The Naming of Cats

Chapter 7

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Although there are supernatural events such as cats learning to talk, Kuze's way of getting along with cats hasn't changed much. Kuze still lives according to his own schedule, while the cat spends most of the day in the study, frantically learning human languages.

Kuze was amazed by the cat's enthusiasm for learning - to be honest, he hadn't worked so hard even when he was 18 years old to prepare for the central exam. Kuze was extremely curious about the learning motivation of cats. So far, the only place the cat has used language is when the cat orders food every day when Kuze is cooking.

"I want to eat meat."

This is the cat's first order content.

Kuze had been feeding the cat with fish fillet mixed with porridge. He has never raised a cat himself, nor has he seen a cat fishing in his life. But after all, cats in all fairy tales and cartoons eat fish, and Kuze has always regarded it as a matter of course that "cats eat fish as their main food".

Hearing the cat's request to replace the fish with meat, Kuze's first reaction was to refuse. Later, when he couldn't bear the cat's mad protest, and reluctantly agreed with the idea of an occasional meal, Kuze also suspected that the cat would fall into the predicament of malnutrition because of the picky eater. It wasn't until he did some research that he realized that cats really had no reason to eat fish.

"So you're trying so hard to learn how to talk just to order food?" Kuze teased the cat sitting on the edge of the dining table while cutting the thawed beef tendon.

The cat first made a sound somewhere between "meow" and a modal particle, almost the cat's version of "exactly". Immediately, it added earnestly: "Not only that. I am here to assert my rights."

Kuze was startled, and was amused by the cat's choice of words and sentences. There are no language textbooks suitable for beginners in his study, except for medical books, which are some general humanities reading books. Mao came from middle school with a few political clichés, which is very funny.

"For example?" Kuze asked with interest.

"For example, I want to eat meat, don't want too many bandages, and don't want cardboard boxes. And," the cat took a deep breath, trying to pretend that nothing had happened, but there was still a little nervousness in his eyes staring at Kuze. , "Don't that."

"…Which one?"

"That—" Cat's vocabulary isn't enough. It jumped off the dining table and dashed into the study. Kuze was curious, and after washing his hands, he followed.

Walking into the study, Kuze saw the cat sitting on the chair he usually sat on. The computer screen has turned on, it should have just been slapped away by the cat.

... This cat is too smart, isn't it

Kuze couldn't help laughing. He picked up the cat and put it on his lap, and rubbed the back of the cat's head twice, causing the cat to meow and struggle.

"Okay, okay, which one do you say you don't want?" Kuze held the mouse and clicked on the history page a few days ago according to the cat's instructions. After a long delay, the loaded web page is a set of comics. The author uses exaggerated comics to record the daily life of his cat. Kuze really liked this set of pictures, and he kept it on purpose. He also prepared a cardboard box for the cat (the cat won't sleep) and a brush (the cat won't use it).

The cat instructed Kuze to scroll down the mouse without seeing it. The happy daily life of people and cats is like the wind blowing leaves. When the cat finally called to stop, the front limbs pointed to a strip. In the comics, it is exaggerated to express the scene where the owner and the veterinarian wear white coats together and sterilize the cat.

Kuze was stunned for half a second, then laughed out loud.

The cat stared blankly at Kuze, who was shaking with laughter, and made a few "meows" dryly, but couldn't get Kuze's attention at all.

Kuze hadn't laughed so cheerfully in a long time, and it took almost a minute for him to relax. He stroked the top of the cat's hair, and his heart filled with affection for a moment - he looked like a smart and understanding look, but he also pretended to be silly. It took so long for this joke to finally shake off the burden, and the cat can be regarded as an excellent entertainer.

Kuze smiled and bowed his head, but unexpectedly felt the stern stiffness under the soft hair. He gradually restrained his smile and let go to observe the cat's expression. The cat still looked nonchalant, but Kuze was familiar enough with it to see if it was relaxing or pretending to be relaxed.

Kuze was surprised to find that the cat was serious.

The original cheerful and humorous atmosphere was diluted a lot by the cat's attitude, and turned into an indescribable absurdity. The cat noticed Kuze's silence, and turned to face him with a little unease. Kuze knew that the cat was waiting for his answer.

Kuze hadn't seriously considered this issue until now when it was brought up by the cat, only to find that he had subtly agreed with the view that "cats should be sterilized" in the process of browsing the Internet. From Kuze's point of view, this was just a funny joke, but from the cat's point of view, it probably wasn't the case.

It's really strange, Kuze was stared at by the cat like that, and he couldn't help but reflect: He naturally decided to sterilize the cat, and he didn't think about whether the cat would accept it or not.

- But isn't neutering good for cats too

Kuze recalled the popular science posts he saw on the pet forum. Male cats will be restless during estrus, spray urine everywhere, and easily lick too much and cause infection. In addition, the risk factor of certain diseases will decrease after the cat is neutered. Kuze wasn't a veterinarian, but at least he could read the correlation charts. Thinking about it this way, it really should be sterilized, which is good for people and cats.

"Isn't it in a hurry..." Kuze said ambiguously, he paused, then tried to persuade the cat, "Besides, sterilization doesn't really hurt."

Hearing Kuze's implication, the cat was on guard and didn't waste any time pretending that he didn't care. The blue tourmaline-colored eyes were rounded, and the claws were tightened.

The cat refused bluntly: "No!"

"Hey," Kuze patted the cat's back and reassured him, "Sterilization is not dangerous, and it's good for your body."

"Then will you do it?" the cat asked rhetorically.

Kuze was questioned on the spot and got stuck for a second. Of course he wouldn't go sterilized. Even if Kuze had no interest in the opposite sex, he had already decided to die alone, and when it came to sterilization, he would still not agree. Kuze hadn't thought about this at all—it should be said that normal people wouldn't think so.

Maybe another time, Kuze is willing to spend time thinking about the truth, but now is not the time to think about himself.

"I wouldn't do it, but you're a cat," Kuze persuaded from a different angle, "all cats need to be neutered. The other cats—the ones in the ads, the cats in the town, I think they've all been neutered. Sterilized. You see, they're happy too."

For a moment, the expression on the cat's face twisted into horror. But soon, the cat regained his position: "I can't control them, I can only control myself. I don't want to be neutered."

"Then you, uh," Kuze looked for the right words, "your physical needs..."

"No need!" The cat retorted at a speed far beyond Kuze's expectations.

Kuze was speechless. He didn't think the cat could control his physiological needs, but the cat's resolute statement made it difficult for him to directly refute it. He could only watch the cat's expression in silence to see what it was going to say next.

The cat also fell silent. It can be seen that it is struggling inside, and its expression is changing rapidly.

Finally, the cat seemed to have made up his mind. It rested its chin on Kuze's palm, stuck out its tongue, and gently licked Kuze's mouth. Then, facing Kuze's surprised gaze, the cat raised his head and said solemnly, "I don't need anything. If you need it, I can provide any service—a lot more than before."

For a moment, Kuze didn't understand what the cat was saying. "Previous service", do you mean brushing your hair and warming your hands? What does "much more than before" mean... Wait a minute, is the "need" the cat just said is a follow-up to Kuze's "physiological need"

Contacting the context, Kuze looked at the cat with a broken face in astonishment, unable to speak for a long time.

"Then there is no need..." Finally, Kuze gave a difficult response, "Of course, sterilization is not necessary..."

It doesn't matter if it's a little noisy and hassle-free cleaning in spring. Kuze thought, just work harder... Be a good person, don't push a cat to that extent.

After that, the cat's learning progress visibly slowed down. It was only later that Kuze realized that the cat's motivation for learning was to express his desire to "not sterilize" to him. Considering that Kuze was really going to sterilize the cat, it was a far-sighted move, but Kuze also felt that the cat was a little wild and cute.

The line between wild thoughts is whimsy, and now, the more Kuze looks at this cat, the more he thinks it is the latter. After talking about the topic of "sterilization", the cat seemed to let go of his psychological burden at once, relaxed a lot during his actions, and became closer to him. Kuze can touch and slap at will, and the cat not only no longer hides, but sometimes responds lazily.

Kuze is quite curious about cats and vice versa. The cat would stare at Kuze inexplicably, and after a while, it would meow either in surprise or confusion, as if measuring Kuze with a cat-like aesthetic. If Kuze asked him what he was thinking, the cat would look very distressed. Obviously, his mental thinking had become too complicated to express in words.

In view of this, although the cat has no motivation to learn, Kuze still insists on teaching.

At this time, the cat's lazy nature is revealed. It even offered to massage Kuze's arms and shoulders to escape language learning. The cat's massage level was unexpectedly high, and if it was a service provided by the cat, Kuze almost regretted refusing it at the time.

Having said that, he still enjoys the relaxed atmosphere of the present between one person and one cat. Kuze sometimes thinks that it would be great if everyone could communicate with cats. But that is of course impossible. He still hated the cats in town with eyes above their heads. He even suspects that there may be more differences between cats and cats than between cats and people. Kuze is reasonable, but also a stubborn guy. The only thing he changed was the cat at home.

He thought seriously about raising a cat.