# Another weird cat behavior

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-cat-behavior/43811>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 3, 2000, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-cat-behavior/43811 "2000-12-03T08:29:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![City\_Gent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a87d85/32.png) [@City\_Gent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/City_Gent)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-cat-behavior/43811/1 "2000-12-03T08:29:10Z")

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Mrs. CG and I have three cats. One exhibits a very weird behavior. When my wife sneezes, the cat makes sort of a quiet “meeping” noise for a few seconds afterwards: “mewp…mewp mewp…mewp…mewp” The amount of meeping seems to be loosely related to the “force” of the sneeze.

Neither of the other cats does this, and I’ve never seen any other cat do it either. She doesn’t do it when I sneeze. She doesn’t do it at any other time. And, strangest of all, if my wife fakes a sneeze, no matter how realistic-sounding it is, the cat doesn’t meep.

Anyone observed anything similar, or have an explanation?

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**Author:** ![Uniball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Uniball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniball)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-cat-behavior/43811/2 "2000-12-03T08:44:21Z")

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That’s ‘gesundheit’, or ‘bless you’, in cat-speak.

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**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\
**Post date:** [December 3, 2000, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-weird-cat-behavior/43811/3 "2000-12-03T10:33:36Z")

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How hilarious.

One of my cats is very chatty and will hold entire conversations if he thinks your addressing him. I agree with **Uniball** , it’s gesundheit in kitty.