Sometimes I just crack me up...

Do you ever talk to your pets?

Sure you do. We all do. It's human nature to anthropomorphize lots of things. Cars. Plants. And pets. We're really bad about it with our pets.

I have this cat, Spaz, who likes to hang out on the "back porch" (a small balcony, three floors up). When it's time for him to check out his kingdom from this perch, he whines and talks and carries on like, well like a cat who really, really wants to go outside (if you've ever been around a cat in this frame of mind.⁽¹⁾, you know exactly what I mean).

So, I let him out for a little while. And then I brought him back in, somewhat to his chagrin.

Now, here's why I crack me up....

When he came in, he started "explaining" to me just why it is that he should be outside surveying the vastness of his kingdom. To which I responded:

"Nope. You're done. You can't go out. I have work to do upstairs. Done. Nada. Nope."

"Meow-meee-eeewwww-mrowl-mmrrrrrr-owww," says Spaz, unconvinced. (yes, Spaz and I have actual conversations, where we take turns "speaking." It tends to compound the anthropomorphic dilemma)

To this I replied, resolute in my decision, "No, Dude. You're not going out. Done. Nuh-uh. Done. What part of 'done' do you not...."

And that's where I lost it.

Laughing out loud at myself, I say to him: "pretty much all of it.... There's no part of 'done' that do you understand." More laughter.

After all, he is only a cat and doesn't understand a word I say -- despite the many "conversations" we've had over the years. Despite the years of treating him like he's some language challenged, very short, very fuzzy human, who purrs like a freight train and... did I mention the fuzz?

⁽¹⁾ "Frame of mind?" Can a cat have a "frame of mind?" More anthropomorphizing, methinks