- Joined
- Mar 19, 2002
- Messages
- 784
We "adopted" two kittens in October, 2003: one gray and white (but not striped) about 9 weeks old and the other a Siamese-looking, blue-eyed sweetie who is probably of mixed heritage who was about 10 weeks old at the time.
Right from the first day at our house, the Siamese, named Ursula, seemed to understand the English language. She would respond to sentences like "Ursula, dear, please get off the chair." by getting off the chair or "If you are hungry, go check your bowl." by going to the mat where we set out the cats' food.
These responses, however, could be explained (even if an obedient cat is rather odd in itself).
One day, however, both my husband and I were watching the television, when Ursula suddenly jumped into the reclining chair and attacked the neck rest while growling. Then, just as suddenly, she settled down as if she had done nothing.
My husband laughed and said to the cat, "Why did you do that?"
She looked him directly and made a series of noises that sounded very distinctly like "I don't know." spoken by someone who doesn't quite have the proper tongue and lip arrangement for speech. Then she jumped off the chair and walked away.
My husband and I stared at each other for a moment. I said, "Did you hear that?" He said that he had. Fearing that I was finally losing the last of my sanity, I asked him what he had heard. He answered, "She said 'I don't know."
Then, not wanting to believe it, we agreed that she couldn't have spoken. Right? She couldn't have.
But it was a mighty strange incident.
Right from the first day at our house, the Siamese, named Ursula, seemed to understand the English language. She would respond to sentences like "Ursula, dear, please get off the chair." by getting off the chair or "If you are hungry, go check your bowl." by going to the mat where we set out the cats' food.
These responses, however, could be explained (even if an obedient cat is rather odd in itself).
One day, however, both my husband and I were watching the television, when Ursula suddenly jumped into the reclining chair and attacked the neck rest while growling. Then, just as suddenly, she settled down as if she had done nothing.
My husband laughed and said to the cat, "Why did you do that?"
She looked him directly and made a series of noises that sounded very distinctly like "I don't know." spoken by someone who doesn't quite have the proper tongue and lip arrangement for speech. Then she jumped off the chair and walked away.
My husband and I stared at each other for a moment. I said, "Did you hear that?" He said that he had. Fearing that I was finally losing the last of my sanity, I asked him what he had heard. He answered, "She said 'I don't know."
Then, not wanting to believe it, we agreed that she couldn't have spoken. Right? She couldn't have.
But it was a mighty strange incident.