Puzzlebrains

I thought we had a thread specifically for Cats, but I can't find one.
Anyway, I rather liked this news story, which confirms everything I had suspected...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8147566.stm

Misty doesn't purr at all. She can barely meow.
(She's very cute, but a bit of a live buzz-saw really. Very subdued at the moment though, with the blackbird attacking her so aggressively.)

My cat doesn't "pussyfoot" around with manic purring. She just stands on the keyboard, or in front of the telly, or sits on my paperwork or book until I feed her. And if she wants me to get up, she either jumps on me in bed from the top of my wardrobe, or gets under the covers and nibbles my toes.

Luna was very chatty. She purred as well, when she was relaxed sitting on the bed or a lap, but if she wanted attention she would natter away until we took notice of her.

You must miss her dreadfully.

It's certainly quiet without her. But I can do the dusting without being attacked now. And the weeding.

Scurra wrote: I rather liked this news story, which confirms everything I had suspected...

When this story appeared in the paper today, my first thought was: hmmm, must mention that to Scurra's cat when I next see her..... not that she needs any training in this particular technique, as she has a noticably persistant purr
However, it doesn't mention that intriguing little "brrrp..." sound that some cats manage to produce - as if they are asking you a question Does anyone else have a cat who does this?

Oh yes, mine does that. Usually when I she's running down the garden trying to catch my ankles. She also has a sort of playful whining meow which very specifically means "Right, I'm upstairs, hiding behind the bathroom wall (for the millionth time). I'm waiting here until you creep up the stairs, pretending to stalk me, and then I'm going to jump out at you on my hind legs looking like a cat posessed". There's another distinctive meow which I hate to hear in the middle of the night "Look at me I've caught a mouse and I'm going to put it in your shoes", or another totally different one which means "There are squirrels /crows in the massive oak tree opposite the house, they're winding me up something rotten, but I know I can't get to them, so I'll meow instead". And finally, there's the first thing in the morning meow which means "Oh thank goodness for that. You're finally up. Please let me jump in the bath, so you can put the plug in, and a little bit of water so I can have a drink. I'm far too fussy to drink water out of a bowl".

Who is it that is in control in this house??

Hi
I thought my cat was unique but am now realising that they probably have all attended "manipulate your family" A Level classes as so many of the behaviours are similar. I love our cat as she is always ready to give affection and play. We have however had to put her on a diet as she got so fat by pittifully crying to each family member which meant we all fed her!!! It got so she was very tired all the time but now we are starving her she is a lot more active.

Paula

If you look in The Unadulterated Cat then you'll realise that this is hardly new information:
"The purr is very important. It's the purr that does it every time. It's the purr that makes up for the Things Under The Bed, the occasional pungency, the 4 a.m. yowl. ... The purr means 'make me happy and I'll make you happy'. The advertising industry took centuries to cotton on to that beguiling truth, but when it did, it sold an awful lot of Cabbage Patch dolls."

Wulfruna wrote: However, it doesn't mention that intriguing little "brrrp..." sound that some cats manage to produce - as if they are asking you a question Does anyone else have a cat who does this?

Now this is interesting because we all assume that feline vocalisation is meant for human ears only. Not so I think. I have 3 cats, 2 sibling brothers and a sister. The "Brrrpp" sound is VERY VERY VERY pevelant in the vocabulary they use between themselves. They seem to use is as "Hello", "Did I surprise you", "Are you OK", and also as a general "I know you are there".

They also use a very pathetic kind of whining noise to attact each other. If one of the boys goes "Whhiiinnne" then Dora (the girl) appears out of nowhere and seems to be checking out if everything is OK.

There is MUCH more to this than meets the eye, I think.

However, I will be listening to their 6:00am, on the bed, purrs with great interest tomorrow, just to see if they have any human manipulating undertones.

Cheers. BB.

Oh, and another astute observation (from PaulGallico's book "Jennie") is a key point of cat behaviour. "IF IN DOUBT, WASH!" Ever noticed that? If they feel slightly embarassed or aren't sure how they should react, they wash furiously.

Shame teenagers don't follow the same principle...

How about, (in a previous house with a previous cat) every time a cat goes through a particular doorway it jumps through, not walks, jumps. Then washes its front paws. Every time. For 10 years or more.

I think that is just spooky.

BB

Bunnylump wrote:Oh, and another astute observation (from PaulGallico's book "Jennie") is a key point of cat behaviour. "IF IN DOUBT, WASH!" Ever noticed that? If they feel slightly embarassed or aren't sure how they should react, they wash furiously.

Shame teenagers don't follow the same principle...

Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
I'd been wondering (coincidentally, off and on, for a while now) about the source of that story, I remember parts of it vividly.

I really liked that book. Read it when I was about 14 and still remember it vividly. Now considering I can't remember what I did yesterday, that's quite something.

Oh, and BB, the cat jumping through the doorway thing, do you think it trod on a bee one time and expected it to happen every time? My cat's like that with the hoover (because my daughter tried to hoover her with the hoover nozzle when she was wee.) She (the cat) sees the hoover and will virtually do a back flip to avoid it.

How about talking cats

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3U0udLH974

One of ours definitely uses the purr, but then, he has been known to shout at us to ask why we haven't fed him yet...
(he also runs from the hoover, every time he sees us with it, which admittedly isn't as often as he should!)

The other does a preep sort of noise when coming upstairs if we weren't downstairs as if to ask where we are. (He's a v.clingy cat who loves just to be in the same room as us)

You've just reminded me of something Kingsley used to do when she was a baby. She was terrified of the vaccuum cleaner and I had to carry her around while I vaccumed. One day at mother-in- law's house she crawled up the stairs, and came face to face with the vaccuum which had been left on the landing and revrsed down the stairs again. She wouldn't go past it even though it was off!

I avoid the hoover too. Not for the same reason though.

Loved those talking cats kathlyn
And I also read and loved Jennie when I was quite young ( probably even longer ago than you read it bunny) and remember the bit about washing - all our cats have done that when they are feeling stupid/embarrassed.