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25 January 2009

My cat "gets" Wuthering Heights! The gap between feline and human has finally been bridged. My cat Cinnamon is a Wuthering Heights fan.[More:]

As the old story goes, Ann Sullivan spelled "water" into Helen Keller's hand countless times before a particularly refreshing trickle of water made Helen realize what it meant. Similarly, our cats have been in the room with the TV countless times without acting as if it meant anything to them. Not even when there were birds or cats on the screen.

Tonight, however, when Heathcliff learned of Cathy's death and let out an agonized howl on our new high definition television set, that was it for Cinnamon. Her big eyes did not leave the screen for 15 minutes. If she had had popcorn, she would have been unconsciously dipping her paw into the bowl and putting it into her mouth. I could swear she knew exactly what was going on, drama-wise, the tone if not the actual subject. It was like watching someone watch the show who doesn't speak English but has a general understanding of what they're seeing. Even when the scene changed a couple of times, she was still riveted, especially by Heathcliff. She seemed to have a basic understanding of what she was looking at, taking in the different scenes but knowing that it was the same story and the same people. She only lost interest when the action and emotion quieted down.

Just more proof that cats are people too. All they needed was a HDTV screen and a little melodrama.
Meanwhile, in my fat cat's life:

a) Scorned some expensive diet kibble
b) Slept
c) Pooped a big one in the litter box that was just cleaned
d) Slept some more
e) Stared at an empty spot in the middle of my office for 20 minutes
f) Ran down the hall like he was being chased by a banshee
g) Slept on my ibook for awhile while we were having dinner
h) Slept on the couch
i) Slept in the hallway
j) Chased the string off my hoodie, while I was still wearing it
k) Ate some kibble reluctantly
l) Begged for some milk

Now crashed in the armchair in the kitchen.
posted by typewriter 25 January | 23:02
I was watching ST:The Wrath of Khan tonight and during the funeral scene my cat sleeping next to me jumped up at the sound of the bagpipe. I think that she thought someone was hurting a cat.
posted by octothorpe 25 January | 23:07
≡ Click to see image ≡
posted by arse_hat 25 January | 23:17
I really hoped you meant the Kate Bush song. My cats prefer the original version, but I'm partial to the one she re-recorded in the 80s, after her voice had mellowed a bit.
posted by BoringPostcards 25 January | 23:19
a_h, that agenda doesn't include madly running amok through the house at random times. My cats do that half a dozen times a day.
posted by octothorpe 25 January | 23:37
BoPo: I agree with you, although my cats are completely indifferent to Kate Bush. Boutros Boutrs-Kitty, however, once came flying across the room to beat the speakers when I turned on Bjork's Vespertine. It was an unusual act of aggression against electronics on his part. We haven't heard Bjork in the house since.
posted by crush-onastick 25 January | 23:48
BP: Interesting. I thought Kate put way more controlled energy into the 1985 re-recording - it has that Dreaming-era crazy power in it. She sounds rather sweet and naive in the original, but she was pretty far out there by the time the remake came out!
posted by mykescipark 25 January | 23:54
In the early 70's I had a Siamese cat that sat on top of the TV and hung her head over the side for the Dean Martin show every week.
posted by arse_hat 26 January | 00:03
The bun will watch Stargate with much attentiveness. Although, her favorite thing in the world to watch is seahorses. We took her to the Seattle Aquarium, and she was totally enamored with the little horsey folk.
posted by sakura 26 January | 00:49
When I was a kid, I had a pet tree frog that would not sit still unless I was watching "Night of the Living Dead" on VHS in my room. If I put that movie on, he would sit on the back of my right hand and watch, riveted, through the whole thing.

His name was Fred, and he was awesome.
posted by middleclasstool 26 January | 01:01
hahaha! Love the agenda, arsey!
posted by taz 26 January | 04:06
Your cat has great taste, serena, Wuthering Heights transcends simple romance. I couldn't read the book, that style bores me - I can barely get through Poe, but the movie pares out all the meandering and gets to the meat of the story, so basic yet so powerful. It was one of the first movies to free actors to be real (pre-Brando) rather than than adopt that stilted style carried over from the stage.
posted by Ardiril 26 January | 10:17
I for one don't get Wuthering Heights, so your cat has gotten the better of me. Every character in the book is despicable. Seriously, Emily B. must have had a horrific fantasy life.

Me, I prefer Jane Eyre. Sure, there's the thing with the crazy wife in the attic, but ... true love! True love conquers all, including crazy wives locked in attics. Right? Charlotte for the win.

Seriously, I'm twenty-nine years old and decently intelligent. I think. Why is it your cat understands and appreciates Wuthering Heights, and I don't? WHY???

I really want to know.
posted by brina 26 January | 11:41
PS. Would watching the movie help? Is the movie better than the book?
posted by brina 26 January | 11:43
Well, Brina, cute little Cinnamon is a mostly feral cat. (She used to live with other cats in an old tunnel conveniently located in the woods near a pizza shop.) This may make it easy for her to identify with the wild, feral, even despicable characters in Wuthering Heights. She is beautiful, wild, passionate and a little despicable herself. She can't help it. Neither can they. And even despicable characters can grab our sympathy when they're suffering, and make us wish for a happy ending.

As far as every character being despicable, I don't remember that much of the book and only saw the final half of the second night of the movie, but I believe that Isabel, little Cathy and Hareton? (the guy she winds up with) are good characters.
posted by serena 26 January | 12:26
I saw season 1 of This American Life this weekend (no spoilers, com'on in) || Can has wuffles, pls?

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