{{smonster}} A chicken and a phone bill, that's not a major lifefail! It'll be all right!

Why do cats go into empty (peopleless) rooms and wail?

At least some of the times they do that, it is a hunting behavior. When cats go out together for a spot of cooperative hunting, they will call to each other that way - on a larger scale, lion prides will roar in turn whie out hunting together. It isn't the full-on dominant male ROAR for territorial boundary defense, they are just checking in with each other. I have also known cats to croon when they have prey or toys in their mouth. I'm not sure if it is a "come and get it" or a "look what I have and I'm not sharing".

The crooning is usually mama-to-kittens, "Here's dinner, come out of hiding."

I have no idea about calling in empty rooms, unless they're taking sonar measurements for size, in case the mothership needs a landing spot.

Better tomorrow, smonster.

I have also known cats to croon when they have prey or toys in their mouth. I'm not sure if it is a "come and get it" or a "look what I have and I'm not sharing".

My cat Pico would kill his favourite toy every night in the middle of the night, and felt the need to tell me about it by meowing urgently until I got up and congratulated him. Once I figured it out, there were a lot of half asleep, "Oh what a brave kitty" speeches from my bed.

they're taking sonar measurements for size, in case the mothership needs a landing spot.

This is exactly what it is. I mean, no actual scientific evidence here, but I have decided that it sounds awfully cool and is therefore plausible.

Rocky does it coming out of the litterbox. it's weird, but since he used to be a biter and hasn't bitten for a while, I don't complain, and it seems that he meows more in general...kind of a "Use your words," thing. Should have named him "Belker" maybe, Ginger.

If it makes you feel any better, smonster, we paid like $35 for a duck at the farmers market last month and had it go bad on us.

I am sorry about the overages and cat traumas, too!

WTF, Steph, that's weird! But yeah, it will probably not be an issue at all, but I'm still glad you know ahead of time.

What a big boy, Glam! I can't believe the time has passed.

We had a super nice evening out with our longtime friends. Old friends are good friends. Of course, we spent too long out there breaking in their new patio, but it was worth it, even though I'll be tired tomorrow.

Anna used to drag socks around, meowing while she had them in her mouth. It was more like merfing sound the way it worked out. But she would find the socks and move them to where I had been.

Penny gets in the window and sees something and makes these soft little cooing or chattery noises. They sound adorable and cute but I know it translates to something like "prey I'm going to eat you. I'm going to kill you. nom nom nom"

Dean has a tendency to walk over me at night. Maybe he's checking on me, but he walks over me a few times and it's annoying.

And both of them have to run if there's anyone in the bathroom. I don't know what it is, but they both come running and mill about and then run off.

GC, where did that big boy come from? All of a sudden Shane's face is so defined, so not maleable baby face.