PEPPER THE TINY TERROR LEARNS HIS FIRST CUSS WORD

I've written about how my first Maine Coon had learned to talk, would holler "Mama, Mama" whenever he wanted me or couldn't find me. I had worked hard teaching him to say that. But the rest of his vocabulary he picked up by just repeating what he heard us say.

I decided to try and teach Pepper the tiny terror to say "mama". I worked and I worked. Finally I decided it wasn't worth the effort. He had said it twice and then never again. He's about 18 months old now and I had decided he just wasn't as smart as Oscar had been.

I've also written about him grabbing us by the leg and biting whenever we walk through the room. Its his favorite game. Unfortunately, Alan always screams "S--T, STOP IT!"

I had a friend here one day. We were visiting in the sunroom. All of a sudden I heard, "S--T!" coming from the direction of the litter box. My eyes flew wide open with a shocked look as I turned in time to see the same wide-eyed shocked look on my friend's face.

"What did he just say?" I whispered.
She whispered back, "He just said S--T!"
"That's what I was afraid of," I sighed.

We both looked at the litter box, where Pepper was still working hard trying to get the litter off of his feet. He wiped them on the edge of the box, on the carpet, back in the box, finally wiping his foot on the sliding glass door, where he once again screamed "S--T!" We both collapsed laughing this time because it was loud and clear.

I am no longer trying to teach him to talk. I do not need a bad-tempered cat who cusses like a parrot sailor.