A Proper Meow

Here's something you'd have thought I'd have noticed years ago - none of my cats meow.

Vocalizations are hardly they problem.  They yip, yowl, wail, squeak, even now and again scream.  They chirp, mew, trill and chatter and sometimes even caterwaul.  And of course at the imminent "outgestion" of a hairball, they reach deep down for that bowels of the earth, sepulchral and almost baritone ascending, protracted moan that makes me think of tombs and watery graves and spirits walking through haunted walls.  But they do not meow, not for food or attention or general social discourse.  It's a matter of attitude not linguistics, I suspect. Meow being what they are known for, they naturally chose a variation of the word to maintain their distance.  All know their names and except for the old, tuxedo cat, all will come when called - I talk to them all the time and they regularly talk back.  Should one one day answer me in plain English, I won't be the least bit surprised since I've been anticipating it for years.  Even without a proper meow, the only trick to communicating with cats is paying attention.  Humans, on the other hand .....


You'd think that a common language, a decent education, and a few simple listening skills would be enough but sadly, it's not the case.



So, I email our business manager, How many vacation days do I currently have?



Sick days don't carry over, her email replies.



Mystifying.