Philippines Trusted Brands 2023

READER’S DIGEST SMART ANIMALS Animals are very vocal when they want to communicate with us Cats Don’t Like Water MARK O’BRIEN We recently looked after my brother’s two-year-old grey Persian cat. We don’t have any pets of our own and my four-year-old son and six-year-old daughter were delighted to have the company of the cat. The cat, Smokey, was a pleasure to mind. She loved the cuddles bestowed enthusiastically upon her and, other than relying on us to put her meals out, she looked after herself. The only behaviour we found odd was whenever any of us showered or bathed, Smokey would stand at the bathroom door and cry. Her meowing was clearly one of distress and we couldn’t work out why. When I mentioned this to my brother, he informed us that as a kitten she was sprayed with the hose whenever she went near their vegetable patch and she has been traumatised by water ever since then. Smokey must have been trying to warn us of the ‘danger’ we were in near water. ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES 2 April 2023