a few time but was shocked and appalled to find there was icky horrible water involved.

[inkbabies.livejournal.com]

lol...my cats are weird and like water!

[darkspires.livejournal.com]

Frank the cat, (who is not allowed out), will come to roust me out when Ollie, the squirrel/cat wants to come in. He is very vocal and won't take 'later' for an answer.

[pjthompson]

They definitely have their ways of getting their points across.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

That's just too amusing :-)

[pjthompson]

She keeps me entertained. :-)