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Conversations with Min
Sep. 6th, 2007 12:15 pmConversations 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.
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.
