We’re very lucky that the wild parrots flocking around town don’t take after a group of potty-mouthed African Gray parrots in Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in eastern England.
Those birds started cussing up a storm at each other, zoo staff, and visitors. It was almost like being in rush hour traffic on Dixie Highway.
The birds, five of which were donated in 2020, and another three in 2024, most likely picked up swearing from their owners. Amazing! I guess English parrot owners either cussed a lot around these birds or the birds went on quick flights to a nearby pub on dart night and hung around with the losers. The parrots; Eric, Jade, Elsie, Tyson, and Billy, were donated to the zoo by five different owners in a single week. Was this just an amazing coincidence or did the birds pick up a foul mouth almost instantly from each other? Were they gob-smacked because of not being privy to the daily allotment of chocolate that every Brit loves?
Zoo officials were forced to isolate the parrots over concerns about young visitors hearing the foul language. At least the kids would have to put down their cell phones to listen. Can you imagine if our local parrots picked up that same kind of language? We can’t take small slights and unpleasant behavior, so a cursing parrot within hearing distance, and out of our reach could be worse than putting up with the over-night uber-loud bass boom boom boom from, let’s say for example, a music venue in a city to our immediate north! Nah!! Oh, if only the parrots could drown them out!
We would tolerate the cussing if it drowned out the airport noise, but alas, a roaring Sky lease cargo Boeing 747-400F is still king of the noisy planes.
Does anyone remember a local vanity license that stated: I Love Airplane Noise!
We’re lucky our cats and dogs don’t have the same kind of vocal agility to verbally curse us out, or each other. Oh, we know when a cat is ticked off. They’ll claw a chair leg or write a bad review of their food on Yelp. How do you let them know a bad review is not appreciated? Have you ever wondered if your cat understands you as you meow back to them in a way that you think they understand? No. A human’s meow means nothing to a cat. They may tilt their furry head and you think it’s cute, but the cat’s thinking ‘Huh?’.
We label cats as cold-hearted creatures. But in reality, that’s just how they are! They are independent and intelligent beings! So, when it comes to knowing if cats can understand us, you might find yourself surprised.
Your family’s dog (Or dogs) knows when it’s time to go for that walk, get fed or just need a little butt scratch. They appreciate you scratching them where they can’t. Cats and dogs react to the opening of a food bag or the rustle of a potato chip bag. It’s a visceral response. With dogs, it’s much more simplified with a grin, bark, or wag of the tail. As long as they don’t talk back!
