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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

"Lord...what is that noise?"

 My senior cats are going through some noticeable changes these days. They are not as flexible as they used to be and that is evident when they try to jump up onto things.They certainly sleep more and they even snore now. The one thing that I notice the most about them is that their voice has changed. Each one of them has a new sound to their meow. A new tone. Not a pleasant one, either. They can sound almost like a cat in heat when they start yelling about something. And they yell a lot.

Cali has the loudest and most ear-piercing screech now and I hear it mostly when she is looking for me. Ginny has always had a loud voice and often stands at the top of the stairs and just lets it wail. It sounds different these days, too. It's louder and screechier and makes the hair stand up on your neck. I swear she could have landed a part in the Exorcist. Lily always had a very petite, rather pathetic sounding meow and now it is louder and more pathetic. Mr. Ed doesn't meow. I think I heard him meow 2 or 3 times since he arrived here 2 years ago and I don't even remember why he meowed. He's just a very quiet, deaf, unobtrusive fella. Sierra's voice is the same but then she is the youngest here.  It does make sense that their voices would sound different as they age. The human voice changes in the senior years.
I had a cat named Charity many years back and she used to meow but only her mouth moved and no sound was heard.
Charity & I in Calgary, Alberta 1980
If you put your ear up to her you could hear a faint meow but standing in front of her there was no sound. She was my only cat for 14 of her 20 years and she was a wonderful companion. She lived with me in Ottawa, Toronto then 4 years in Calgary and then back to Ottawa. Over the years her little, teeny-weeny, mouse-like voice probably changed and I never knew it. Funny how they are all so different.  If you are familiar with Ginger Jasper fromhttp://pughysgingerfurball.blogspot.com/ you will notice how much Charity resembled GJ. Drop by and meet Ginger. That little face will lift your spirits any day.

It is cold and more snow is on its' way. Today I will be baking pumpkin muffins. Recipe tomorrow.

hugs, Deb

9 comments:

  1. Well, now that I read your post I started thinking about our 2 cat's voices and realized that perhaps their ages (11 and 8) are the reasons why they meow even more than ever. Henry (our 11 yr old) meows more and more for snacks, hugs, to be picked up, etc) while Buster meows at imaginary things. I have to wonder if their age is not an issue though b/c they've gotten more vocal ever since Daisy, our dog, joined the family.

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  2. That is a GORGEOUS picture of you and that kitty is majestic looking!! Beautiful scenery too. I heard the most pitiful yowl ever out of a 19 yr old cat my friend used to have...never heard anything quite like it before or since!! It was just her way of meowing and saying hello, but WOW!!! It was so pathetic,poor ole girl! We are expecting 16 INCHES OF SNOW TONIGHT!!

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  3. Your house must sound like a badly done Wagner opera!

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  4. Yes, I know...last night my Bobby slept right on my ear, his purr is so loud, but lovely! ;D

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  5. Hahaha! It`s usually loud enough....
    Yes, it`s a little mouse sugar bowl, tiny but so sweet:)

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  6. They do change don't they. When Charlie was young he had that kind of soft meow you could hardly hear. He would open his mouth but it was like a whisper. Now he is much louder and 'talks' much more. He has started a new high pitched yowl in the night for some reason...turning 11 has him more vocal for sure.

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  7. I agree with Bloggin bout my boys.. the picture of Charity and you is beautiful!!

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  8. Hi Deb~ I know what you mean! Our Rocky is 17 and he has changed so much. We have always had cats, but Rocky has suddenly become very social & verbal. Friends will say, when did you get this cat? And when we tell them 15 years ago... they are so embarrassed or surprised. We think Rocky has Feline Ahzheimers. But, he is very happy and we enjoy him so. {He's visiting me now..knows Im talking about him :)} My Kitties have always been talkers♥

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  9. Oh my ~ that is quite the roar there! haha!

    Isn't it funny the 'meows' that our kitties make for different things. Banjo's "I want some of your yogurt' meow, is much better then his "I want some attention' meow.

    Goodness ~ you have lived in many places of Canada ~ good for you! I've lived in all 3 Prairie Provinces. That's as exciting as I get...

    xo Catherine

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