Animals use the same language we do.

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CoreyWhite - 28 Aug 2007 00:13 GMT

I've noticed it with my cats. They can tell you very directly, yes,
or no, when I ask them questions. People don't usually think cats are
able to be trained, but they do have a way of communicating. Very
often they will let you know that they want to go out in the yard, or
they need food, or their litter needs to be changed. They let you
know when they want attention, and need a good rub, and often I can
tell when they aren't feeling well. I have 2 cats.

I also notice a communication with other animals, that really doesn't
seem very different from my cats. Dogs I know seem a little better at
understanding english and taking instruction, but my cats do okay with
it to. Other animals come around the yard a lot too, their are
skunks, raccoons, and possums, that live in the village gutter
system. I seem them poking their heads out of sewer drains at night
all the time, and find them in my yard. I've had mice come in the
house, and obviously insects. We have a family of deer that come to
our yard almost every day, and bunnies that live around this part of
town. It was only a few decades ago that this area was converted from
a forest into a residential area. My cats are having a bad problem
with fleas, and I've been getting them on me to. We are going to take
them to the vet this week.

I noticed something about the new cat living with me, when he first
showed up. He came to my window crying to come in, for a few days.
He would follow me around the outside of the house, as I moved around
on the inside. Then one day he just snuck his way in. When he first
moved in, he just rolled over on his back and let me rub his belly.
Very cute, and he still does it. He was mean at first though, and
wild. He would bite me if I rubbed him the wrong way, and I had to
train him to let me rub his belly without fighting back. He likes to
race around, and watch the birds in the yard. Still, he is afraid to
go outside for very long, and will always wait at the door to come
back in, unless I sit out in the yard with him. My other cat, who is
much older spends all day outside by himself.

I've been talking to my cat, and he is very much interested in
communication. He makes attempts all the time to communicate. When
he really needs something he will race around the house for attention,
and if he is upset he isn't afraid to bite. I think cats use the same
language we do. It is very easy for them to either say "yes", or
"no". If you look at a cat, and say "Here kitty, kitty". He might
just come racing over. If he doesn't come it doesn't always mean he
doesn't want to, but it can be a good sign. If you go up to the cat
and pet him, he might start purring anyway. So maybe he was just
comfortable enough that he didn't want to run over and sit in your
lap, but cats rarely will say no if you want to pet them. Still, they
have their ways of saying "No." to you as well, they may not bite you,
but they could run off someplace, or find another way to show you they
don't approve.

It is really obvious that cats have ways of telling us when they
approve of something, or when they don't. They can tell us when they
want something from us very easily too. So they are already
communicating in our language. They may not be as proficient as great
apes, whom use sign language to communicate. But still I think if you
spend time with your pets, there is a lot we don't understand about
how much they are really able to communicate. I think the television,
can get in the way because it is always talking and must be awfully
confusing, but then again some nice music might help cats, and I think
they could enjoy it as much as us.

I've found that when I'm trying to get my cats attention, just using a
call like: "Kitty, kitty, kitty", doesn't work as well, as going up to
them and talking to them in other ways. When you know you are
spending quality time with an animal, and he is happier with how you
are treating him than he normally would be, then you can use another
word like "Good boy". Animals have a hard time understanding language
when all you do is call them their name, or tell them to quit pissing
on the rug. I don't believe it is a good idea to discipline cats
really. But if you want to explain something to them, and give them
the option of communicating with you about it, then it is a good idea
to use a word like "Good boy" with them when you do it, so they
associate it with quality time. I think that's a better way to
communicate with animals, but maybe not to train them. I've seen some
animals on TV who could communicate so well their owners were able to
help them solve math problems. I'm wondering if a cat could be taught
to do that. Would probably really creep people out. I don't know many
people who care for cats.