Button Update!

avatar

Some of you may remember many months ago I got a couple of talk buttons to try and communicate better with the kitties and have some fun. There was one press by Maggie that I wasn't sure if it was intentional or an accident, and then nothing for months since.

I have changed Yuan's button recently to say "kibbles" in the hopes that it will get used more often so he sees what I'm trying to do (previously it said "balcony time," but we didn't spend much time on the balcony all summer due to the air pollution and construction crew porta potties parked right below). But Maggie's has remained as "up."

Well. My lady has now pressed it twice in three days.

Maggie 94.jpg
Yes, I'm smart. -Maggie

First she pressed it at night when I was lying in bed (and prompted me to make a Faerie Stories video about it), and then she pressed it again this morning, so long it erased the message (if you hold down the button for several seconds, it beeps so you can record a new message).

I think twice in a row indicates she's understanding that button = HEY HOOMAN PAY ATTENTION TO ME AND PUT ME ON THE BED AND STUFF! Or at least that it gets my attention, as this morning it felt like more of a "wake up and take care of me" since normally she meows at me in the morning for breakfast (and if Yuan is also wanting noms, he cuddles my head and purrs). When I used to sleep on the broken couch, so it was lower to the ground and Maggie could make the jump, Maggie would climb on me in the morning, too, which is why I read this morning's press as more like "I'd like to come up there and sit on you until you get up and feed me."

So after nine months+, we might have button takeoff! I'm kinda excited. My smartycat. :)

bee good.jpg

cats hivecats archon proofofbrain palnet maggie button talk communicate smart
0
0
0.000
18 comments
avatar

What a cutie though we adopted a similar "fire cat" and it moew for everything, very human like behavour haha...

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Oh for sure, Maggie knows how to tell me what she wants. 😊

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

I love your efforts to communicate more clearly with cats!!
If Bobi the Bad had access to a bell, it would never stop ringing. His vocal chords will never wear out, it seems, as he demands water FROM THE FAUCET, every faucet in the house, every morning, and all throughout the day. He has ways of letting me know exactly what he wants, and his demands escalate from there. NO BUTTON FOR BOBI.
Have you seen the video of the bell-ringing cat? Hilarious. Alas, I can't find the right one now.

and

Your cats are blessed to have you as their servant.

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Oh my Gods that second one made me laugh. 😂

Maggie is the talker to begin with; she'll holler at me for food while usually Yuan will give me a Look and wait for me to do the right thing. But I thought the buttons would help us be more specific; she'll meow for food and to get up on the bed in the same place, for instance. :)

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Let me know if the Buttons do open a door for more clarity in communication. One tap of the button for water, two taps for food....

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Oh you should check out Billi Speaks on YouTube; she really knows how to communicate with her buttons! :D

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

Have you thought about making a ramp or steps for her? It's a lot easier than getting up from a sound sleep 😂
!PIZZA

0
0
0.000
Reply
avatar

I did try putting the cat tree that is styled like a set of round stairs with a bed cup at the top next to the bed at one point thinking she would climb the stairs up, but she never did. I also tried building a box fort thinking she might use that the same way, but no.

0
0
0.000
Reply