The Language of Cats

Albus doesn’t need to talk like a human being for us to understand him. (In any case, why would any self respecting animal want to use the language of the animal that controls and destroys their environment? That, though, is a question for another blog.) We fully understand what he needs and when he needs it. He will stare at me until I get up and follow him. If that doesn’t work he will scratch at the settee or the carpet because he knows that always works! He will then lead me to the front door, the kitchen door or his treat bowl depending on what he wants. If his water bowl is empty or very low he will meow at me and I will go and check it. During the summer he would often come in after finding some shade under the bush at the end of the garden and meow at us. He does this in reaction to any extreme of weather, too hot, too cold or too wet. My daughter thinks it’s because he knows we control the conditions inside the house and can’t understand why we don’t do the same outside. Finally, we know beyond doubt that he loves us because of his slow blinks, loud purrs and his insistence on being close to us as often as he can.

We don’t need Albus to speak the language of humans, although he understands a lot of what we say I am sure. He speaks with his eyes, his body language and his cat language and we understand him very well indeed.