# I think my friend's cat talked to me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 7, 2002, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661 "2002-11-07T04:54:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/1 "2002-11-07T04:54:04Z")
Friend is taking a ten-day vacation in another city. He left on Friday, and since then, I’ve been looking after his cat. Usually, when I do this, I spend about half an hour each day there, helping to ease her loneliness. I toss the kittysnax for her to find, and cuddle her, and sit at the computer doing what Friend does: moving the mouse around, cursing, leaning back and stretching, watching the Two Towers trailer online and oohing and aahing. This time, however, I’ve been to busy to do that except once. I just refresh her food and water, give her a quick hug, and book. This evening, I went over there with the intention of giving her at least a few minutes of attention. While I was filling her water bowl, she was standing on top of an armchair, looking at me. She meowed something that seemed to end with the words “coming back?” I’m serious. “Miaoumeeowmewcmngbaaack?” Friend Across Town suspects that cats really can talk, just Far Side style, when no humans are around. He bases this on the fact that his mom’s cat once injured herself, and was heard, by him, to say “help” before anyone saw her. I e-mailed him about this, but I haven’t heard back yet. Anyway, when she said that (her name is Spot, BTW), I rushed over and hugged her and said, “Of course he’s coming back! He’ll be back! He didn’t leave you!” I stayed for a while after that. Mr. Rilch says that in that situation, he would have given Spot a quick pat and gotten the hell out of Dodge. Anyone ever hear a cat talk? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/2 "2002-11-07T04:59:57Z")
If the cat identifies himself as “Sam”, call a professional. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/3 "2002-11-07T05:07:00Z")
My cat Max, who is an outdoor type cat (prefers to spend most of his time outside) quite often very clearly demands to be let out by yowling “go out!” Swear to God. It sounds just like he’s saying “Go out”. He also sometimes says “Eeeeeeeeat” when it’s dinnertime. ::is gonna be the Crazy Cat Lady one day… oy:: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/4 "2002-11-07T05:11:20Z")
My cat totally talked to me once. I can’t remember what she said, but I was talking to her like I always do, and she answered me in context and everything. My jaw just dropped - it wasn’t like she was speaking English, but I could tell what she was saying (like in the OP). Cats are very vocal animals - I have no problem believing that they communicate with us in many different ways. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/5 "2002-11-07T05:20:16Z")
Well, I’ll be darned. **Bryan Ekers** : She’s female, so there’s little chance of that. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/6 "2002-11-07T05:23:55Z")
Wacko talk show host Art Bell, once had a bunch of callers play recordings of their pets talking! The one call that sticks out in my mind was where the person asked their cat if she wanted wet food or dry food. The cat responded by saying, “Wet food.” In Japan, they’re now selling a dog-to-Japanese translator, with a dog-to-English model on the way to the States soon. Personally, I think that if pets develop opposable thumbs, it’s all over for us humans. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![ghandi5569](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@ghandi5569](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ghandi5569)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/7 "2002-11-07T05:26:00Z")
Kitties can talk. And communicate. Cats speak when they are hungry and want to go out. My cat also decided her name. When I was naming her, I kept going through names and saying different things…with no response with the cat. When I said Elle, she perked up and that was how she got her name. ---
**Author:** ![B.Pants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@B.Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Pants)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/8 "2002-11-07T06:31:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*If the cat identifies himself as “Sam”, call a professional. \*\* Are you saying all kitties that talk and are named Sam (short for Baron Sambert von Pantsington) require the aid of a professional? But what has my poor SammyPants done??? –B.Pants So it’s not just a clever name? Wayne, WW 1 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/9 "2002-11-07T15:51:05Z")
And if she tells you about Xiang Chi Check (sp?), and tells you she can read your thoughts, you should go, quickly. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/10 "2002-11-07T16:18:15Z")
There was a BBC program called That’s Life which showed a mutt who could quite clearly say **sausages**. I annoyed every adult around me by saying it exactly as the dog had done over and over again. Ending up having to write sausages out 10,000 as a punishment in schools. [Raspy Voice]Sausages[/Raspy Voice] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Swampwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Swampwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swampwolf)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/11 "2002-11-07T16:23:52Z")
when one of my cats was a kitten, she’d wake me up at three in the morning by calling my name. It was creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/12 "2002-11-07T16:37:54Z")
> [@](#): > > She’s female, so there’s little chance of that. I had a female kitty named “Sam”. She used to talked to me all the time. :::twitch twitch::: ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/13 "2002-11-07T17:23:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ghandi5569 \* > \*\*Kitties can talk. And communicate. > > Cats speak when they are hungry and want to go out(snip)\*\* Sure, so do dolphins. But vocalizing in **English** is something else altogether. ---
**Author:** ![SmoothOperator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@SmoothOperator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmoothOperator)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/14 "2002-11-07T17:37:43Z")
Cats are such effective silent communicators that they rarely have to verbalize what they say, but I’m sure they would be great orators if they wanted to be. I’m quite positive that my cat says “now” when I’m slow with his food and “here” when I try to feed him outside and he wants to be fed in the house. So it doesn’t surprise me if they start talking clear english (or whatever is the native language wherever they are living) in order for us poor humans to better understand their demands. ---
**Author:** ![Leifsmama](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a698b9/32.png) [@Leifsmama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leifsmama)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/15 "2002-11-07T18:12:07Z")
I’ve had two cats named Sam. It’s a good name for a kitty. [sub]Isn’t it?[/sub] I’ve heard my cats say serveral things. Now, feed me, out. I even heard my kitty Zelda say, “I love you” once. It’s much like hearing my two year old say things (he doesn’t have a whole lot of language yet.) ---
**Author:** ![crazy4chaucer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@crazy4chaucer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazy4chaucer)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/16 "2002-11-07T18:38:14Z")
My dog, when she was a puppy, managed to get a recognizable “thank you” out once after I gave her a puppy treat. And it seemed like she was trying very hard to talk but finally gave up in frustration. That doesn’t mean that she can’t communicate, though! I can tell the “give me some of your food” kiss from the “I need a booty scratch” kiss from the “I need to go outside RIGHT now” kiss from the “you’re back! you’re back! I love you! I love you! You’re awesome!” kiss. She’s also learned to spell walk. I quit telling my husband to take her for a walk, because as soon as she heard the word, she’d always go find her leash and drop it at his feet. So one day I said, “honey, Molly wants to go for a w-a-l-k.” She wriggled her butt, grabbed the leash and took it to him! Animals are amazing in their abilities to communicate! ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/17 "2002-11-07T19:27:10Z")
Now, **Rasa** , I don’t remember giving you permission to steal my career goals. This is totally unacceptable, and you’ll have to return them immediately. One CrazyCatLady around is more than enough. 😃 Anyway, as regards the OP, I certainly have no problem believing the cat talked. Ours talk quite a bit. Maggie’s vocabulary is pretty much limited to “NOW!”, “eat”, and a bad-natured noise that sounds remarkably like “Hmmph!”, but Eponine can say a lot of stuff if you catch her in the right mood. She can say “NOW!”, “NO!”, “Out”, “eat”, “stop”, and every once in a great while, “please”. She also says “wuvoo” sometimes when she’s feeling cuddly, which I can only guess is her attempt to say “Love you.” Of course, I don’t mention these things to **Dr.J**. He’d get that deer-in-headlights, “Oh God, she’s using the cats as surrogate babies” look on his face he had when I made all the animals Christmas stockings. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/18 "2002-11-07T23:06:30Z")
sam as in “son of sam.” if the cat is named sam and starts to tell you to kill, run far, run fast. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/19 "2002-11-08T14:38:33Z")
As in David Berkowitz (sp), a serial killer who claims that a dog talked to him and told him to kill people. The dog said his name was Sam. I saw and heard a cat on the Believe it or Not tv show say ‘hello’ and some friends have cats that say ‘now’ and ‘ma ma’. One of my cats says ‘me’ all the time. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2002, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661/20 "2002-11-08T15:57:01Z")
Our cats communicate themselves quite well. But I only know of two cases where cats seemed to speak English. One is not really remarkable. I take Midnight, our oldest, out for walks (Used to be on a leash – now without). When she wants a walk, she goes and sits by the door and says “Out!” or “Me-Out!” I’m not joking – that normal kitty “Meow” gets truncated at the front to become an emphatic and unmistabeable “Out!” that is unlike her normal vocalizations. **Pepper Mill** swears that one of her friend’s cats, who used to sit on the windowsill and look with keen interest at the birds, used to say “Birds!” when she saw them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-my-friends-cat-talked-to-me/135661.md?page=2)