Riley Week 4- Monkey See, Monkey Do
As of this year, I have two cats.
I got my first cat Mr. Mittens during COVID after my friend informed me that her outdoor cat had given birth. She Facetimed me and pointed her camera towards the crate of squirmy little baby kittens, and asked me if I was interested in adopting one. In the corner, I saw the runt of the litter, a grey and white little scruff-ball, and I immediately knew he was the one.
I have always been closer with Mittens than the rest of my family, mostly because I was his primary caretaker.
As a result, when he got older and had access to the entire house, he would follow me around all day, observing my conversations. He got into the habit of responding to me when I paused between sentences, like we were genuinely exchanging thoughts.
Eventually, my cat grew extremely talkative. He had a voice, and he was determined to make sure everyone heard it.
Locked out of my room? He’d meow.
Not being fed soon enough? He’d meow.
Just walking into a room and wanting to be acknowledged? He’d meow.
The first month that we took in Milo, we kept the cats separate. Milo had to get his vaccinations and we had to make sure he did not have anything contagious.
During these four weeks, neither my mom nor I heard Milo make a single sound.
It was actually a point of concern, because not meowing can signal a larger health issue.
It has been two months since my cats were officially united, and now Milo meows, to say the least.
Cats are interesting in the way that they observe and take in information. Watching them interact has made me wonder how much of their personalities are shaped by their environments. Mr. Mittens spent his early life watching me talk to friends, classmates, and family from the comfort of my home during quarantine, and over time, he became extremely talkative himself. Milo barely made a sound until he spent more time around Mr. Mittens.
Seeing these changes makes me wonder: how much of an animal's personality is a result of their environment? The classic question of nature versus nurture.
Hi Riley! I really like the way you used different fonts when announcing the adoption of Milo and Mr. Mittens to emphasize the importance of these moments. The expressions their eyes are giving are so cute in your photos!
ReplyDeleteWhile I don’t have a cat, my dog (Buddy) acts incredibly similarly. He’s always the quietest one in the room, usually opting to shove himself into my legs and whine instead of barking for attention. (Now that I think about it, he actually has been compared to cats quite often.) It’s only whenever he’s with my uncle’s dog, who barks so much he can’t be taken to the office anymore, that he decides to let out all that pent up sound at once.
I think that, as you said, the environment that any animal (even those chickens from the documentary) grows up in has a huge impact on their personality. It reminds me of how Buddy used to be terrified of grown-out grass as a puppy since he had only ever seen snow or low-cut grass beforehand. The uniqueness that every pet I met exudes just goes to show how we are still so intertwined with the lives of the animals we interact with, each a mixture of their own characteristics and the experiences we gave them.
Hey Riley! I like how you connected your experiences with Mr. Mittens and Milo to the larger question of nature versus nurture. I thought it was interesting how Mr. Mittens became more talkative after spending so much time around you as you are the main care taker, meanwhile Milo was initially very quiet until he started interacting with Mr. Mittens.
ReplyDeleteOne part that stood out to me was when you mentioned how Mr. Mittens would respond whenever you paused between sentences as if he was trying to have an actual conversation with you. It is fascinating how communication does not always have to involve being able to understand the meaning of words.
I also found Milo’s transformation interesting as it shows us that environments can influence how comfortable we feel expressing ourselves. I wonder if Milo became more talkative because he was copying Mr. Mittens or he simply just felt more comfortable in his new home.
Riley - They are adorableee!!
ReplyDeleteI can’t say for sure about the traits of cats because I own a yorkie myself, but I did used to take care of a family friend’s ragdoll (named Lenny.. Linnie? I never knew.) and she would be a massive shedder and an even bigger attention seeker, which was amazing because she was the softest, most adorable cat ever, so I can totally understand the neediness of cats, even without the amazing descriptions you had. I wonder if Milo and Mr. Mittens argues like siblings.. What is that dynamic like?
I appreciate you concluding with a reflection question. What IS the major influencing factor? It adds huge volumes of complexity to your final blog of the quarter and I love that. Also, I enjoy how you stayed so consistent on introducing bits of your life to us, your classmates, across quarter one through your blogs! I know the theme was identity but this autobiographical work is still unique in its character and style.