←
→
eftychia: Lego-ish figure in blue dress, with beard and breasts, holding sword and electric guitar (lego-blue)
Add MemoryShare This Entry

An Observation Regarding Interspecies Communication

posted by [personal profile] eftychia at 09:55pm on 2006-12-31 under ,

Many 'phrases' in cat-to-human (and cat-to-cat) communication do not translate cleanly to concise English sentences. Some are ambiguous or incomplete (Perrine, for example, unfortunately seems to think that saying "I want," will enable me to read her mind to determine what she wants, if she just says it emphatically enough; some other cats can be much more specific), or convey a mood rather than a statement (or perhaps feline concepts a human can only approximate?).

But "this is crap" not only translates succinctly, it even appears to use the same idiom.

←
→
There are 3 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] donnad.livejournal.com at 03:02am on 2007-01-01
Hee hee.
Snowy has a definite "Help me" scream. She gets up on the top level of the six foot tall scratching post and can't figure out how to get down. She will yowl at the top of her voice in a rather distressed tone when she wants help getting down.

[link] [reply]
 

(no subject)

posted by [identity profile] garnet-rattler.livejournal.com at 04:07am on 2007-01-01
In 'cat-to-human':

[livejournal.com profile] darwiniacat 's Persephone is quite clear about just what she wants around 75% of the time. But sometimes I suspect She isn't quite clear on what she wants and then it gets rough. Food, unhappy litter box, 'go see mom because she isn't doing well', cuddle, these all get through with almost no hesitation. Occasionally she will have an inspiration and make something else very easily understood. Beyond that, though ...

[livejournal.com profile] red_lynx 's Shinutsu is far scarier. She has been known to tell me 'Make coffee so mom can get up and go to work'. Unusual level of clue for a human, much less a cat.

'This is crap', is universal to nearly all mammals and birds over 50 grams or so, insofar as I can tell. Even the possible '!' added onto the end is pretty clear to all of the omnivores and predators I've dealt with (only a few dozen species, granted). Certainly, parrots, cats and dogs, even ferrets know it well, as do all of the apes, great and small.

I have long suspected that cats are much more immediately ~coupled to their senses than humans or many other creatures (dolphins and bats may be similar). Thus their viewpoint is skewed toward the local-immediate time & place so much that they Appear not to worry about the long-term. Also, the sensory signals themselves seem more 'real' and intense to them. So that they get more out of grooming, but also can move 'in synch' with the local area & environment better. Since it is patently obvious to the Cat what she/he wants, it Should be to you as well, since you think at least somewhat like a cat and are In the ~same environment ...

Off-topic Hardware info, 'Mickey-mouse' cord source:
http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9116

Cheap surplus source ...
[link] [reply]
 

Look! Poop!

posted by [identity profile] still-asking.livejournal.com at 09:55pm on 2007-01-01
While a canine, making the same *literal* comment could be expressing any of several sorts of reactions, all excited.
[link] [reply]

Links

January

SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1
1
 2
1
 3
1
 4
1
 5
1
 6
1
 7
1
8
1
 9
1
 10
1
 11
1
 12
1
 13
1
 14
1
15
1
 16
1
 17
1
 18
1
 19
1
 20
1
 21
1
22
1
 23
1
 24
 
 25
 
 26
 
 27
 
 28
 
29
 
 30
 
 31