Kit Whitfield's Blog: The cat flap is confusing some of us

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Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The cat flap is confusing some of us

Mika: Me out! Me out!

Kit: What is it, Mika dear?

Mika: Me out! Go scout! Garden is Mika's and the hour of the prowl is noww!

Kit: You want to go out in the garden?

Mika: Yesss. Should listen more. Mika out!

Kit: But the catflap isn't locked, baby.

Mika: Open sesamika!

Kit: Mika honey, you're puzzling me. You know, we decided you were big enough to push on the door instead of us taping it open every day...

Mika: Mika big! Tape open door!

Kit: No, sweetie, Mika's big so we don't tape open door.

Mika: Makes no sense. Portcullis up! Noww!

Kit: No, honey, we can't have it open all the time. And we showed you how to push it open, you remember? We pushed and it opened?

Mika: Pushed with hands. Hands is for waiting on Mika. Paws is for catchin mice with sticky clawws. Mika the mighty!

Kit: But then Daddy showed you with his head, you remember?

Mika: Yess! Was revelation! Mika the brilliant! Daddy pushed flap with his head, so Mika perceived, in moment of genius! Mika could push flap with her head, and it opened. Mika takes a bowww.

Kit: But what I don't understand is this, sweetie. You've worked out that you can open the door by pushing on it when you want to get in. But when you want to get out, you can't seem to understand the principle. You come and mew at me instead.

Mika: Mew? True. Have to tell you what to doo.

Kit: But if you just pushed it with your head, like for outside, it would open.

Mika: You posts Mika.

Kit: I know. We keep posting you through the flap. We were hoping you'd get the idea that way.

Mika: You posts Mika. Scowwwl. Mika frowwns upon you. Me out!

Kit: You have a very specific and concrete kind of intelligence, don't you sweetie?

Mika: Yess! Mika's brain massive and weighty! Withowt a dowwt! Now let Mika owwwt!

Kit: Okay, hon. But that does mean it's posting-time, I'm afraid.

Mika: Mika not appreciated in her own ti - mmf...

posted by Kit Whitfield # 1:18 pm

Comments:

You should make this a newspaper column. Daily!
Seriously, I laugh as close as an introverted person can get to out loud when I read this.

# posted by

Anonymous : 5:34 pm

Mika, be grateful, dear lass! What happens if the Pesky Humans/Beloved Owners aren't home, and you want to go out or come in? ;-)

Thanks for sharing, and have a lovely day! :-)

# posted by

Tez Miller : 1:40 am

Mika: See? They says Mika star! You should pay Mika royalties.

Kit: Honey, you are royalty.

Mika: True. Mika the magnificent! Will settle for fish treat.

Kit: Certainly, sweetie.

# posted by

Kit Whitfield : 9:59 am

Cat intelligence is very clear. If there is something which the cat *could* do, but you could also do, why should the cat waste her energy doing it? See also: swirling the water around in the dish, looking at the plants on the table, eating the food that is already there at 4 am.

# posted by

Anonymous : 4:25 pm

Indeed, I think you're right. After I wrote this dialogue, when I was trying to photograph her fussing at the catflap, she eventually got bored with me standing around pointing a camera at her and pushed the door open herself!

Which was a tactical error on her part, because now I know she can do it herself, I'm not helping her any more. Poor puss; she betrayed greater competence that she'd previously let on...

# posted by

Kit Whitfield : 5:08 pm

I agree with Emily! :D

You might find this amusing.

# posted by

Unknown : 10:26 pm

I had to show NurseCat this one last night. The dialogue filled her with glee; we went back and re-read it two or three more times :)

Thank you for the insight into your kitty's thought processes!

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:08 pm

I think "post" must mean something over there that it doesn't mean here. I'm guess from context that it means to push someone through something head first. I wonder what it says about the UK that you need a word for that action...

# posted by

Jake : 3:01 am

Our cat never used the catflap if there was a convenient window he could jump in/out of instead. The dog, however, loved the catflap. Right up until the day she got too big and got her head stuck in it. Now there is no catflap. Let that be a lesson to ... someone ...

# posted by

Naomi : 1:06 pm

My kid wants to tell you she's a Mika fan. Also, she wants you to be nicer to Mika. Give her more fish treats!

# posted by

delagar : 8:51 pm

I think "post" must mean something over there that it doesn't mean here. I'm guess from context that it means to push someone through something head first.It means to push something through a slot, specifically to push a letter or parcel through the slot in a front door. I think the synonym would be 'mail' - we use the word here too, but we talk about the Post Office and the postman, and posting letters. Anyone using the word 'post' outside of a letter-and-parcel context is being metaphorical: it means 'pushing something through a slot as you would with a letter.'

My kid wants to tell you she's a Mika fan. Also, she wants you to be nicer to Mika. Give her more fish treats!Hi to your daughter! And in case she's worried - I am pretty nice to Mika, on the whole. Fish treats are limited to keep her weight healthy, but for the most part we have a very amicable relationship. It's just that our conflicts are funnier.

# posted by

Kit Whitfield : 6:17 pm

Have a very good cat flap blog which is really interesting and knowledgeable. I really appreciate you for this good work keeps it up. You can also find a very good cat flap by Happy-Shop

# posted by

Bryan Johnson : 7:58 am

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Thanks

# posted by

Ash Green : 10:43 am

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The cat flap is confusing some of us

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