First, Spoony is beautiful. I’m going to ask this in the nicest way possible, but does your wife have an unusual voice? Maybe more high-pitched or nasally…anything different? Does your wife pay less attention to Spoony? love the name

We had a cat that would jump in my husband’s lap when he talked and stare intently at him, really almost glare at him. It was hysterical for us, for my husband, annoying. In regards to our cat, we finally figured out he seemed to be the cat’s favorite person.

I think in cat talk, when she hears your wife’s voice, Spoony is just saying, “Hey, that reminds me, there is that other bigger cat that I really, really like. Hey, hey, hey cat. Pay attention to me. Stop making those strange sounds and give me some attention. Hey, how do you do that? Parts of your face move and you are making funny sounds. Hhmm. Yes, see I can touch it and it still moves. Those little fluttering things around your eyes move when you talk. Let’s see what they feel like. Are they part of you or something on you…Hmm, hey, stop making that noise and pay attention to me. Stop and play.”

Yes, cats will get aggressive when they want attention. If you’re sitting and petting a cat in your lap, and then stop petting the cat in your lap, well, that’s simply not permitted. You will get swatted and bitten until you resume petting the cat!

Spoony has the right attitude about the treadmill.

@JilltheTooth, And I was thinking that, contrarily, Spoony might need both more exercise and some viola lessons. Idle paws make work for the devil.

Spoony is afraid your wife will accidentally spill the beans about what they got you for Christmas. This will all end on Dec 26th…

Maybe Spoony is so entranced with your wife’s voice that she’s trying to draw out more words with her paws…

I’m seriously loving Spoony right now.

@JilltheTooth: I think Spoony rocks. The cat is in charge, and is very clear about that fact.

We used to have a cat who would talk to us when we were on the phone because, obviously, we were talking to her because no one else was around. Maybe Spoony just thinks that no one else is worth listening to so she’s encouraging your wife to talk!

I hope everyone posts pictures of their cats now.

that is such an awesome fuckin name

Obvioiusly, Spoony’s soul has been taken over by an alien intelligence that is trying to practice mind controlling skills on your wife. Does you wife actually stop talking?

I think Spoony adores your wife and may be jealous of attention she pays to others, easily noticeable through speech.
and, yah, Spoony is beautiful. Maine coon cat?

@cak No, my wife really has quite a pleasant voice as far as I’m concerned. She doesn’t sound a bit like Lilly Tomlin doing her Ernestine the Operator routine. That’s hilarious about your cat giving a similar treatment to your husband. IMy wife will find it comforting to know she is not alone in being signaled out when speaking by the feline set.

@bkcunningham She has other ways of asking for attention. We both get that treatment equally. But when Anita talks, she jumps up on the couch, walks into her lap, and puts a paw right over her lips. It is unmistakably a “Please stop talking/” gesture.

@HungryGuy Never any swatting or biting. The claws are never out even a little bit. It’s just a gentle tap opn the lips. She has altogether different methods of seeking attention.

@JilltheTooth Ha! She does know what it’s for, doesn’t she?

@gailcalled If my son can teach her to play the viola, that’s definitely going to be a hit on YouTube. Come to think of it, a video of her hushing my wife with her paw would probably go viral too. But I am not sure Anita wants that sort of publicity.

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies I wish. She’s been doing this for 10 years now, and not just at Christmas time.

@JilltheTooth I will tell Anita that’s it. May or may not be true, but it’s sure to make her feel better about the routine.

@KatawaGrey How precious. That’s a beautiful cat tale.

@nikipedia I am very much in favor of that. I love pet pix.

@uberbatman My son named her that. Spoony was slang at that time meaning really cool, and she is that.

@wundayatta It’s knid of hard to keep talking with a cat putting a furry paw over your open mouth.

@anartist I think you probably nailed it.

Spooney wants to be center stage perhaps?

I never have had a cat do this but I did have a Military macaw that would scream whenever I was on the phone as @KatawaGrey ‘s cat.

My parrot would force me out of the house to the garage or back deck whenever I had an important call. haha

Cats can hear sounds in the ultrasonic frequency range and may be more sensitive to your wife’s voice despite her voice being in the normal sound range. Every cat I’ve ever had had at least one quark about it that seemed odd to me. They all have their own personalities so what might bother one cat might not bother another.

I have an orange striped kitten I took in that was living under my garage and it will push every door open in my house to get to another room (I don’t close the doors all the way so she can get around) but for some reason she will not push the door open to the room I sleep in. She will meow until I open it for her.

Spoony is adorable! Cats do odd things for odd reasons. My cat HATES it when my S/O touches me at all, she is so jealous! I think spoony might do it because she likes your wifes voice. Because if she didn’t like it you would know with whining and biting even, At least that’s what I think, but I’m no cat expert.

@Coloma Nice Christmas avatar. Your Macaw must have been quite a character. They are naturally chatty in the wild and can sure make a fuss when they want attention.

@Paradox Maybe your kitten sees your sleeping quarters as special space to you, and doesn’t think it is right to just barge in there. She prefers to ask to be invited in. That’s precious.

@JustJessica Thanks for the thoughts. Maybe. I’m no feline mind reader either.

@ETpro Actually I’ve been very lucky with her “peaches” Don’t laugh. She only uses her nails on the scratching boards and posts and not the furniture. She was easy to train compared to other cats I’ve had. Besides that one quark I’ve mentioned the only other thing is she keeps pestering me to give her cookies I buy for her (Temptations), I’m not sure but she seems addicted to them. You can never give her enough cookies.

@Paradox Spoony’s treat of choice is canned tuna. Albacore, no less. It works out well though, because she used to be prone to conjunctivitis triggered by herpes infections on one eye or the other, and L-Lysine boosts her immune system enough to eliminate that. I dissolve two 500 MG caplets in water, and mix it with a can of tuna. She gets that over two days, along with her regular dry food. I’ll have to give those cookies a try. She will eat bits of human desert when offered.

Obey the Kitty

@BarnacleBill Ha! Ain’t that the truth. When author Robert A. Heinlein had -Lazarus Long say “Never try to out-stubborn a cat.” in his novel, Time Enough for Love Heinlein demonstrated his deep understanding of the feline species.

What a beautiful cat! That “shushing” habit of hers sounds hilarious, though your wife might be a tad weary of it by now. What can I say? Cats are weird. :)

Like Spoony who is not practicing the viola, here is Milo pretending to be working on his scales.

@augustlan My wife noted tonight that when she just talks quietly about something like the day’s shopping or what to watch on TV, Spoony is perfectly OK with that. It’s when she gets emotionally worked up, usually by hearing some far right ideologue pontificate on Fox News or something, that the shushing kicks in. I hadn’t made that connection before, but she’s absolutely right. Maybe Spoony is just telling her, “Calm down. Getting so worked up isn’t good for your blood pressure.” After all, Spoony wants her to live a long life so she can continue to purchase canned tuna at regular intervals.

@gailcalled Milo is really getting into his work there. He’s a real cutie pie too. Thanks for sharing his picture.

9:20 p.m. PST
My two problem children just rushed me at the back door coming in from the laundry zone and dashed off into the garage and out into the darkness.

Well…no coyotes howling, yet.
The little &#$%^#@$#%&‘s! :-(

@Coloma They always seem to have a new surprise planned for us, don’t they?