Cat whispering

I decided to make this about cats. Originally, I was going to write about the possible extinction of humankind and perhaps most mammals. Reputable scientists see the strong possibility of The End within three centuries due to Global Warming raising the temperature above survivable levels (95F wet bulb for weeks on end). That's really important news, and we need to take action on it, like overthrow capitalism if any of our great-grandchildren or perhaps children are going to survive. If that meets the expectations of deniers who call global warming a socialist conspiracy, so be it.

But frankly, for a day or two, I'm tired of all the depressing blogs. So, to cheer things up, first I'm calling on cute kittens for help: 

That should take your mind off human extinction for a few minutes. Damn, I said it again. More kittens:

Okay, I've taken your mind global warming so we can keep on pumping CO2 into our atmosphere to our heart's content (or in my case, fear.)  I'll tell you about cat whispering.

Living alone, I end up foolishly talking to my cat, saying things like, "meow," "ack," or gididididi. Or I rhyme my cat's name. 

Cat haters (like this DOUCHE guy) like to point out that science has determined the nefarious creatures make sounds that are similar to a human infant. Meaning their voices are attuned exactly to manipulate people into regarding cats as cute. Science has supported this, and I myself have long known this before it was reported.

That's true,  but what the haters don't realize is that it goes both ways. Humans can make sounds back to the cat that manipulate the cat's emotions, too. Meow back at a cat, and watch what happens. They'll look you in the eye, they'll raise their tails, their fur shifts, indicating that they're likely feeling tingles. They might actually meow back at you. They seem almost always pleased that you're speaking to them in their "language." Ferals might take cover when you do it, but they will watch you. Some cats will look you in the eye and meow back at you. With my cat, I'll always spend some time in the day "talking" to her, in her idiom.

It makes sense that cats will do this because they seem to emit sounds such as "meow" especially for people, and never for other cats. Cat's seldom voice to each other, and they very definitely don't look like they're conversing when they do.

Though there are exceptions (though I think the hard consonants are probably dubbed in. Even without the "Okays" it's remarkable) :

A mother cat will make certain sounds to kittens (like "meow"), but in other cases, if the cat uses its voice for other felines, its to express extreme aggression.

So, I'll assert that to cat haters: not even dogs have sounds that they only use for humans. That tells me they are evolving to communicate with people. I would never claim that felines understand words beyond--perhaps--their names. But the way they meow back and take mimicking them as something delightful tells me they grasp the concept of social conversation much better than dogs.

They did evolve as solitary creatures with no concept of a pack. However, we've changed them. Cats today are far different than the ones depicted in ancient frescoes. The modern kitty is a paradoxical animal, adapted to have stronger bonds with humans than they do members of their own species.

It's hard to read a feline's emotions, though, so people unfamiliar with cats find them cold. The reason why cats and dogs don't get along is that their body language is crossed. For a cat, wagging their tail and flattening their ears is a sign of anger and fear, and a warning to back away or get a face full of claws. For a dog doing the same thing is a sign of joy and camaraderie. That's why first encounters between the species can set a bad tone for what's to follow.

It's a similar thing with people. To people who've spent little time around felines cats seem cold and manipulative. The cat haters never see the cat and owner "conversing" and bonding with each other. It's every bit as touching as your dog welcoming you home. Yet, cats don't show emotions the same way. I once had a feline that had apparently been in great pain from cancer for some time. I'm attentive, too, and if hadn't stopped eating and I didn't then discover the lump in his neck, I would have never known how much he was suffering. Since they're not by background a social species, felines are adapted to keep going when they're in pain and not call for help.

They've also had little evolutionary reason to communicate their emotions.   

So, I've made an entry without dealing with the most important issue of our time, and in all of human history. I plead guilty to procrastination, but at least I'm not crippled by despair about global warming. I am going to become an activist about it. I just don't know how, yet.

More kittens?

I promise I won't do another blog like this.