Question:
In a recent column, you asked readers to relate nonvisual or non-auditory communication with animals. I had such a relationship with a former kitty, Hunny.
My husband told me that Hunny would go to the front door and wait for me to come home. It didn't matter how long I was away, because she wouldn't go to the door until just a few minutes before I pulled into the driveway. Her timing probably coincided with the time I pulled off the highway and drove the backstreets to our home. As I drove, my mind was no longer on traffic but on home and my kitties. Hunny was with us for 17 years, and she did this every time I was away from the house by car. I had several other cats at the same time, but none of them displayed the same behavior. I now have two other cats, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans. Whenever I say, "Dale, find Roy," she immediately starts searching all of his favorite haunts in the house (he likes dark, secluded places). She stops looking and runs off when Roy has been found. I realize this is verbal communication, but it's kind of odd that I can ask a cat to do something and have her understand exactly what I want. I remember the first time I was looking for Roy, and Dale was sitting in the living room looking at me. I looked at her, asked her the question, and she instinctively knew what I wanted. I suspect it wasn't my words but the fact that my mind was focused on Roy and that I was obviously somewhat anxious at my inability to find him.
E.G., Burleson, TX Apr 11, 2010
Answer:
Your letter evokes the wish for our animal companions to tell us what they really know. In more than one sense, they actually do, as I have described in various books and articles (for details, visit www.twobitdog.com/DrFox/). Specific spoken words and the tone/intonation of our voices provide sufficient information for animals to learn what we are saying and why. How quickly many seem to learn all of this can come as a surprise to us. But when we are open and receptive to our animal companions, they can teach us much about what they feel, know, and have learned from observing us and listening to what we say.
Many pet owners have been cognizant of the cues they give to their animals that make them respond accordingly. Not providing overt cues and getting an appropriate response on the basis of what one was thinking is well documented in the following letter:
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