I Think the Cat is Trying to Tell Me Something

Recently, I read somewhere (sorry, no time to look up my source), that cats only meow to humans.  This is interesting, since many cats are so very vocal, you would think they somehow communicate with each other using the whole meow system. Apparently, there is another, super-secret, system they use to communicate.

Our eldest cat, Tiffany, is 18.  This is starting to get up there in cat years.  I also think she is getting a touch senile. 

Anytime we move around the house, particularly in the evening, she believes our sole purpose in moving must be to get her some more food.  Lately, this has become almost comical as anytime our feet touch the ground from the couch or other chair, the eagle-eyed cat jumps to action, meowing at us like crazy.  As a result, we tend to sit on the couch to watch movies or play video games with our feet up on the couch.

In fact, as I type this, I am sitting in my office chair with my feet crossed on the chair.  Tiffany is across the room, staring at me.  She's waiting for the feet to hit the ground.

This scenario plays out exactly like this, even if we had JUST fed her.

It seems that lately, this whole "it's time to feed me....NOW!" routine is getting worse.  If we get out of bed to use the bathroom, she'll barge into the bathroom howling away.  If we get out of bed to get a drink, the same.

Sometimes, I believe she imagines that a slight movement from us while we are sleeping indicates we are about to get up to feed her.  I imagine this because she will suddenly start howling at us in the middle of the night without us even touching the floor...just turning over.  It's kind of freaky that these animals are somewhat nocturnal...watching our every move while we sleep like that.  (shudder)

Recently, this night-time situation has seemed to escalate.  Apparently, I moved in my sleep one night, because in the back of my sleeping brain, I heard meowing near my head.  This went on for a while, but when I didn't respond to the frantic feline, she stepped up the attention grabbing tactics JUST A TOUCH:

She started chucking all the books, pictures, and other associated nightstand articles...including my rubber ducky...off the nightstand and sent them crashing to the floor.  She even broke a sand-sculpture picture frame my daughters had given me.  My slippers filled with sand and everything.

I know that my cat is trying to tell me something, but let me assure you...when this happened at three in the morning...I started telling my cat something!

Photo note:  Yes, I know the highlights are blown out! However,  I didn't have time to take the exposure that was exposed for the hightlights and fix it so you could still see the cat.  That involves layers and masks and a process that is still new to me in GIMP.  So live with it!  Click the photo for slightly larger version.

Comments

[Gregg's Homegirl-daughter]

I know this whole "give me food" thing kinda freaks me out!!!

[Jeannette]

For Marshall, his trigger is footsteps on the basement stairs. He will be in a dead sleep on the second floor and will FLY down two flights of stairs if he hears someone going to the basement.

Now, even if you feed him, he won't actually eat. He will follow you around, meowing and rubbing up against you (even if you move to a new floor) unless you give him a hug.

The whole situation is weird.

[abunslife]

Our dogs are not QUITE as bad, but if we even step foot into our kitchen, we immediately have 200 lbs. of dogs underfoot following us and we can't walk anywhere, without them right there, thinking that there are entitled to some juicy morsel, even if it is just a chunk of ice!

[MP]

Our cats are indoor/outdoor and everytime I get up our younger cat thinks it's to let him and the dog in the backyard. They do meow at the dog..but only if they are upset with him, not as a greating..strange.