“Do you have a cat?”
The first thing I noticed about the woman asking me was her smile. Friendly. She looked loved. An attractive person, casually dressed in a cute outfit that flattered her. “She’s clever,” I thought to myself, before realizing I needed to answer her question before it got weird.
“Yes!” I replied through my mask, believing my smile would work its way through the layers. Now I learned a bit more about her. She was part of a couple who’d moved into the building during lockdown. When they’d leave their door cracked open, a plump kitty often stepped out to sit on their welcome mat.
“My cat comes to sniff at your door!” she explains, still laughing. I then told her that, during my own cat’s supervised excursions in our building at night, I’ve seen my cat do the very same thing – over at her doorstep! My smöl meow tiptoes the halls to sit at other’s doorways, but at this family’s entry, she calls, expecting an answer.
What’s the actual language these two are using to communicate? There’s so much to these complex animals we don’t know.