"They say" animals can't speak

[DainBramaged]

I say they speak to those that listen.


Have a great day and hug your furbaby feathered or hoofed friend.

[Scuba]

1. Mine does.

[JayhawkSD]

2. Well that claim is just ridiculous

For one thing, if you've ever been posessed by cats, you know that cats do not vocalize (meow) to each other; they only vocalize to humans.

My cat has a rather awesome vocabulary of vocalizations, ranging from pathetic to a very clear expression of being pissed off. If a cat is not speaking it most certainly does not need such a variety of vocal sounds.

My cat is also certain in her knowledge that sitting and staring at her food bowl will result in food appearing in it. On the face of it that would seem to be a display of stupidity on the cat's part, except that it works.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. It's fascinating, isn't it?

My cats trill and chirp (and occasionally hiss) to each other, but meow only to me. I read somewhere that cats have over 100 different vocal sounds, and that the "meow" sound is the cat's attempt to mimic human speech.

[meti57b]

3. My kittehs all speak. Among their most favored topics, is.....

"how about you getting out in the kitchen and rustling up our chow!

You're already 2-1/2 minutes late and we're starving!"

[roody]

5. They are mindreaders as well.

[Silver Gaia]

6. Yes, they do!

My cats all talk to me, like you guys have described, and my Border Collies are VERY vocal. The female does her best to talk. She KNOWS damn near everything we say, and does her best to respond. (We say she speaks Wookie because she sounds just like Chewbacca!) She has tonal inflections and the whole nine yards. Frustration sounds way different from happy, or excited, or angry. (Sad is usually just silent pouting. Frustration is the funniest. LOL) The male vocalizes a lot, too. He has some of the most expressive whines (human-like) that I've ever heard. (He cracks me up!) So, yeah, they absolutely DO speak. Their only problem with spoken language is the physical apparatus, NOT the ability to understand language or use it to communicate vocally (to the best of their ability). And yes, they also communicate VERY well in other ways if you are open and attentive. They are masters at body language, for instance--much better than we are.

[IrishAyes]

7. I've enjoyed all the posts

And agree entirely. Don't need to repeat all the stories I've told before proving it from my own experience.

Here's a new one, though: last night at bedtime, I went outside to call the dogs in and Brigid appeared with one of her beloved big sticks clamped in her jaws. I just said, "Brigid, you know you can't bring sticks in the house." W/o a second's hesitation, she jumped off the porch, laid the stick down, and came dashing back. And she's not even a year old! By next winter she should be calm and mature enough to run loose in the house more; I have to restrict that now because she loves extension cords too much. But I look forward tremendously when we can all crowd into the recliner and watch tv together. She and Molly Maguire pay close attention to nature shows, and I've even heard them complain when I changed channels because their show was over. They don't care as much for Bill Moyers as I do.

[Chemisse]

8. Mastiffs are known to be snorers

And my (late) dog Inca used this anatomical ability to 'talk' with us. My husband and I would be in the midst of a conversation and she would snuggle her 200-pound body between us, then start 'snortling'. She really felt she should be in the middle of every discussion, and this was the way she contributed to the dialogue.

[CitizenLeft]

9. hah!

I know exactly what my girls want, they leave nothing to question. My Riley has 25 different howls she makes, and each one means something else... or the same thing. My Sandy shoves her head at my legs and that means "I gotta pee." I always know what they want!