"It's as if he understands every word I say!"
Well with Austin and me, it's never been like that. I've regaled you with hilarious anecdotes about conversations we've had concerning issues of national importance. Ok, maybe not hilarious. In truth, I speak to him as if he's another hairless biped with two graduate degrees and a job in the city, and he responds by …. blinking. Yes, blinking! He's probably thinking while he's blinking "I wish she'd just shut up and open the salmon Purina". Trouble is, I do the same. I blink when he meows! How we've managed to rub along in this way for four and a bit years, I haven't a clue. One of us at least should have starved to death by now, or moved out!
Anyway, I've been wondering for quite a while why communication between myself and Austin can be so fraught with misunderstanding? We seem to be always talking at cross purposes. It can be a positive blinkfest of blank looks and incomprehension. I was beginning to think he was a tuna chunk short of a full can!
Now at last I believe I have the answer. Oh yes I do. Austin is a Welsh speaking cat in an English speaking household. And it is an English speaking household with two different accents! One of us was born and brought up in London and says "barth". The other was born and brought up in Cornwall and says "baaath". The poor boy is very confused, because he comes from some place that is unpronounceable between Llandudno Junction and Rhyl.
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!
and
Happy New Year!
HA! We happen to know that ""dd" sounds sorta like "th". Mommy learned that reading historical bodice-rippers. (What's a bodice?) And doesn't "y" count as a vowel?
ReplyDeleteANYWAY, humans are supposed to speak Cat and not the other way 'round. No matter that they fail spectacularly every. single. time.
Oh, and Mommy says "perfidity" is TOO a word. She made it up all by herself.
Happy New Year!
This is so hilarious. Vowel Misplacement disorder. You guys truly made my day.
ReplyDeleteBlwyddn Newydd Dda !
ReplyDeleteand
Happy New Year !
I have a very easy solution to your language problems :)
You 2-legged learn them self to speak Welsh !!
but....if he was brought up north of watford gap and before Welsh Wales ...then he would know it as Bath (rhymes with Hath, Math etc) :P
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!!
ReplyDeleteKisses
Auntie Marilia & Bavarescats
this was super funny!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you though...when a cat blinks he is saying "I love you"....you are blinking "I love you back"...therefore, you are BOTH speaking the SAME language after all, the language of LOVE! Love has no accent :)
Hey Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteAh, the infamous language barrier strikes again. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Austin is one smart kitteh. He probably doesn't need to listen to you to know what you're thinking in your mind. LOL.
Example,
canned food opening- EATING TIME
prepping the bathroom- BATH TIME
cleaning the litter- PRIVATE MOMENT TIME
holding the squeaky mouse- PLAY TIME
By the way, I passed the Liebster Blog award to you as one of my favorite blogs. I hope you can check the post and continue to pass it on.
Huggies and Cheese,
Haopee
Aunty Caro,
ReplyDeleteHmmm...what if both you go attend sign language class? Will that solve the problem? No? Huh! Move to a foreign country...Poland or Belarus or Lithuania....so you'll have no choice but to learn a new language together. purrr....meow!
Carolyn, next to Polish (and perhaps a few other Slavic languages) Welsh is one of the most vowel deprived languages I've ever seen, but has the interesting habit of doubling consonants in a way that makes me thing many Welsh speakers are charming stutterers. Cats, you know, (as with all animals) understand all languages, and as long as you get that slow and loving blink from them, all is righ twith the world.
ReplyDeleteWELSH! That's IT! One only wonders why it took so long for that realisation to come to you. Austin, I knew it all along..of course I did. Certainly I did and I was keeping quiet so as not to interfere.
ReplyDeleteAustin does, however know the blink of love. Admiral was quite taken with him.
Oh theese one is a good one! Well no wonder blinks abound...but "blinkfests of blank looks and incomprehension" are ok with me as long as they result in Num-Nums most of the time.
ReplyDeleteNot to worry Austin, we don't understand a word that our Mom says either, but do know when the voice gets louder and louder, to run for the hills. Sometimes she says norty words too which we won't repeat. Take care and have a great day
ReplyDeleteLOL LOL, too funny! I don't know why Nate and I can't understand each other since we are both American. I think he just chooses to be confused.
ReplyDeleteA belated Happy New Year to you and Austin!! Please wish him Happy New Year in Welsh for me, I couldn't begin to know how to pronounce that.
Hahaha!! I agree with others, this was hilarious. And I am *sure* that is exactly why you two have communication issues, MOL. BTW, did you know that a slow blink is a form of cat/human communication? It builds trust and a bond. There is a procedure, which I have written about. Let me know if you're interested and I'll dig up the link.
ReplyDeleteHmmmmmmm....and to think all this time I thought June Buggie was just ignoring me.
ReplyDeleteAutsin, Glogirly AND Gloman speak the same language and although I DO know exactly what they are saying, I just don't care. Frankly, they are not very interesting. I just talk back to mess with them. I'm just mewing jibberish, but they are clueless.
ReplyDeletehehe!
Katie
Here is the link to my post on the Body Language of Cats. The part about the blinking is near the end. http://canidaepetfood.blogspot.com/2010/01/how-to-read-body-language-of-cats.html
ReplyDeleteMaxwell: Cat-From-Sydney, as a (partially, once fully) deaf kitteh, I think sign language is a PAWESOME idea!
ReplyDeleteThen us cats can all continue to ignore our humans every time they sign "no"!
FaRADaY: *eyes spinning from all dose vowels* o9ooh yeah, that's a blinkfest all right. MOL!
What a hilarious way to start off the year!! This post was brilliant and I loved every word of it that I could understand!!! You and Austin are quite the pair!!
ReplyDeletexo
happy new year to you, !to
ReplyDelete