In 1895, cat-lover and self-asserted feline linguist Marvin R. Clark gifted the world with the powerhouse that is Pussy and Her Language. While the name might raise a few eyebrows today, Clark’s motivations were altruistic and motivated by his love of the species. With this work, he promoted the idea that cats could indeed communicate, but it was their dim-witted humans who simply were not listening. By assisting people to understand cats, Clark hoped that his work would help “provide proper homes and medical attendance for the feline, with an eye to their comfort and improvement of the breed” believing that “material assistance should be given by the ruling powers in every nation.” He considered cat welfare a matter of vast importance and hoped to make it a priority in America and across the world.
Clark opened his work, a short pamphlet which could be purchased for fifty cents, with a defence of the cat, stating that “it is a solemn and well-known fact that one of a million dogs gets a bad name, while not one out of a million cats gets a good one.” From the “shadow of this cruel prejudice” he sought to place the cat “upon the pedestal to which she should have been raised for the admiration of the world long, long ago.” For Clark, the cat was vastly superior to other quadrumina. He asserted that if they were given the same privileges and companionship as dogs, cats would prove themselves to be more intelligent, whilst their delicacy and carefulness would become immediately apparent.
In terms of human languages, Clark, with the help of Professor Alphonse Leon Grimaldi, judged Chinese to be the most like that of the cat. Both contain words with various meanings according to the inflection. Moreover, Chinese and the language of the cat are similarly mellifluous and pleasing to the senses. That said, cats roll their Rs like the French. Grammatically, they structure their sentences fairly simply, often placing the noun or adjective at the beginning rather than the verb. For instance, a hungry cat would say “milk give me,” whereas an ailing one would say “sick I am.”
The book included a list of the seventeen most common words to ensure cat owners were equipped to understand these utterances.
Aelio = Food
Lae = Milk
Parriere = Open
Aliloo = Water
Bl = Meat
Ptlee-bl = Mouse meat
Bleeme-bl = Cooked meat
Pad = Foot
Leo = Head
Pro = Nail or claw
Tut = Limb
Papoo = Body
Oolie = Fur
Mi-ouw = Beware
Purrieu = Satisfaction or contentment
Yow = Extermination
Mieouw = Here
Astonishingly, cats can also count, “Aim” meaning one, “Ki” two, “Zah” three and so on. They can count in hundreds (“hoo”), thousands (“milli”) and millions (“zule”)—apparently, a millionaire in the cat world is known as a “zuluaim.” Moreover, cats could use their counting skills to tell the time and, apparently, hearing a cat express any numerical combination was simply euphonic.
To converse with a cat effectively, one must also understand that words only form a small part of their language. A large portion of their communication resided within their bodies and only by reading the signs correctly could a human interpret their cat’s message. The raised tail, tall like a flagstaff, indicated pride and satisfaction, whereas the tail that waved from side to side was a “token of dislike.” The tail curled under the body expressed fear, while the twitching one indicated amusement. Dramatically, and with the possible accompaniment of the phrase “Yow,” the cat lashing its tail was set on extermination.
If a cat owner looked close enough, they might also be able to pick up clues about the future. The cat pointing its tail towards the fire was warning of imminent rain. On the other hand, the cat which inclined its tail to the door passed on the message that it would be a dry day. If a cat curled up on its side, this meant that “all is quiet along the owner’s line of life.”
It seems that Clark had a good audience for his musings on cat communication. Although cats had been kept as domesticated animals since around 7500 BCE, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw their status rise. The idea of animals holding commercial value on account of affection allowed the pet trade to boom, both in terms of the purchase of animals themselves and (then as now) the myriad products associated with them. At the same time this period saw an increase in legal concern for animal welfare. The first major legislation against animal cruelty, introduced in 1822 by Colonel Richard Martin, prohibited the ill-treatment of horses, mules, oxen, cows, sheep and other cattle in the United Kingdom. Protection was then extended to dogs and other domestic animals, cats included, in the bill introduced by Joseph Pease in 1835. The same year, Queen Victoria became a patron of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, insisting a cat be included on the RSPCA Queen’s Medal.
Within this climate, pet shows emerged, the first in the UK held in Newcastle in 1859 and dedicated to dogs. Cats got their turn in 1871 with their first show held in the Crystal Palace, London and drawing in a crowd of 20000. Cats, of which there were 170 entrants, were split into different categories and judged on factors such as coat length, colour and shape. In America, Boston hosted their cat show in 1878, while Madison Square Garden in New York served as the setting for the show in 1895—the same year that Pussy and Her Language made its mark on the world.
Cat owners were encouraged to read Clark’s pamphlet, even if only for the heartwarming tales filling its pages. It featured in the “Library Leaflets” section of the July 1895 issue of Good Housekeeping, a magazine still in circulation today. The Women’s Tribune, an American newspaper founded by suffragist Clara Bewick Colby, praised the work and described it as unique, interesting and an enjoyable read for anyone who loves their cat.
Pussy and Her Language may no longer have the popularity it celebrated in the past, nor did Clark’s vocabulary achieve mainstream acceptance. However, one sentence in particular rings as true now as it did then. In the penultimate chapter, the writer concludes,
I do not know of any sounds more soothing to the nerves of man as musical, or as musically correct in rhythm, intonation or melody, as the song of the cat when at peace with the world.