Saturday, October 22, 2005

Pets that Communicate

So, the other day Andy & I were watching a show on the Discovery Channel about Pets that Communicate........it really got us talking about our own pets and how they aren't nearly as amazing as the ones on the show (otherwise, I suppose they would be on the show).

But what I find amazing is that it is a Saturday morning at 5:30am and here I am on the computer.......no, it's not Christmas and Santa did not come.......I'm not watching cartoons......I'm not getting ready to leave on an early morning flight......I did not get a call to say that someone I know is hurt or dead.......

It's Freaking Larry.......oh, he can communicate......especially when the cat food dish is empty and he's hungry........so I have been up for about an hour.......tried to go back to sleep, but it didn't happen and not I've got some nausea setting in and not making me happy.....

But do you want to know what he does......he used to come in and knock over our water glasses.....boy that would piss us off....then we wised up and started bringing in bottles with caps....ha! Ha! Take that! We out smarted a cat.......well, not so fast, then somehow he figured out if he digs at the mini-blinds it makes a lot of noise and we wake up......he only does this when he needs food......so 4:30 this morning after he dug in my blinds, then went to dig in Andy's blinds, I finally got up........

Most of Larry's communication revolves around eating and sleeping....either he wants you to feed him (letting you know the bowl is empty or it's dinner time and he wants his tuna) or he wants you to sit or lay down so that he can come sleep on you......luckily for me the 16 pound cat always sleep next to me.....he likes to sleep in the crook of my arm resting his head and front paws either on my breast or ribs (always on the left side)......he's a pretty verbal cat and will meow about things that bother him, like if there is a hairball somewhere he wants cleaned or if he wants the litter box cleaned (probably 'cuz he took a really smelly dump)....when he meows, if you just follow him he will lead you to what is bothering him......

Lucy on the other hand.......she understands the word no and will leave if you tell her no......she comes when you call her name (actually both will, but Larry won't if he's too comfortable sleeping somewhere)........she lets you know that she is either feeling sick or proud (proud if she just killed a mouse) by becoming overly affectionate (neither of which you want her on you yawning, those times her breath stinks)....and if she wants tuna she'll rub your legs by the fridge.....she relies mainly on non-verbal communication.......when she's really happy and loves being pet she drools....kinda gross, but she drools all over you......and if she's mad at you, she turns away from you and seems to make it a point that she doesn't want to be by you or look at you.......

Now Molly.....she's dumb.....but she does communicate......like how she quietly sits there while we eat looking at us with those big dumb eyes that say "I'll take whatever you have leftover, even if I just get to lick the plate".........she knows that Go to Bed! means shut up in your kennel (or we're putting you in your kennel and you have to shut up)....she knows what go get your ball or go get your bear (she loves to demolish stuffed animals) or go get your stick means......She knows Where's the kitty? means where is lucy (we had molly & lucy before we got larry) and will go find lucy......it's actually kids cute......she lets us know that she has to go to the bathroom by wagging her tail fast and pacing in front of the door.....she has different barks in her kennel that tell us either she is out of food or she's lonely....sometimes she throws in a different bark when a mouse gets into her food in the kennel in the garage and she's killed it.....they're not heating her food, she kills those mice....although it's gross to see she drowns them in her water dish....YUK!....She knows Go into the House and loves those words......she knows go to your kennel (just as they are), but sometimes she doesn't want to go to her kennel and will lay on the ground and make herself deadweight......She knows what go for a walk means, even though it means she has to sit there and get her gentle leader put on.....

So, our animals do communicate to us.....they may not tell us that a tornado is coming (Larry hides for the smallest storm, while Lucy comes out and laps up the attention she gets because he's hiding and he won't get any) or that we have cancer or that a Tsunami is coming, or that Andy will be home in 10 minutes.......

Now, how do I get back to sleep.....

1 comment:

Allison said...

My dogs both communicate pretty openly to get what they want. Max is a quieter dog inside the house, but he's a barker at anything that moves like squirrels or rabbits or cats. They both ring a little bell that hangs from the back door, to go outside and use the bathroom. I cannot believe it works. Except now Maggie will ring the bell, go out in the garage and not in the yard, then turn right back around just so she can get her treat. She's workin it all right. Maggie also yawns very loud when she has to poop. All of her other yawns are quiet. I totally believe that animals communicate with you and understand lots of words and non-verbal cues too.