Hill, what an interesting article that is! (Where are you? Been absent for two days?) Animals have their own way of communicating to humans. Not only cats, but also all other domesticated animals have this characteristic.
For some time, I learned how to react to the piglets my mother was raising when we were young. And, (as what Maxsims has mentioned), we checked on them "with clips in their ears". (The mother swine had the most number of different whinings and tune types. It was the noisiest, most incontrollable domesticated beast I have ever encountered. Its weapon is her siren-like, trumpet-like sound that you'd always regret raising pigs in your backyard (those were the days...).
My grandfather as well, learned how to interpret the sounds his carabao was making at different hours of the day, and his carabao had learned how to cope with the various moods my grandfather had. Sad, carabaos are the kindest of the animals I have ever seen, that no matter what words (or curses) my grand dad called the plump guy, it was always timid.
It's just the chickens I found so difficult to understand, but when food was around, they had the faintest cacklings. Mother hens also had the largest variation of pitches and beats, staccato or calm sounds,
. They dont say anything though, when you slip your hand into their nest, and you grab a very warm egg for breakfast
. They just give you a souvenir red peck
ouch!
Dogs, I think, are closest to humans. They make sounds at the same time do some actions suggesting their thoughts and moods. Hmmmn. I think I am related to Dr. Doolittle.
I'll tell you more... about monkeys and iguanas later...
tata!
madgirldoolittle
