Cat Lover's Corner... Guest Blogger Jacque Heebner tells her story about how Cats communicate.

February is Cat appreciation month and guest blogger Jacque Heebner is telling her story.

NOTES FROM JACQUE HEEBNER (a cat lover)

One of my biggest challenges as a young woman was to decide what to major in at college – my interests were so vast. But the path I chose of English and Graphics led me on an interesting adventure.

I soon found myself in the fascinating area of publicity at MGM Studios, working for VP Howard Strickling, who was a legend in the industry, and who gave me the foundation for everything really important. There were press releases, and reviews; there were photo shoots, and cause related marketing with motion picture campaigns.  That invigorating chapter in my life spurred my interest in film making, giving me the opportunity to work for greats like Joe Pasternak, Gene Roddenberry, Alan Jay Lerner, Warren Beatty, and Bill Blatty. Frank Sinatra. Richard Zanuck, and Jerry Weintraub. 
                                                                                                                               My little mother in Iowa couldn’t understand why the jobs were so lucrative if I didn’t stay in one place – but that’s the way it is in show business.

I loved the aspect of starting from a thought and going through every process - all the way to an Academy, Grammy or Tony Award. This laid the groundwork for my special events business because it opened doors to contacts that no one in that field had access to.

When I was married, one of the joys of our household was our pets, and I loved watching the interaction between each cat we loved.  One of the significant aspects was my realization that I had become a part of their circle just as much as they were very much a part of mine.  My husband often said that I should write a book, and call it FIRST PERSON CAT. And I listened to him and wrote a book which became a bestseller.

But let me begin again.  Our household consisted of 8 cats, a Doberman, and a German Shepherd, all of whom got along fabulously, except for possibly one or two who had personal gripes about one of the others, which they communicated by their behavior, (how like us they are). Perhaps you’re wondering how in the world a person of sound mind acquires so many?  Well, you’d have had to know Bob, my late husband, who was not allowed to have a pet as a child. I might have innocently commented about an adorable Himalayan kitten at the groomer’s, and I’ll be darned, he’d come home with it!  So, as the numbers mounted, and my conversations became more intense, through observing and listening, I came to the conclusion very quickly that cats do communicate, and quite well.  Personally, I call it Cat-Speak.from which evolved FIRST PERSON CAT. 

Actually, in all honesty, years ago when I thought it bad for my pet to be alone all day while I was at work, a vet told me that if I talked to my cat she’d develop a much cuter personality. And that is exactly what I did.  She was “Mommy’s Cat, or a good girl,”  -- whatever came to my mind, and hence, I’ve become the kind of responsive person who can read my kitty’s mood.

We’ve all seen cats hiss, and spit, and walk backwards which have a number of meanings depending on whether  you’re coming at them with a vial of vitamin tonic, a pill to ingest, or if they’re face-to-face with an adversary. That posture, stance and could mean:

Get me out of here; I HATE that; I don’t like you!

Reference material from the library or on Google, can be found under cat behavior and a lot of folks would say its “Cat Communication 101”  -- things about their body language, posture, ear position, docile stance, eye movement, and verbal sounds, etc., information that lends a clue to their emotional state of the moment.