For Cat Lovers—A “Cat to English” Translation

Hi, everyone! Mittens here with something interesting (of course!) about cats. Misty Belardo of BitRebels.com has had a lot of experience with cats, and she seems to have figured out how we talk to you–or more precisely, what our actions mean.  Bet you’ll be curious about whether number 4 is true.  On the one hand, I wish animals could talk, so we could confirm what you believe about us. On the other hand, talking animals would probably freak you out, but we’d sure have plenty to say. Here’s Misty’s cat translation, followed by a cute (is there any other kind?) cat video:

1.  Kneading - They knead their mom’s body when they are kittens. If they knead when they lie close to you, it means they have accepted that you are a parent.  Cats are not like dogs in that they don’t beg for attention.

2. Purr – When he snuggles close to you and you hear a motor like sound coming from your cat, then you know he’s content and happy.

3. Lick their Bodies after every meal -  When it’s bath time for them, they clean their bodies by licking. Cat grooming is common, but even if they do clean themselves, we give our cats a bath.  One of our female calicos, Dumpling, even plays in the tub.

4.  Blink their eyes while looking at you - This is called a cat’s kiss.  What you do is blink back. Its one way they show their affection for you and for cat lovers.

5.  They are digging – When they smell something they don’t like, they dig invisible litter.  When cats have to go potty, they usually make sure they hide it under the cat litter ,so when they’re not in the litter pan and smell something they don’t like, they do the digging motion.

6.  Smell something, then opens its mouth – This means there is a trace of cat pee somewhere near. Besides smelling with their nose, cats can smell with an additional organ called the Jacobson’s organ, located in the upper surface of the mouth.