Annie!
 

Just looked at the new vid of Annie - go kitty! Grab that straw! Bite it! Bite it!!!!
(my kitties do the same thing...)

mine usually hides behind the curtain and does surprise attacks on everything that moves.. good thing you can't see her tail moving ;)

Speaking cat
 

My two cats back in the States talk to the birds, other cats, and the raccoons in the same short meows. I've always wondered about it.

One of those cats does the greatest thing- he silently meows to the people he trusts the most. Very sweet. Does the eye squeeze at the same time.

Oh, I miss 'em!!!

Annie is a good cyber in-situ kitty.

Silent meows?
 

Hi everyone!

Amanda, my big fat kitty Maurice gives me the silent meow. I'm a fairly new cat buddy ... is the silent meow a general sign of trust?

re silent miaow
 

It's a really sweet, intimate little communication... either a sign of high trust or "the last resort" when they want chicken...
There's a wonderful book called "The Silent Miaow" by Paul Gallico - someone gave it to me when I was little & I lost it, then bought it again. Wonderful pix...

When my cat Corn-Cob (read our story in the being little pets section) was neutered, he was never able to meow like a real cat again. Now the only noises he can make are the ones like Annie makes in the video.

pigeon catlish
 

Ohhhh... Annie is so cute. She reminds me of a cat I used to have named Kundry... such a sweet face... the stripey ones are just the best. Not that I don't love my black & grey kitties excessively, but there's something about the tabbies...
I love that little chittering sound they make when they see a bird... and their eyes get HUGE! :)

Ah my leetle Maurice, not so little. He has to go on a diet :(

I love his belly but I know it's more important for him to be healthy. Darnitall.

Thanks for the info about the silent meows! I haven't heard him make the chirpy-bird sound, but he does make an inquisitive "prrrt" sound when he says hello to us.

Catbelly, I can relate! My Sasha is the size of a small continent! Unfortunately, it's difficult to put both her and my other cat on a diet, as Sasha will eat all of Rhoda's food unless we stare at them for the duration of the meal. Doens't work. Any advice?

try feeding them in different rooms! and remove the food if they've left something.. might just work.. good luck!

Oh my! Duelling bellies! If it were not unhealthy for the cats I would be rather excited! AllegroNg ... no good advice from me, unfortunately. If Sasha's head were appreciably bigger than Rhoda's, you could put some sort of screening device over Rhoda's food, LOL. Why am I suddenly thinking of Back to the Future??

It makes me so sad to restrict Maurice's food. We adopted him from a lady who rescues strays, and for the first few months he would scarf down his food as soon as we put it in the bowl. Now, he feels comfy enough with us that he will leave his food and make it last the whole day. He's just gaining weight because he's not as active in the winter. My cat pop-psychology says that this means he feels comfortable and safe and in his environment. I don't want to make him feel less safe and comfy by restricting food, you know?

My boys
 

Same thing with Sam (the one with the silent meows). He was a stray kitten that would come back from the park across the street with barbeque sauce on his nose.

Over the years, he became quite tubby, finally relaxed in his world. I would try to give him less food, but he was still inside all day, sleeping (as most of us would, given half the chance). No change at all in his belly, which was a nice size. Not quite touching the ground, but almost.

But he's been living a comfortable life going on 17 years now- now a loveable, crotchy, old roman emporer. Not as tubby, but still plenty hefty, and never one problem concerning his health.

Later on, Calvin, my other stray, came to live with us- he eats about the same amount as Sam, but lives a pretty active life- bounding up trees, the roof, running around the house. He's bigger than Sam, but he's also leaner and more muscular.

So I would say it's pretty much the same for cats as humans- less food is a good start, but get them playing (exercising) more. Also, obsesity (as with drinking, smoking and the like) CAN effect health, but not always. Sammy is a good example of that.

I have a really disgustingly fat cat. Her old vet really wanted her to lose weight, and we were always trying to put her on a diet. It was hard because my other cat has inflammatory bowel disease and kidney problems, so his special food is really high in fat. After we moved, we started taking her to a new vet who said that, like humans, some cats are genetically disposed to being overweight. There is no point in making the cat miserable to try to get her to be thin. She's 14 years old now, and pretty much doing fine. Really neurotic, but physically healthy. I would say not to worry too much about it. Maybe start buying food designed for "less active cats," but keep your kitty happy! He doesn't have to grow up to be a functional member of society, so you can spoil him. That's the fun in having a pet :)

Maurice is just big boned, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

Augh... my cousin's prospective girlfriend came over for dinner, and she was all about "OH my GOD you have to get him on diet food, my friend's cat got diabetes and DIED soon afterward blah blah blah yadda yadda blah" man, I hate that.

Freedom comes when you tell Ms. Grundy to go fly a kite.
 

The only approriate response to that: serve her the diet food, and then say to her,
"See! It doesn't taste very good, now does it? If YOU won't eat it, how could I serve it to my cat?"

;)