My cats are curious things. When we were living out in the country on my dad's farm, they were exposed to all sorts of wildlife. I used to have a few bird feeders sitting outside in view that the cats all LOVED to watch. Sylvester in particular has a cute habit of trying to talk back to the birds. He hears their "chirps" and... I dunno, maybe he's not talking "to" them...but he's doing something when he lets out a series of quick little meows that he disguises as chirps. Its hard to explain, but its kind of like a longer drawn out 'meow'. The other cats enjoyed the birds as well.
Living in town where we are at, there isn't this opportunity to watch the wildlife. Although there is a different kind of "wildlife" to be seen and heard. Sometimes then the cats are bored they'll simply watch the traffic outside. Sometimes the occasional black bird will fly by and land on a light pole or something. Or the tree that is pretty close to the building that many birds will sit on. (And subsequently use the cars below as landing pads for their...well...you know....).
But another thing that makes the cats curious is noises within the building. Typically we don't hear any noises from any of the other tenants, except for the couple that lives upstairs. I won't mention them by name, but I'll refer to them as "A&M". A&M seem to have a bit more of their youth in them than I do. (Hey, I'm old at 28?!?!) Thus some weekends they may have a small party of sorts up stairs and I can hear the occasional traffic up and down the stairs in the hallway or voices outside when they go out for a cigarette. Of A&M, "A" has a habit of wanting to stomp up and down the stairs. I'm not sure why. Maybe he's just one of those people who goes up and down stairs with authority. And needs to make stomping sounds at the same time.
Unless I have the television on, its quite audible when they are making their movement up and down the stairs in the hallway. Slamming their apartment door upstairs, or the door to the building downstairs. And when I don't have my own television going or radio on or something, and they are doing this, my cats will often sit up straight... Look around.... Stare over at the apartment door to our place... And just stare. They seem to be intelligent enough to figure out that the noises of "the people" in the hallway are from up above us as they tend to look up at the top of the door as though they're looking up. Although I could be wrong in that they can't see much up over the couch, and thus they're simply trying to look at the door.
So it will be funny when I am sitting on the couch late night having supper and watching something on DVR from earlier in the evening. Cats will be laying around or sleeping wherever they are. Although if I am eating then chances are a few certain ones (Sylvester, Porkey, and Whiskers) will be sitting in various spots on the floor in front of me, watching me eat in hopes that I will throw them something. Then we may hear those wonderful, oh so gracious, polite and well mannered A&M.....(pause)..... make their presence known by slamming doors, stomping up and down the stairs in the hallway, and so forth.
The cats will look over at the door and up wondering what the hell is going on. And I have to tell them that if they're wondering that about A&M, then they should be looking down....
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