Today I present some of our terminology--specifically the words that are cat inspired. From time to time, I will offer more, eventually building an absolutely useless (but totally unique) family pet dictionary.
bakery (bay / ker / ee) noun
The place where Athena makes muffins (see making muffins entry). A dog bed placed conveniently in front of a heating vent, which is so soft that a cat has to knead it.
Usage: Where’s Athena? Oh, she’s sleeping in the bakery.
capt (kapt) noun
Cat. But cuter. And more apt to get in trouble. Thus, capt.
Usage: The capts just knocked the plant off the table.
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| Dawn, a "capt." |
hidey face (hie / dee / fays) noun
The particular expression Dawn gets when she believes she is well hidden.
Usage: Though the back half of her body, including her twitching tail, is sticking out from under the pillow, Dawn has hidey face because nobody can see her.
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| Dawn demonstrates "hidey face." |
feedy face (fee / dee / fays) noun
The specific look a cat gets when she is really, really hungry and hasn’t had a meal in days, maybe weeks, and needs to be fed, now, before she wastes away to nothing.
Usage: Though she doesn’t wear a watch, Athena will usually put on a feedy face about 5:30 in the evening because it is half past cat dinner time.
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| Two "feedy faces." |
kitteh (kit’ / uh) noun
Another word for kitten or cat.
Usage: Used mostly when announcing dinner time, as in, “Kitteh noms!” Results in kitteh stampede followed by performance art featuring Dawn. (See Feeding Time at the Zoo.)
Etymology: See icanhascheezburger for original usage.
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| Athena, "kitteh." |
kippum (kip’ / um) noun
Another word for kitten or cat. There are many. Derived from “kitten.” Somehow cuter.
Usage: Awww, a sleepy kippum.
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| Sleepy "kippum." |
kittum (kit’ / um) noun
Yet another word for kitten or cat. Derived from “kitten.”
Usage: The kittum is hungry. Actually the kittum is always hungry. Don’t believe anyone who says the kittums have already been fed.
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| Hungry "kittums." |
make muffins (mayk/ muf / inz) verb
Kneading. When a cat puts on a beatific expression and kneads her paws into something--or someone--soft and likable.
Usage: It’s okay when Athena makes muffins in the bakery or in the dog bed; my only objection is when she tries to do it on my arm.
meatloaf (meet / lohf) noun or verb
noun
A position a cat sometimes takes where all paws are tucked underneath the body, and the tail is curled tightly as well.
Etymology: Based on the famous B. Kliban cartoon “How to tell a cat from a meatloaf.” For more of Kliban’s work, see his website, eatmousies.com.
Usage: There’s a meatloaf on the chair. And it’s purring.
verb
The act of hanging out in the meatloaf position.
Usage: Dawn is meatloafing on the couch. Tucker, leave her alone.
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| Athena "meatloafing." |
mep (mehp) noun or verb
noun
Onomatopoeia. The sound a cat--Dawn in particular-- makes to emphasize a point or to accent a change in location. Often used in a derogatory fashion.
Usage: Banished to the basement, Dawn let out a series of meps coinciding with each step down the stairs.
verb
The act of making a mep sound.
Usage: Dawn mepped her way up to the highest point in the cat tree and sat down in a huff.
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| "If you move me, I will have something to say about it: Mep!" |
merp (murp) noun or verb
Onomatopoeia. The sound a cat makes when disturbed or interrupted.
Usage: Half asleep in her special spot on the back of the couch, Athena let out a “merp!” when I sat down and disturbed her slumber.
verb
The act of disturbing a cat inadvertently or on purpose in order to produce a merp.
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| Lilah, about to "merp" Athena. |
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