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If you haven't already met her, this is my teaching assistant, Lily.
She has been known to help me out by jumping over my head, tickling my chin with her tail and, on one spectacularly brilliant occasion, chewing through my laptop adaptor cable!
She thinks it's about time you learned how to talk about her in English.
Here's some vocabulary that might help you!
kitten: a baby cat
Several other baby animals are also called 'kittens', such as rabbits.
For example:
When Lily was a kitten, she was very quiet and shy. Nowadays, she likes to let everyone know she's around by miaowing and jumping on them.
My friend is going to get a new kitten from her neighbour; it's only seven weeks old at the moment.
paw: a cat's foot
The feet of most furry pets are called 'paws'; as well as cats, dogs, rabbits and mice all have paws. It can also be a verb, to mean 'touch with a paw'.
For example:
Lily pawed the spider gently then watched it run away!
My cat won't go out in the rain because she doesn't like to get her paws wet.
to tiptoe/to walk on tiptoe: to walk on the front part of your foot, usually because you're trying to be quiet
Cats always do this; it helps them to jump, balance and creep up on mice.
You might also 'stand on tiptoe' to make yourself taller.
Examples:
I tiptoed past the living room because I knew my father was asleep on the couch.
My little sister can't reach the top of the cupboard, even when she stands on tiptoe.
to prowl: to sneak or to walk quietly, trying not to be seen, while looking for something or someone to hunt
Cats and criminals can both do this!
Examples:
My cat goes out every night; I suppose he's prowling for mice.
The burglar was on the prowl, looking for somewhere to break into.
claws: the sharp bits of cats' paws
Most mammals have claws; only humans and other primates have 'nails'.
Examples:
Dogs cannot hide their claws, unlike cats.
Cats mostly use their claws to defend themselves; they use their teeth to kill mice.
to scratch: to injure somebody with claws or nails
Cats need 'scratch posts' to help them take care of their nails.
Examples:
Lily has a bad habit of scratching me when she gets angry.
Cats need to scratch things, or else their claws will get too long.
Tomorrow, we'll try to post some kitty idioms!
What pets do you have?
Try my lesson 'Animal English' if you'd like to talk about cat, dogs or any of our other furred and feathered friends. :)
Sara.TEFL
May 31, 2014
She says thank you for the compliment. =^_^= I hope your cat doesn't scratch too hard!
bluefox
May 30, 2014
Thank you , Sara, My cat always scratches my foot, Your assistant, Lilly , is very cute !