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According to this article, a lot of people think cats are cold and distant, but we cat owners know different! New studies are delving into how cats communicate with their owners. I think the findings are amazing and a little surprising. I already knew about the "cat blinking" thing. I think they have a good point about the meows as well. From what I've seen of our cats, they have different ways to meow and their meows are very personality based. Some meow more than others, some meow in different ways.

If you have a cat, are thinking about having a cat, have had a cat before, or are just curious about cats, i suggest reading this article:

http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/cats-are- ... lank-faces

I love both cats & dogs, but I agree wholeheartedly with that article. The cats I have owned have all been very communicative with us and have each had quite distinctive personalities.

Mau, I put a link to a poem about a cat in our thread "It's beneficial to believe." Check it out. I think it will appeal to you.

I'm a cat lover too, but I'm allergic to them. But y'all need to know......dogs and cats are great, but they both pale in comparison to a hand raised parrot. They are smart, pretty, can talk and are the most affectionate pets there are.

Really? You have a parrot? I read a book a year or two ago about that African Grey, maybe named Alex, something like that --the one that learned so much language and pretty much proved that parrots do, indeed, understand what they say.

Yes I have a cockatoo, she's my daughter and she cusses in English and Spanish. Of course I'm a pirate at heart. I lived in Miami after all. I was part of the original pirates of the Caribbean. She has bonded to me to the point, that I have to take her with me on vacation, because she suffers seperation anxiety. You ever try sitting up in a tree stand during deer season with a parrot? No, that has never happened, but she has gone fishing with me.

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NeverMore wrote:
Of course Kolchak has a parrot. Though he's on the right side of the law, he's a pirate at heart.

Way back when, my buddy had an African Grey. It learned to imitate the sound of his pager perfectly. It also talked up a storm. Drove us crazy.

She drives my wife crazy too. I love it! My wife will start yelling at her for going on the floor or eating some of my wife's fruit, so my wife starts yelling at her and my parrot cusses back at her in Spanish. Pretty soon they're both cussing at each other. It's funny. At least for me






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That does sound like a scene out of a movie!

Well personally I think there's no such thing as a "better pet." It's all in what you've grown up with and what best fits your personality type.

I'm rather fond of ferrets as well; but not nearly as much as cats.

Kolchak I'm not sure I could stand a Parrot talking back to me all the time but I think I agree with everyone about the Pirate comments. Speaking of Pirates, I'm descended from Sir Francis Drake. Arrrr...we all have a bit o pirate blood in us! Having allergies sure does stink though. Technically I have allergies to pet dander, but it doesn't stop me from having my cats. It just means I have to take allergy medicine; and I'm not one for taking pills.

Sir Francis Drake? Honest to goodness? That's a connection you don't hear about every day.

I raised ferrets when I lived in Miami and I helped local lawmakers in drafting legislation to make selling and keeping ferrets in Georgia after they had been banned from pet shops in 1978. They were not illegal to own in Georgia, but it was illegal to sell them within the state. They were legal prior to 1978, but it was feared they would escape and damage the states multi-million dollar poultry industry so a really stupid and insipid law past. We amended the law somewhat and now they are legal to sell for profit.

So put simply, I know a tad about ferrets and I love them. But parrots are still superior.

Yep Murf. I'm not entirely sure if it's a direct descent or not; but my Aunt did a family tree research thing and we're definitely descended from the Drake's on my Dad's Mom's side of the family. So so far I know I've got Jewish Descent on my mother's side along with Armenian; Native American, and Pirate Blood.
I'm a mix of all kinds of things.

Kolchak you crack me up. I think it's all a matter of opinion. I think cats are pretty smart, it's just that Evolution didn't favor the ability to talk in their vocal chords. Although they certainly do try really hard.

Here's one example from a popular YouTube Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkwiQmGWK4c

I never could understand why they'd make ferrets illegal. Ferrets have been domesticated to the point where there's no way they could survive in the wild. In some cases cats are reverted back to a wild state though and become feral; but not every cat has done such. There's also a difference between a feral and a stray. Ferals have become wild, while strays can still trust humans and be adopted into homes. It's possible to adopt feral kittens though.

You're right. The Fitch ferret has been domesticated going back to ancient Egypt. It is a member of the polecat family which includes, weasels, minks, martins, skunks, otters and wolverines.

The wild cousins of ferrets have done a fair bit of raiding around the old hen house, and nobody ever said laws or legislation need to make sense, because they seldom do.

In Georgia's case, in 1977 a pet shop that sold ferrets somehow managed to let a few escape. Several where seen and caught near farms. Farmers not knowing the pedigree of the Fitch got all excited and contacted their legislator and a law was passed making it illegal for pet shops to sell them.

They were legal in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama and both of the Carolinas so it wasn't illegal to buy one in those states and bring them into Georgia, it was just illegal for places like Pet Smart to sell them.

I was able to get with a local representative, and along with a few other people who had a background with ferrets, were able to tweak the law where ferrets can now be sold, but they must be fixed.

This keeps farmers happy knowing the ferrets won't reproduce if they do escape, and more importantly it helps protect female ferrets(female ferrets are called Jills and male ferrets are called Hobbs)A female ferret suffers from a much higher rate of anemia than most other animals.

In order for females to live a long life, they must either breed twice a year or be fixed. If they aren't they have an 80% chance of suffering and dying from anemia than if they were fixed or bred regularly.

Hearing a little ferret scream in pain is very disturbing and not being able to do anything about it is the worst feeling of hopelessness you can feel. I've heard that painful squeal and I don't want to hear it again.

So that is why if you have a female ferret; breed her when she is season or get her fixed.

See!? I told you I knew a tad about ferrets!

Wow, you knew more about ferrets than I did! I grew up with ferrets during the time my mom had first married my step dad up until my late teens/early twenties before I moved in with my Grandma. There was a period where my step dad had three ferrets; then they died. A few years later he got another one.

If I were to own a ferret I'd likely get it spayed/neutered. Unless a species is endangered; I support spaying and neutering. Not that I think every pet should be or they'd all die out.

Speaking of which I need to get my youngest male cat neutered. He'll just love that.

I think cats is much smarter than dogs..