To teach an old dog new tricks...

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I wonder what they think about a young-ish cat? I've never heard a saying like that...

Cats are really funny creatures. They are the most social animals, but they certainly don't act like it if they can help it. They need companionship and attention, though, and will often go crazy trying to get it. They like routines and won't change unless forced to--you can rely on a cat to remind you at the precise moment every day when you're supposed to feed it. And they are really smart, at least some of them are. (I do have one that's rather dumb...or lazy or something like that). But they can learn and will start to do stuff new if you give them a chance and keep them stimulated.

Last month when we went on our trip we boarded the cats. I was really worried about boarding Lochi because she is more set in her routine and she really likes to run around...and I mean run like a motorcycle, rip roaring around the house. She also isn't very keen on strangers and it takes her a very long time to like someone. Case in point--she has just within the year decided David was safe enough to pet her, and she's lived with us for three.

Anyway, the cats did fine at the "boarding house" and came home healthy if a little weak from sitting in a cage for days (which they quickly got over by jumping around on their favorite furniture). But Lochi, who has maybe meowed voluntarily three times in her life before this trip, meows all the time now. She walks into a room and says "me-ow, me-ow, me-ow." And here is where I wish I had a tape of her doing this because it's so funny. It's like she's learned to meow without having the meowing language so her meows sound "accented" and very precise. In the morning when she jumps on me to wake me up, she says "meow." When I get out of the shower, she's waiting on me with a fresh, loud "meow" (clearly meaning "don't you know that's WET? ICKY!") It's a hoot.