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Well it sounded like it anyway. Shaney wanted to go out whilst we were eating tonight and she said, "Mummy." Sue and I both stopped in amazement....

So has the cat said her first word, or did it just sound like it?

We may never know.

She is a clever cat, of that there is no doubt. Were you both drinking at the time of the incident though?

A Gentleman never tells....

Now, the plot thickens...

My little grandaughter, almost five years old, said today, "Shaney just spoke to me but I couldn't understand what she said."

So the possibility arises that the cat now has linguistic skills too advanced for a five-year-old to understand. Or possibly she has somehow learnt a foreign language.

We live in interesting times.

Personally I think she can speak french. That is obviously the Cats first choice in foreign languages.

Try reading Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov where the cat not only talks but actually shoots, pays to get on trams and causes massive mischief around Moscow! Amazing.

Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

My copy has arrived today.

It was virtually the same price to get the Everyman Classics hardcover edition rather than the paperback, so that's what I have done.

I'll post a review when I've read it, or perhaps I'll let Shaney read it to me...

I hope you enjoy it. I thought it was a very good novel personally!

Well I'm still reading it, very, very slowly....hopefully the book will click with me soon!

Not finished it yet....heavy going....must try harder.....

I can now report that Shaney has learned how to say "Hello" which is also quite remarkable.

When she comes in for food she now likes to be combed or brushed before she starts to eat. Every time.

Then she likes to be escorted upstairs so she can fall over on the landing and have her back scratched. Then she likes to be taken to bed and fussed before settling down for sleep.

At 5.30am she gets up and goes to the bathroom where she falls over again for back scratching, before being taken downstairs and let out for her morning walk.

It's a tough life being a cat...

This is developing in a quite remarkable way.

When she comes in she now miaows in sentences, telling quite a little tale as she rubs against a few bits of furniture on the way to her combing session. Unfortunately my command of Cat is limited so I don't catch all the words...

I do, thankfully recognise the low groaning noise that means, "I've caught a mouse!" and open the door cautiously in this event.

We have a nice bit of video of Shaney pulling the cord on one of those vibrating mice, really must get that on YouTube.

And now more developments!

The latest is that she watches television. Never has before, but suddenly sat and watched an entire programme as though she'd never noticed the screen before. Wide eyed and fascinated.

I can only presume that whatever we're feeding her on is giving a continuing intelligence boost. I shall no doubt be able to ask her soon, the way this is going!

Either that or it is now safe to sit in the front room for any amount of time without somone trying to stroke her or Harley trying to chase her away!

Shaney has been on holiday for a week at her favourite cattery, whilst we were away in Dumfries & Galloway.

Since she's come home she's hardly stopped chatting to us. Basically we could sum it up as, "It's great to be home!"