Now if was a secret skill or ability I have, it would no longer be a secret if I wrote about it, would it?
What would I like to have? My cat just came downstairs meowing. He wants something. What, I’m not sure. He has food, water, a clean box, I just gave him drugs (catnip) and cut his nails (I’m sure that’s not what he wanted, but it reminded me he was due). Being able to decipher cat better than I do would be a dandy superpower. And, as I sat with it further, I got today’s answer–he wanted the rest of his breakfast. Ziggy often eats his morning wet food in the sitting room where BA and I have our coffee. Then he heads upstairs for his morning sleep. Today, he didn’t eat much of his breakfast, so it was still sitting in that room, which because today is cold and snowy, the doors were closed to keep it cozy for BA. I fetched the food, brought it upstairs, he ate 3 bites and now seems to be a happy boy.
Some would say that chatting with the cat, endeavoring to understand and interpret their responses is a sign of mind that it less than stable, but I disagree. More and more researchers are discovering that non human species, both plant and animal are much more sophisticated in their communication skills that we (ignorant or arrogant) humans ever realized.
So I’ll keep working on improving my feline language skills. Ziggy says thank you and is now continuing to get his daily 20 hours of rest. Cheers!
Written in response to the ragtag daily prompt of stable and the word press prompt of secret skill.
Curious Steph 
I am sure animals communicate with each other and with us and are probably bewildered when we don’t get it. That they don’t have to rely on language has made me wonder what we, also, communicate without knowing it, not body language but there must be something remaining of our pre-verbal times. My dogs watch me and know a lot just from that, but I am sure there is more to it.
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I agree. The vibes are there.
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I especially felt them with my horse friend, Brownie T. Horse. He was an excellent communicator and really got — or grokked — me. I loved talking to him.
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I think there is a bond between animals (including humans) that obviates the need for a spoken language for communication. This may also include unspoken between people at a distance from each other (call it ESP if you like) that allows us to know about impending visits or even deaths.
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Cowbirds don’t nest and don’t raise their young, so all cowbirds were raised by some other kind of bird. They never meet another cowbird until they are fully grown. How, we ask, do they know they are cowbirds?
The general belief is that they know it from the songs older cowbirds sing. Within those songs is the story of cowbirdism.
Wouldn’t we love to hear that story?
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As tired as I am of hearing it, the cowbirds know they are cowbirds “because the other cowbirds look just like me!”
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Maybe, but that isn’t what the bird people believe. A cowbird has never looked in a mirror. He has NO idea what he looks like so how would he know that other cowbirds look like him? There is a kind of built in recognition and many think this recognition comes from songs. Cowbirds are indeed amazing singers. For a really annoying bird, they sing a huge array of songs, too. Many people who study this stuff think that there is something in the songs that “wakes up” the bird’s instincts. Personally, I dislike cowbirds. They are destructive and aggressive, but I’m fascinated by the question of recognition.
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That’s probably right that the cowbirds recognize voices and songs rather than the visual!
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