Category Archives: Larenti Photos

When a cat speaks to you

Larenti sitting in the parking lot with sunshine beaming down on her (155_5564)

Larenti was standing outside a few minutes ago when I stepped out.  She sat patiently next to the fence and immediately spoke to me when I exited.  I turned around, went back inside, and retrieved some food for her.

As I stepped back outside, she again spoke to me.  I could tell she was hungry and I was more than happy to oblige her some breakfast.

Even as I knelt to put some food outside the fence for her, she looked directly at me and meowed appreciatively.

Why is this important?  I mean, all this kitty talk is normal, right?

Hardly.  And it speaks to another reason I felt compelled to rescue Vazra.

Cats do not speak to people unless they learned to do so from people.  Like all other animals, the domestic cat is inherently a wild animal that simply has been around people long enough to be malleable insofar as domestication is concerned.  As long as a kitten is exposed to people at a young age, they grow accustomed to human company and learn not to fear us as they would normally (which is the difference between a feral cat and a stray/abandoned cat).

The significance of a cat talking directly to a human is that again it represents a personality trait that is not native to felines.  They do not naturally understand that speaking to a human can elicit a specific response.  In fact, they do not understand natively that speaking is useful at all except in extenuating circumstances (as a warning, for instance, or to communicate with offspring).  A cat who did not grow up with people and did not learn from people that talking to them is useful will only talk to other cats—notwithstanding warnings, of course.  That is the natural order of the world.

Why do I point this out?

If Larenti, like Vazra before her, is willing to talk to me directly, it shows she is not feral but instead has been abandoned to the streets.  She learned at a young age that meowing to a human could produce results.  That is not something they learn quickly except when they are young (as with all animals, the older they get, the more set in their ways they become).

It’s common for domestic cats to talk to people when they live with people.  If one lives outside and without a home to which they can return, talking to people means they did not start out on the streets but instead grew up in a home where they learned to communicate with humans.  That is one of the ways I knew Vazra was neither feral nor a lifelong stray.  He’s quite vocal.  Not only that, but he loves human interaction and attention.  Larenti’s comfort with me proved she was not feral; her willingness to talk to me directly proves she once had a home but was abandoned or rejected.

Larenti sitting in the sunshine (155_5565)

Show us what you got, honey!

I was so tickled by this that it was an absolute must-share.  First, the photo:

Larenti lying on her back (155_5571)

That’s Larenti.  She’s quite fond of lying on her back.  It actually goes further than just lying on her back though, as she gets in that position and wallows and rolls about with much enthusiasm before she finally comes to rest with her belly to the sun and paws in whatever position they took during all the commotion.  It’s quite entertaining.

Unfortunately, that video ran too long and cut off before she rolled back over, stretched out her legs, and found that oh-so-right position for some nice sunshine-blanketed rest.  But you get the point.

Larenti’s double

Almost a month ago to the day, I mentioned another of the neighborhood cats who at first seemed to be Larenti, yet on that occasion I realized as I watched that what I was seeing was her virtual double.  The stranger looked a lot like her but was different in several ways: smaller, darker and more brown as opposed to her light grey, tabby stripes slightly more pronounced, and no tipped ear.  Since then, I’ve been watching carefully and have seen more and more of this feline.  It’s more skittish than she is (in fact, she’s gone the opposite direction now and is quite comfortable with me) yet not so skittish as to run away when I go outside—although it does step away from the food long enough to be certain I’m not going to attack, and it watches me carefully if I move or make noise.

I was finally able in the last few days to get some photos of this new kitty.  First, let’s do a bit of comparison.  Here’s a previously shared photo of Larenti:

Larenti sitting just outside my patio fence (155_5590)

And here’s a photo of the new kitty:

Aethon sitting just outside my patio fence (155_5503)

Now you can see why I was originally confused by this one.

I’ve increasingly seen this cat over the last few weeks and have even learned it’s willing to wait for me to come out and feed it when there’s no food available.  While it won’t sit at the fence and rub against my hand like Larenti while I fill the dinner plate, it will sit a short distance away.  Sudden movements or unexpected noises frighten it, but it’s not so scared that it won’t eat with me standing right there.  I just have to be careful not to interrupt too much.  If I do, the first thing I get is this:

Aethon trying to eat but watching me carefully (154_5493)

Because it doesn’t have a tipped ear, I can’t be certain it’s fixed.  If it has already had its privates taken away, it’s like Vazra in that it is or was someone’s pet and has since been abandoned or ejected.  Strays will always have a tipped ear if they’ve been spayed/neutered; fixed cats without a tipped ear absolutely came from a home where they were once a pet (tipping the ear is only done on strays to assist with easy identification of those who need the surgery and have yet to be treated/checked by a veterinarian).  If you look at Clance, Kako’s dopplegänger, you’ll see it has a tipped ear.  You can see from the first photo that Larenti has a tipped ear.  One of the other cats I have a photo of (and am trying to get better photos of) has a tipped ear; it’s also a Larenti look-alike except is less pronounced with its tabby stripes and is a much lighter shade of grey (like smoke).  Needless to say, this cat is one of two things: not fixed or a former pet who’s been kicked to the curb to fend for itself.  Chira’s photos show he doesn’t have a tipped ear and is either another rejected pet or a complete stray who hasn’t been caught and fixed yet.

One thing I’ve noticed about this cat is that it’s been extremely hungry.  It’s been a mere two weeks since it’s discovered I’m willing to feed it and try to keep food available at all times, and since then, it’s consumed mass quantities each time it shows up.  I can’t be certain and am totally making an assumption, but that at least suggests it’s been abandoned and has only just found a source of nutrition.  I hope I’m wrong; I hope I’m just the most convenient and consistent source.  I doubt it.

Aethon watching me as I take photos (155_5508)

If you look closely at the hi-res version of that photo, you can see its left eye has a minor wound beneath it.  After looking closely at all the photos I have, it appears to be minor and healing.

This feline comes around throughout the day and night.  It showed up at almost 11 P.M. last night for a very late dinner yet was here around 5:30 A.M. this morning to grab some breakfast right after Larenti had hers.  At least it’s learning to trust me and to remember there’s food to be had if it comes and visits.

[Update] Subsequently named Aethon.