The sound of mews-ic

THE VOICE

People are always waxing rapturously about the singing of birds.  I don't understand what all the fuss is about.  When a flock of crows start squawking, it's as soothing as chalk squeaking on a blackboard.  There's nothing remotely  poetic about crows whooping it up over fresh roadkill.

 The screeching burglar alarms of blue jays are more annoying than appealing.  Hooting owls are just plain eerie.  Here is a translation of their ghoulish hoots:  Some field mouse is going to die tonight. 

MUSICIANS RELAXING AFTER A GIG

Nobody rhapsodizes about barking dogs.  There's a reason for this.  At least their distant cousins, the wolves, have evocative howls.

Without a doubt, the most versatile singers are cats.  The most well known cat concerts are those that have inspired many horror movie soundtracks, the howling and yowling of fighting tom cats.  But because it's more subtle, the real feline verbal and musical artistry often goes unsung.  The feline vocabulary is not limited to meow.  Cats have a lot to say and many different words and sounds to express themselves.  Like humans, each cat has a distinctive voice.  Most of the time, I can tell who's yowling.  The problem is since I'm not bilingual or psychic, I can't always figure what the yowler is saying.

MISS POTTY MOUTH

The two most talkative cats in my house are the little  Diva and Miss Potty Mouth. 

Although she's the smallest cat, Miss Diva has the loudest voice.  She has much to say, an impressive expressive vocabulary and rarely has to resort to saying meow.  When she gets annoyed, she can bring the house down.  Her problem is that even when she's telling me off, she's so adorable that her tantrums aren't very effective. 

Miss Potty Mouth is quite the talker.  Several times a day she will find me and spend five or ten minutes chattering at me.  Sometimes, I suspect she's squealing on or gossiping about the other cats.  Other times, the tone of her voice makes me think she's cussing.  I'm often grateful that I can't understand her even though many of her words sound eerily human.

A certain calico with big feet does amazing bird imitations and actually chirps when she wants something. 

When Tommy, the money cat, speaks in his creepy deep voice, he sounds like a Furby.  Fortunately, he does most of his speaking when he's hungry.  Unfortunately, he's hungry all the time. 

The most needy cat, the one wearing animal print, wails and howls when she gets lonesome for human company.  She growls when she hears scary noises.

And then there is a handsome, rather mischievious gentleman who rarely speaks.  The strong silent type, he   would rather show than tell.  When he wants to attract attention, he will do something naughty, like fight with Tommy or stick his paw under a door and start rattling it. 

But the strangest conversationalists of them all are a mother and daughter team that live outdoors.  These cats speak with thick New York accents.  I don't know how or why they do this but it is very distinctive.

The most entertaining feline conversations are the ones held between felines, especially when they are angry. 
 So instead of listening to the birdies sing, listen to your cats.  They have a lot to say.