Thursday, December 30, 2010

Contentment

Romeo made me get all misty-eyed today.  I crouched down to pet him, and he made a mrrring noise in welcome and walked over to me, to twine around my ankles.  He's never done that before!  I was just considering this morning that he has obviously become much happier with us this past month.  And it shows.  His demeanor is much better; he's more inclined to purr when we pet him than to bite us, he's getting some exercise, and his litter box habits are starting to improve.  We still have a lot of "misses" with the litter box,  but I've seen a strong improvement.  The other night, he was scratching at the floor as if he was going to do his thing there.  All I had to do was quietly say his name in a chiding tone, and it was like he shrugged, then went to go IN THE BOX.  And as long as the box is completely clean, I think we have a near 80% "hit" rate.  If he or God forbid one of the other cats has soiled it already, our chances go down by over half.  But for the first time in awhile, I feel like I'm not completely failing the guy.

Romeo's increasing happiness made me start to think.  How do animals let you know that they are happy? All of mine do, but in different ways.

Argos dances for joy when he first sees one of us,  wagging his tail like a crazy man, but how I know when he's really content?  When he sacks out, usually on my lap, but possibly in his crate at night, he will stretch out and groan, really loudly.  It always makes us laugh, but I have never heard such an eloquent expression of contentment.

Annie will jump up to announce herself, and purr, non-stop, while we are paying attention to her.  She also covers my hands with little kisses and licks.

Bit trills.  She pounces.  She shakes her tail as if she is a rattle-snake.  When you reach over to pet her, she promptly falls over onto her side.  I haven't quite figured that one out yet, but it's very clear to me that she's happy.  Sometimes I'll wake up in the middle of the night and she'll be curled into a tight little ball against my chest, and will be quietly purring herself to sleep.  Can anyone say awww?

Romeo makes a mrrring sound, and will start rubbing his face on everything around him.  His eyes roll back in his head in near-ecstasy if you take the time to scritch the areas right above his eyes.

Charlotte purrs when petted, but how I know she's really happy is when she follows me around the house, making bossy little noises at me.  If Charlotte is "directing" me, it's her way of showing that she's happy, and happy with me, her minion.

How do your animals express their happiness/contentment?

6 comments:

  1. Bunny does her happy little tap dance when I come home or get ready to take her out, and she's currently sleeping on my lap!

    Blueberry's teeth chatter when she's really happy or excited.

    Lilac puts her head against my chest or wraps it around your neck. She also likes to curl up on the floor with you if you have a quilt.

    Morgan's tail never stops wagging and she has to give happy kisses when she's reunited with you, even if you just went to the bathroom. She will also leap like a breaching whale the first time she sees you in the morning!

    I loved your post! It gave me the warm fuzzies! Maybe he's turning over a new leaf for the New Year!

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  2. How wonderful for you and Romeo! Sounds so encouraging.

    With the dogs it is kisses or cuddles. Rolling on the backs for belly rubs and everyone is happy when Daddy comes home.

    Boxer (my cat) is happiest on my lap, reaching his head back for kisses and Leia (our Siamese) usually hides all day, so when she shows up and dancing on my lap, I know she's happy.

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  3. What a lovely topic for a post! We don't think of happiness enough.

    When my dog Shiva is really happy she wags her tail around in a circle so hard her whole body moves. It's adorable and every time she circle wags I feel happy too.
    When The Cat is happy, he tends to roll around on the ground, purring and bearing his fuzzy belly.

    Yay for Romeo! This sounds like a new step in your relationship.

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  4. Awwww...that's so sweet. You are obviously communicating love to him in a way he feels it!! What a great "MEW" Year's gift!!

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  5. Hi Y'all!

    Just hopped by to catch up with y'all and wish y'all a very Happy New Year!

    Y'all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

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  6. So glad to hear about Romeo!

    Bella jumps around and wags like crazy. :)

    Happy new year!

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