Our very small house is home to 2 senior people and 4 mixed-age animals…2 noisy, loving dogs (Oakley and Wynn) and 2 quiet, neurotic cats (Ono and Choco). During the heavy rains we had in Glen Ellen this year, we wondered if we would all survive the togetherness.



Our neighbors (bless their hearts) put up with a lot of noise from the especially-noisy young Wynn. But Wynn doesn’t only bark at the dogs and cats and people walking by, she also barks at Oakley. A lot. Check out the following video…it’s a typical morning in our house.
Looking at our dogs’ interaction made me wonder why cats don’t interact with “meows” to each other – or at each other. Little did I know that there is a ton of research on that topic. It took me about one second to find a Library of Congress document: “How Do Cats Communicate with Each Other?” Here is a brief summary:
For the most part, cats meow only to communicate with humans, not with other animals, according to anthrozoologist John Bradshaw in his book, Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet (2013). Part of his evidence is that feral cats do not meow nearly as much as domesticated housecats.
Additionally, scientists believe that the meow is a manipulative behavior cats adopt to get what they want. Nicholas Dodman of Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine argues that cats can learn which noises are most effective at getting their owners to do what they want them to do.
And here’s an excerpt from a cute video about the 8 sounds cats make; naturally, we’ve focused on the “meow.”
If you’re wondering why I posted separate photos of each of our cats, rather than a photo of the two of them sitting lovingly side-by-side, as I did our dogs, let me just say that the artwork below does a great job of portraying their relationship with each other – except that our big 19-pound Siamese boy, Choco, would be the one cowering in fear of our 8-pound Siamese girl, Ono. And though they interact badly and often, I have never heard either of them address the other with a “meow.”

In today’s Andy’s Corner Andy provides another brilliant BigLittleMeals video on how Wynn, the dog, interacts with Ono, the cat. It’s way funnier than seeing the two cats interact.

An aside here: did you know that lions and tigers CANNOT meow – but a cougar can both meow and purr?
Which brings me to “the cat’s meow.” If you had been around in the 1920’s you’d likely have been very familiar with the expression… meaning something that was really cool – like “that girl is the cat’s meow.” Apparently there were many similar expressions invoking critters in the early 1900’s such as “lounge lizard,” “bee’s knees,” “horsefeathers,” and “hair of the dog” (if you want to know more of these, check out this list).
Our cats – being very atypical for Siamese – don’t meow very much. But if they’re really hungry, this Tuna Entree is what might provoke a meow…a special meow formulated just for our human ears!

Here’s a tuna recipe from Rick Bayless that is “the cat’s meow.” We don’t recommend it for your cats, however…only for their people.

Roasted Poblano Potato Salad with Tuna
- 1-2 fresh poblano chiles (the amount depends on your love of heat)
- 4 medium (about 1 pound total) red-skin boiling or Yukon Gold potatoes, each cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Salt
- 1/3 c vegetable or olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 3 T mild vinegar (I recommend seasoned rice vinegar)
- 1 tsp crumbled dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- One 7-oz can cooked tuna, drained
- 1/2 c chopped cilantro
- chopped Little Gem, Romaine, Boston/butterhead or Bibb lettuce, for serving
Roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for the open flame, about 10 minutes for a broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let cool until handleable.
Meanwhile, scoop the potatoes into a microwaveable bowl. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and toss. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4 to 5 minutes, until completely tender. Leave covered. Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stems. Rinse the chiles to remove bits of skin and seeds. Cut into 1/4″ wide strips – each about 1″-2″ long.
Heat the oil in a large (10-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden but still crunchy, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar, oregano, black pepper, and poblano strips. Stir well, then pour the mixture over the warm potatoes. Let cool to room temperature, then gently stir in the tuna and cilantro. Taste, and add a little more salt, if needed.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on dinner plates. Spoon a portion of the salad mixture in the center of the leaves. Drizzle any dressing that’s collected at the bottom of the bowl over the greens, and serve.