Expert: Norman Auspitz - 6/10/2011

Question
Hello,
   I have a cat that someone said was an Egyptian Minx. It has a strange habit I haven't seen in other cats.  It talks all the time.  It isn't meowing I don't know how to describe it except that it is talk with different things have different meanings. It usually comes up and says "Hey, I'm hungry, feed me." Then it is "Faster, Faster feed me."  It does that a lot.  But it also says "Hey I was up a long time ago what took you so long in letting me out of the basement."  I can heat it talking in the window when it sees a bird.  It has a different way to say "I'm bored or I'm sad."
   How unusual is it for a cat to talk like this?

Answer
Lauren,

Here is a description of the Egyptian Mau (I have never heard of an Egyptian Minx):

"Modified oriental-type conformation; spotted coat. Introduced into the U.S. from Egypt; not recognized in UK. Possibly the oldest domestic cat breed, traceable back to the Egyptian Middle Period. Its fur type is apparently more primitive than that of other breeds and, unlike more modern cats, it has a tendency to face foes rather than flee! In flight, it is also the fastest of the domestic breeds. Not to be confused with a spotted oriental breed, bred to resemble Egyptian cat, which was developed in England and was originally known as the Mau."

Many cats like to vocalize to humans.  We try to interpret what their meows mean and react.  It does not take the cat long to figure out it can manipulate you by meowing. Some cats tend to be very, very quiet, some vocalize nearly all the time, but most are somewhere in between the extremes.

Usually, the "talking" to its prey (e.g., the birds) has a quick clacking noise.  We do not really know why cats have this particular behavior, but it seems to be universal amongst domestic cats. It shows intense interest in what it sees.

We have to be careful about attributing human motives and emotions to cats.  They do not think like we do!

I hope this answers your question.

Best regards... Norm