Tuesday 10 March 2015

Cat-to-human translator app

If you like the idea of having a conversation with your pet cat then you better look away now.

Flam, a cat in Nashville, Tennessee, may well be the first of its kind to have had a conversation with a human being.

But sadly, as documented on video, the little chat didn't go down that well with the feline.

In the clip is Penny Adams, a professional photographer who volunteers her time at the Cat Shoppe Rescue centre.

Sitting on the floor, she announces to the camera that she is holding a cat-to-human language translator on her phone.

Penny, who doesn't herself know what it is being translated by the app, activates the meowing sound and immediately Flam, who sits underneath a table, becomes noticeably intrigued.

Jumping up, the feline negotiates a number of dumbbells on the floor before making its way towards Penny.

With its tail poised, the cat maintains its eye-contact while lifting its paw and climbing up onto her leg.

Suddenly it lashes out at her – opening its mouth to bare its teeth it strikes her with its paw.

Reacting by blocking the cat with her arm, Penny laughs in surprise as the insulted feline continues to bare its teeth before scuttling off.

According to Penny, she had visited Kate Framke's home – Flam’s owner – to photograph her other cat Waffles for a fundraising calendar for The Cat Shoppe.

After struggling to get Waffles’ attention with toys and treats, Penny used her human-to-cat translator app as a way of getting the cat to look at the camera.

Penny said: ‘It worked, but it also got an unusual reaction from Flam, who proceeded to walk up slowly and pop me in the head. We laughed so hard.’

She added: ‘Who knows what the app was really saying in cat voice, but he sure didn't like it.’

The Cat Shoppe is Nashville’s first feline-friendly shop that sells a number of cat-related products and also runs a non-profit cat rescue centre.