Signs And Sounds

Squeaky scowling as she tries to get comfy in her deckchair.

Cats are puzzling, especially trying to work out what they are thinking. Of course, body language reveals a lot about how your moggie is feeling, but when it comes to my kitty, Squeaky, she has several facial expressions that tell me whether she is happy or not.

These expressions are:

1. The relaxed look with eyes closed when lying in the sun.
2. The scowl with opened eyes, furrowed brow and mouth downturned. Her usual reaction when I try to take a photo of her.
3. The blissed-out look with eyes shut tight and mouth upturned. This is Squeaky’s expression when kneading my lap or lounging in her deckchair.
4. The frightened/on edge look. This is her reaction, with eyes wide and face low to the ground when I’ve failed to catch her and put her in her carrier before going to the vet.
5. The disdain look, an intense, wide-eyed look. Her response when I’m singing to her.
6. The cheeky/excited look, with a glint in her eyes. This is the look Squeaky gives me when I chase her around the house or up a tree.
7. The bored look, her eyes are closed and her chin is resting on my ankles when I’m in bed. This is how Squeaky appears in the morning before I stumble out of bed.

Squeaky look cheeky and smug up the pear tree. ‘You can’t catch me.’

A strange thing about Squeaky is that she rarely miaows. When greeting me she lets out a soft trill, but she also purrs, hisses and snores.

The Human.