Most people on here have some type of pet, I noticed that with many older women and gay men, they are their babies or best friend. Many people talk to their pets as if talking to another person, they imagine what the pet would answer back if the pet understood and could talk. That leads me to my question, in your head... what does your pet sound like?
I am not at the level of pet whacky-ness that some of you have reached but sometimes the expression on the animal's face leads me to imagine what and how they might be saying something. For example my older cat Kiddy, she is a very serious animal, she doesn't get excited and looks at me with an expression of disapproval if I mess up on something. In my head I hear the voice of an older, very proper, English lady, "well how dreadful, you slept in and left in a hurry, now look what we have here, empty food bowls, my disappointment in you is rather large today". My younger cat is extremely playful and full of energy, like a little dog she follows me everywhere and is always looking for attention. I always hear in my mind a little girl of about twelve, one of those little girls that has that bubbly personality and talks non stop. Like, "and so I climbed up the tree because there was a squirrel there but then I came back down and look at me if I tuck my head down I can roll over, now tickle my tummy tickle my tummy and got to catch that leaf, is there kibble in my bowl, must pounce on Kiddy, now pet me"!
Neither cat is a diva, they have jobs to do and I think that keeps cats mentally healthy. No the role of diva falls to one of the rabbits, Blackie. She demands the best and her space is her diva den, stay away. She is very particular about her food. I always have in my head an angry loud voice like in some comedy movie where they get a generic large black woman who puts everyone in their place and absolutely demands respect. As if she is saying, "what is this! What IS THIS!!! This is not my Meadow Mix! I'm not eating this! GET THIS OUT OF MY BOOOWL"! She will then start to toss it out!
Regarding your pets who seems to have a lot of character, in your mind what do they sound like? Maybe it's just a crazy Steve thing but I'm going to guess not.
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Generic large black woman, really? Too funny! My pets, a 12 year old bichonpoo and four year old Maltese, Bella and Cujo respectively, don't speak in my head. There's already too much overcrowding up in there. They do, however, speak thru my husband when he's around. We got Cujo first when he was four months old. My son felt I needed another dog to soothe the pain of my other Maltese passing the day before. Surprise! No time to grieve whatsoever. Anyhoo, balder half started making him talk with a baby like lisp. My daughter-in-law asked if the pup was metrosexual. Bella, on the other hand, has an old English lady voice too. She was nine when we got her, almost toothless with breath that could gag a maggot! Yet, she carries herself with such an intelligent dignity that the accent fits. She sits for her collar like we are presenting her with pearls. I could go on and on, but it looks like I already have.
Although my dogs ( and cat) are my surrogate kids, I never imagine them as really human. Dogs are dogs......and should be viewed as such. Treating them LIKE people does them a disservice and is borderline abuse as dogs don't understand what is wanted of them ..
It's a particular bugbear of mine
All my pets were birds and I always spoke their language, kept their schedules, did what I was told. The last one died Thanksgiving Day 2015. I still talk to Cleo every day, all day, out loud. Right now she'd be preening on my shoulder, watching me peck at the iPad and waiting for 8am when she'd *make* me get up and wash the breakfast dishes. Before her I had the male of the same species, pacific parrotlet, and he actually mimicked me but only when he thought I wasn't listening. From what I could gather he thought I was a pretty bird.
Deedles, you have me confused lol, so no but actually yes? Hubby sounds like fun. Blackie never says generic things like "you go girl" but sometimes if I give her the wrong food she will wave a little finger at me and say, "oh no you didn't"!
John, I agree with you, the cats are cats here and I think that is why they are not neurotic like a lot of city cats. However when Kiddy and I were reading your comment this morning, (Kiddy reads your blog for stories about Albert) she turned to me and said, "has he gone mad, does he not know we read his blog, well there you have it, what can you expect from a man who sleeps with.... ugh, dogs"!
Mike, I once saw a program about unwanted birds, many as you know live a long time and are extremely intelligent. Unfortunately a lot of people get them and then are bored after a few months, they get rid of them or leave them in cages with no stimulation. Maybe you should look into giving such a bird a loving home, you sound like the perfect match.
There's a good chance, actuarially speaking, any bird I take on will outlive me. I'm so tempted, though, that Bob won't let me visit the local bird store, I don't like the way they treat their birds and want to take them all home with me. Pinto, the male parrotlet, was a rescued bird. It was love at first sight. He was devoted to me, when he wasn't bossing me around, that is. He took his last breaths in my hand. I cried for weeks. I cried for him and everyone I lost before him. I cry a lot, I can't go through that again.
I guess I should clarify my novella there. I don't hear my dogs talk in my head. They are family members but they are dogs. I will talk to them out loud but not in the "I expect an answer" mode. More like, ya gotta go potty? or come and eat! The talking is all out loud and it is coming from my husband as a fun thing to do. It's almost like a puppet show or something. The dog's expressions be like wuzzup wid dis foo? I get a kick out of it because balder half usually doesn't have a whimsical bone in his body, so when he does this it is so very funny. He likes to make me laugh and I appreciate it. What was the question again? Oh yeah, no I don't hear my dogs' voices until they bark.
I never thought about what my cat would sound like.
I think the consensus is that this is in fact a crazy Steven thing, and you are the only person who does this in the whole wide world. Sure, Mike's birds talked to him but he had parrots, which can actually talk.
Are you familiar with the term "cabin fever"? The warmer weather is coming. It is time to get out more. Go dancing or on some Grindr dates (but don't tell people that your cats talk back to you on your profile). Or you could go on some Jane's walks: this is Jane's Walk weekend: http://www.janeswalkottawa.ca/sessions/27 .
Also I feel very sad for Mike. I think his reasons for not getting a new bird are sensible, and I still wish he could have a bird.
Old Lurker: I could probably get a newly minted bird and not invest so much emotion in him or her, which is what I did with Cleo. I let her be a bird, for the most part I was just her meal ticket and good husband material. The 'problem' with rescued pets is you tend to invest more in their welfare, and the more you invest the more they rely on you. If you had seen Pinto you'd think I was mistreating him -- he had missing toes and plucked his chest bare, I couldn't stop him from doing that. Rescued dogs have similar issues.
Don't underestimate the value of being a meal ticket and good husband material.
Mike, they talked about that in the program and people had guardians set up in case the bird out lived the owner.
People who like donkeys as pet have the same problem, forty years life span, also unbelievably farm geese have a life span of close to forty years.
Deedles, I understand now, you don't need to hear it in your head because hubby does it for you basically, lol.
RJ, are you telling me you never hear him comment on anything in your head? Like, "oh man you bought me the wrong food again"!
Old Lurker, I don't believe any of them, most are in too deep to realize.
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