My old cat, when something was wrong with her world, she’d come and meow at me - she had a special “fix this!” meow - and then she’d lead me over to whatever was wrong: I’d like the litterbox cleaned, I want fresh water, I want the window open, top up my food please. Sometimes I couldn’t fix it (rain, snow, dietary restrictions), but she’d accept it if I couldn’t change it.

The new cat just screams for things to be fixed, but there’s never any indication as to what’s wrong. Plus she has serious chronic health conditions, so sometimes it’s I’d like fresh water please and other times the exact same meow means we have to go to the 24-hour emergency vet right now. Which is really much less helpful and informative than I’d like it to be. Also, if it’s something I can’t fix, she just decides that I haven’t understood and keeps meowing.