In honor of National Tabby Cat Day on April 30, I am dedicating this column to the many cats I have loved, tabby and otherwise, and to the ways they talk to each other and to us.

Nettie, a lovely gray tabby, was one of my gentlest foster cats; so when I heard strange noises coming from the catio, I was surprised to find she was the one making them as she watched a fat robin hopping around the yard. When I went online to investigate, I found the clicking noise she was making was probably the “chatter” of her teeth, which the experts confirmed was the vocalization of her desire to hunt the prey that was just outside her reach. So much for my gentle baby!

Jessie, another gray tabby, was a growler. There was nothing she liked better than to latch onto the newest toy in the cathouse, carrying it around and growling at any cat who would even think of trying to take it from her. And if none of them approached her, she wasn’t above taking the toy to them, inviting them to take it so that she had a reason to growl. Experts warn to avoid a growling cat, but Miss Jess limited her growls to her housemates, welcoming my hugs and kisses even when she was holding her precious toy.

All of my cats and foster cats have been purr babies, and when in the middle of a group of them, the sound could be almost deafening. But even at full volume, a cat’s purr is such a sweet sound, signifying love, joy and contentment. But cats may also purr when they are nervous, as a human might hum in a similar situation; but reading a cat’s body language can easily identify the nature of a particular purr.

As lovely as is a cat’s purr, the reverse is the horrible caterwauling that an unspayed female performs when she is accepting suitors and the screaming response from her local Lotharios. These sounds alone are an excellent reason to get your cats spayed or neutered!

Bob, my long-haired American bobtail, did not approve of my foster cats and often made his annoyance known by hissing. And Muttikatz, a tortoise-shelled calico, was famous among my family members for her particularly terrifying hiss, which lost its impact when the violence of her “speech” threw her into a fit of coughing.

Oliver, in the tradition of his Siamese relatives, enters the cat door with loud, ear-piercing cries, demanding attention and claiming he isn’t getting it quickly enough. There was a time I jumped to see what horrible injury resulted in his cries, but I learned pretty quickly to accept his brand of conversation.

If you truly listen to your cats’ vocalizations and body language, you can understand what they are trying to tell you and respond appropriately. And such conversations can bring joy to them and to you.

 — Pets and the People Who Love Them is brought to you on behalf of your friends at the Athens- Limestone Animal Shelter. To adopt a dog or cat, visit www.limestone pets.org to view pets and fill out an application. Call us at 256-771-7889 to set up an appointment to visit the shelter at 1701 U.S. 72, behind Limestone Veterinary Clinic.