“I've figured out why humans say `Ow!' when they're hurt,” said Spring. [1]
“Really?” I said.
“Yes,” she said.
“Ow?”
“Ow. It's the sound we made when cats attack us.”
“Like last night with Spodie. Did you hear me?”
Spring schrunched up her face. “I don't think so,” she said.
“He was on the small bookcase,” I said, refering to a chest high book shelf that brackets one side of the entrance to the bathroom. “When I past by, heading towards the bed, he swiped,” I said, making swiping motions with my hands, “and got me in the back. Ouch.”
“Yes,” she said. “You see, way back in pre-history, when cats attacked us, we made all sorts of sounds until someone finally hit upon `Ow!' which, in cat-speak, means `Get the fXXX off me!' And it stuck.”
“Ow?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “It's only a theory, mind you.”