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Do those sweet, fuzzy creatures known as cats understand us or or they just out to get us? I sometimes think that while they often understand us, they all have a secret desire to subjugate the human race. No, I'm not a cat hater. I do, in fact, have three fuzzballs of my very own and I love them dearly.

The oldest is Bobby. Or Pooky, Bobcat, Stinky, or Pookypants. Yes, I know this sounds a bit weird but these names just kind of evolved and took on a life of their own. And yes, she answers to them all. This should tell you something about her intelligence. She is by far, the smartest cat we have or have had in a very long time.

At this point, she is currently a cone head. She recently had surgery on her tail end(I'll refrain from going into the gory details) and has been wearing one of those cone things so she won't lick. This, of course, is mightily upsetting to her. So she has taken to following me around, getting under my feet, and climbing in my lap until I take pity on her and remove the offending thing for a little while. Then of course, she tries to zoom away to commence licking which is a definite no-no. So then I have to put the dreaded cone back on and she proceeds to mope and look pathetic. The sad part is that she knows how to manipulate me into taking it off.

A few nights ago, as I was sleeping, I felt something on my head and then a sharp pain in my eye. It was that pesky cone or I should say cat. She continued to "bump" my head until I finally stopped ignoring her and said "NO". So she jumped off the bed. So yes, I think cats understand us most of the time. She also knows the words "treat, can, bug, light, bird, and out".

Cats are peculiar creatures with unique habits. Our next cat in age is part Siamese and thinks she's better than everyone else. She habitually looks snotty. She's also a tease. When you reach down to pet her, she walks away with her tail in the air. But she doesn't go very far, so we try again and the same cycle repeats over and over. If you actually manage to pet her, then she hisses at you. She of course, has won whatever weird victory she was going for. She is Charlotte, queen of the household, and you'd better not cross her.

She's also my lap kitty. Go figure. She'll coquettishly come up to me as I sit in my recliner and then I am required to cajole her into jumping into my lap. She's also the cat that will holler at you when you leave the room or go out the door. And surprisingly, she is the cat that comes to comfort me if I am crying about something.

Last, but certainly not boring, is Leo, our boy kitty. Also known as Mr. Boy. He is a unique specimen of maleness. He loves the girl kitties, even though they often find him annoying. We at first thought him a generic cat, but his personality has finally started to show itself. He's all about the playing right now. And he lets everyone know it by hollering at you the minute you walk in the door. All he wants is for a person to toss a toy across the room. If you are not interested in playing with him, he is not interested in you. He knows the difference between a "toy person" and a "pick the kitty up person" and will run away if your intention is to pick him up. Now tell me he doesn't understand people. He also has learned the words "treat, can, out, and bird".

So I definitely believe cats understand people. I sometimes think they are smarter than us but please don't divulge that secret to my cats. I'd never hear the end of it.

Learn more about this author, Victoria Montgomery.
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