This morning I was pouring cereal into a bowl, and the rattling noise made one of my cats run into the kitchen, thinking I was going to give her an early lunch of dry cat food. I kindly told her in a high-pitched voice, "This isn't kitty food, this is mommy food!"
And then it struck me: what is the point of talking baby talk to cats? My cats know their names, and possibly each others' names, and the meaning of "Get down!" (although they pretend they don't). It's not logical to think ungrammatical sentences or short words would be any easier for them to understand.
I might as well speak to them in full sentences. Or in Shakespearean English. Or I could practice my rusty Spanish on them.
It's just not right for me to talk baby talk to my cats, I realized this morning. How are they ever going to learn to communicate properly if I condescend to them in this manner? From now on, I will treat them like the adults they are.
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