Apparently, Her Royal Highness, Maxine “Meow Meow” Uebele has been steadfastly waiting at the front door, right around 5 every day, waiting for me to come home. It’s both sweet and sad. Meow Meow is a typical cat in a lot of ways. Aloof, only wants affection on her terms, etc.
However, in some ways she is not a typical cat. Like me, she is a creature of habit. She is used to me returning home around 5 PM and greeting her as she waits at the front door. At night, she hops of on the bed for her nightly petting and head rubbing (and subsequent purring).
Of the three cats we have, Meow Meow seemed to be the one to twig on to the fact that change was afoot. In the weeks running up to my departure, she seemed to want more affection and attention than was usual. There was also something about her manner that showed she felt a shift coming.
Maxine is actually quite perceptive, especially for a cat. I admit, sometimes I talk to her as if she is a person. My oldest son likes to make fun of me, and he repeatedly claims that she cannot understand what I am saying. I believe she does. Maybe not the exact words, but she gets the gist of what I’m saying.
The way she reacts to what I say shows she understands. It may be the words, the tone, the body language or even a combination of all three. BUT, she knows what I am trying to communicate, even if she does not understand every word. Her response, via meow or body language, shows she understands.
Studies have born this out as well. Multiple studies have shown that animals are capable of cognition. They can understand words, inflection and body language. In some cases the are capable of logical deduction as well. HRH may only be a cat, but she’s a smart cat.
She’s smart enough to figure out something big was about to change. Of the three cats, she was the first one to sense it. She was the first to realize it. She’s also smart enough to know I’m not around, even if she dutifully waits by the door for me to come home.