I want to be precise about what I mean by "responding." I do not mean she has learned to speak. I mean she has developed a system of replies — a vocabulary of sounds, positions, and expressions — that is disturbingly specific, and that I have learned to read with a fluency that I did not plan to acquire and cannot now unlearn.
It started six months ago when I was working from home and began narrating my day to my cat, Miso, primarily because I had not spoken to another human since Tuesday and something had to give. I described my emails to her. I gave her my opinions on the news.
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