upworthy

Cecily Knobler

Pets

Woman who lost her cat tried the 'Japanese Missing Cat Method' with delightful results

Some call it "word of meowth."

Photo Credit: Canva

A British Blue cat. Street cats in the alley.

Legend has it, and bear with me, that cats have a psychic secret society that only cats know about and can explain. It's not quite as crazy as it sounds. A woman named Mel Moon went viral on social media after telling the harrowing tale of her British Blue kitty, Wade, who had gone missing.

Moon passionately asks with her strong British accent, "Right, is this a coincidence or is there something to this crazy legend? I'm asking you." She goes on to explain what happened. "Okay a few days ago, my cat went missing." She flashes to a photo of the sassy grey cat. "There he is, the absolute d--khead. Anyway, I was devastated, downward spiral, couldn't cope. Did everything the RSPCA told me to do. Put his litter outside. Food. Water. Clothes with my scent on it. Went out searching at dusk. Went out searching at dawn. Wasn't going to bed until 5:30 in the morning because of that absolute prick, right? Would he come back? I was beyond worried, it was crazy."

@mel.moon.comedian

Missing cat? Try the Japanese missing cat method…

What she says next is truly thrilling. "And then someone left me a comment and asked 'Have you tried the Japanese Missing Cat Method?' I've never heard of this method, but apparently what you've got to do is this. You've basically got to go out onto the street, find a stray or street cat. Crouch down to its level and whisper to it that you've lost your cat. Describe your cat in detail, give the cat your cat's name, and then tell the cat how much your cat means to you and then give it a reward. Kind of like a retainer fee, right?"

Here's how Moon claims it works. "That cat will then go and find your cat. So I did that. As if people didn't think I'm crazy enough. I'm out in my back garden talking to my patio cats like, 'Please, I've lost my British Blue. His name is Wade. I've had him for three years, he means the world to me. I'll do anything if you bring him back, please! Here's some ham, here's some turkey - please bring him home.'"

cats, Japanese missing cat method, tiktok, legends A cat walks around and sits on a bench. Giphy GIF by Studycat

She looks straight into the camera as her eyes widen. "Well I s--t you not. Ten minutes after I did that, this prick starts running down the street screaming for me." She flashes to an emotional picture of her holding Wade. "Ten minutes after I sent this little cat off to find mine, this one rocks up at my door. Is this a coincidence? Have you heard of the Japanese Missing Cat Theory? Because it's a real legend, and oh my God. If it hadn't happened to me, I wouldn't believe it. But the prick is back. And totally grounded!"

The over 1,000 commenters on one Facebook post alone seem to totally support this, having had similar experiences. One writes, "Yes! We were told that the fastest way for our cat to come home was to go out and cuddle/pet a neighborhood cat. She was missing for three days and we had signs up and we would follow leads to try to find her. Only 5 hours after we pet a neighborhood cat, she came home (through a window we left open). It’s 100% true!"

Another confirms, "It works - I have tried it - asked a cat on the street 'have you seen my kitty - he went out in the morning and has not come back' and it turned and walked and I followed him straight to my cat who was up a tree playing."

On TikTok, the original video has over half a million likes and over ten thousand comments, many of them—of course—cat memes. One hilariously writes, "‘Wade, look man, you better get home, your mom out here crying handing out deli meats’ - cats probably."

Not to be outdone, this clever TikToker jokes, "I have never heard this, but my husband swears that they speak to each other. He calls it 'word of meowth.'"

The lore is fascinating, but some are cynical. In a post for Japan Today, Owen McGee pushes back against skeptics, claiming they "might be quick to jump to conclusions, pointing out that there could be any number of reasons explaining why the cat returned home, and that the timing was just sheer coincidence. However, what surprised everyone was the number of responses from other people who said they had similar results with their own lost pets after speaking to stray animals in the area, leaving us wondering if this method might really just work."


From Your Site Articles
cats
PetsJoy
Learning

Experts explain how confusing the word 'literally' is for non-English speakers

It's not the only word that has changed meaning over time, and it's literally exhausting.

Photo Credit: Canva

"Literally" literally doesn't mean literally anymore.

"Literally, I died. Dead. I'm dead. Literally. Omg, for real." This was overheard last week, and it wasn't said by a dead ghost. It was a very much alive 20-something woman wearing pink palazzo pants.

It's nothing new that people of all generations have their preferred vernacular. My Gen X folks often said "totally" and "like" as though they were going out of business, like ya know? People had to get used to it or we wouldn't be able to communicate.

"Literally" is one of those words that Gen Z has adopted, but they're not to blame for the fact that it's often misused. That has been going on for ages, and the complaint is almost a cliché at this point.

literally, gen z, rob lowe, language Rob Lowe in a scene from Parks And Recreation Giphy NBC Universal

First, let's trace the word back to its roots. In Latin, the word "littera" means "letter." The original meaning of "literally" was "to the letter," as in…exactly. In Pamela Rafalow Grossman's article in Reader's Digest, she writes: "This use was first recorded in 1429 in "Mirour of Mans Saluacioune", according to the Oxford English Dictionary."

Obviously, the word has been adapted over time to also mean "figuratively" as an exaggeration tool. This definition became so popular that even Merriam-Webster said uncle in 1909. Grossman continues, "The fact that literally is 'often used hyperbolically' was first mentioned in Merriam-Webster’s entry of the word in its 1909 unabridged dictionary." Their TikTok (and yes, Merriam-Webster has a TikTok page) even jokingly acknowledges it.

@merriamwebster

The “in effect; virtually” meaning of 'literally' is not a new sense. It has been in regular use since the 18th century and may be found in the writings of Mark Twain, Charlotte Brontë, James Joyce, and many others.

But imagine how confusing this might be for someone just learning English. On the BBC Learning English TikTok page, a guy named Tim simply asks, "Do you know the newer meaning of 'literally?' You may know the original meaning…" and gives an example: "I literally live right next door to my work. I go out of my door and it's right there."

He continues, "But in everyday English, 'literally' has an opposite meaning and is used to exaggerate what you're saying." He opens a refrigerator door. "I'm literally starving, I haven't eaten since breakfast. Ugh, my head is literally exploding, I've done so much studying."

@bbclearningenglish

🤩 Did you know that there are two meanings of ‘literally - and they’re opposites!? Tim explains the original meaning - and a newer meaning to use in your everyday English and on social media! Everyone is using it. Don’t miss out! ✍️ Can you try using ‘literally’ in a comment? #learnenglish #spokenenglish #speakenglish #slang #literally #informalenglish #vocab #oldwordnewmeaning @

Siobhan Wood writes in "Use and Abuse of the Word Literally – A Crisis of Language?" that these changes in definitions aren't totally uncommon and can evolve as new generations take hold. "This change, and the inclusion of new terms in the dictionary, is nothing to be afraid of; it’s been happening since the beginning of time."

Wood adds that the Internet helps to speed up these changes and make words evolve even more quickly than they once did. "The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw countless language changes: the Internet, computers, and globalization have all provided catalysts for new word meanings. The word spam is a perfect example of language change: originally a portmanteau of ‘spiced ham’ to describe a British processed meat product, its primary meaning now describes unwanted digital communications."

spam, words, language, English A can of spams is also a spam. Giphy Spam Spamming

The TikTok comments under the Merriam-Webster clip are funny, as they just roll with the new normal The video has a photo of musician Bruce Hornsby at a piano with the song "That's Just the Way It Is" playing underneath a chyron reading, "When people ask us why 'literally' has two different meanings."

One commenter writes, "I'm not letting y'all gaslight me into using literally figuratively." Another quotes a Coen Brothers comedy to share their frustration: "In the words of Edwina Ed McDunnough from Raising Arizona: that ain’t no answer."

From Your Site Articles
english language
LearningEducation
Pop Culture

Dad showed his 10-year-old son E.T. and his emotional reaction is triggering Gen X nostalgia

Gen Alpha, phone home.

Photo Credit: Canva, Wiki Commons, Universal Pictures

E.T. is chilling in a basket. Elliott takes E.T. for a bike ride.

One can't fully be prepared for the emotional splash of waterworks that come with viewing Steven Spielberg's masterpiece E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (better known as simply E.T.). This is especially true upon seeing it for the first time. Nothing of its kind had ever quite been attempted and while often imitated as an homage to Spielberg, it hasn't been replicated.

The film, about an adorable extraterrestrial who befriends a boy named Elliott (played by Henry Thomas) after a spaceship accidentally leaves him behind, is a love letter to cinema. It won Oscars, broke box office records, and changed filmmaking forever, as many Spielberg movies tend to do.

For many Gen-Xers like myself, this film helped shape our childhoods. It gave us dolls, repeatable dialogue, and our own delicious candy (fun fact: Spielberg initially wanted M&Ms to be the treats Elliott leaves as a trail to lure E.T. to safety, but the Mars Company declined, so Reese's Pieces became iconic). For an extra layer of magic, I saw it the weekend it came out in 1982, at the exact age Elliott was in the film. It introduced me and many of my friends to the vastness of the universe and the importance of kindness across dimensions.

-A scene from Spielberg's film E.T. www.youtube.com, Universal Pictures

Now, Gen-Xers are showing it to their kids to get their reactions. On the Subreddit r/scifi, a self-described "ceramics guy" who loves nature, science, and sci-fi posted, "Just watched ET for the first time since I was a kid, with my son who is the same age now as I was then." Under this caption, he gave the experience a review: "10 out of 10 would absolutely recommend. What an incredible film. And getting to see my son watch it for the first time was even better than seeing it the first time myself."

Many commenters agree. One actually took their 10-year-old son to see it in the theater when it made the rounds recently. "I had the pleasure of taking my 10 yr old son and his best mate to see ET for the first time in our local cinema last year. It was magical and still absolutely holds its own, despite some scenes looking pretty basic with the CGI kids are used to now. Was great watching their faces and seeing them get totally hooked in emotionally. My son is a big fan of Stranger Things and he was loving the 80s vibes."

E.T., Spielberg, movies, Gen X E.T. looks up. Giphy GIF by MANGOTEETH

Lots of Redditors discuss the unabashedly earnest tear-jerking tactics. "One of the first movies I can remember as a tearjerker," one said. "I can remember being 6 or 7 and crying but not having the emotional maturity to understand why."

The film touches on friendship, but perhaps more than that—the idea of a touchstone. E.T. forms a beautiful bond with Elliott, but still longs for his home. So when he assembles a Speak & Spell as a communication device and starts muttering "E.T. phone home," there wasn't a dry eye in the theater. Spielberg threw in a seven-year-old pigtailed Drew Barrymore, a Golden Retriever mix, and a moonlit bike ride to cement the deal that we were all going to bawl. He showed no mercy.

The "I'll be right here" scene from Spielberg's E.T. www.youtube.com, Universal Pictures, MovieClips

Tod Perry, my colleague at Upworthy, also just recently watched E.T. with his child. He shared that they both loved it and openly wept. He further noted, "The big takeaways were the kids in that movie are so feral and unsupervised compared to kids today. Like Elliott stays home from school, alone. Normal then, criminal today. That and Spielberg pulls absolutely no punches, goes for the jugular with how emotional that movie is."

From Your Site Articles
80s movies
Pop CultureMovies
Fashion

Proud goth man compares striking side-by-side photos of himself between ages of 18 and 48

“We do improve with age, don't we?"

Photo Credit: Reddit, Hemlox76

A man shows his goth fashion at 18 and at 48.

There is something about the music we connect to when we're young that beautifully helps shape our identity. We want to scream from the rooftops, "This is how I feel!" but we so often can't. Luckily, clothes and accessories can do the proverbial screaming for us. Often, it's written off as a moody teenage phase (and sometimes it is), but for some, it's an absolute vibe that becomes a part of everyday life all the way to the end.

And so, when a man took to the subreddit r/goth to show off HIS goth look from teen to middle-age, many rejoiced. The OP writes, "Fashion Friday: 'It's not just a phase, mom' 18 vs 48 years old." Under this is a split photo. On one side is the 18-year-old version of himself, hair slicked back, eyes full of dramatic dark liner and shadows. He's in all black (natch) with a Nosferatu t-shirt tucked into leather (or possibly pleather) pants. One hand is tucked into said pants, while the other dramatically holds up a glass—his body tilted in the ultimate cool pose, as he shows off his black nail polish.

On the other side is the now 48-year-old version. He wears a black sleeveless The Sisters of Mercy band shirt showing off lots of tats and an intense stare under his tiny glasses. Under the photo, he writes, "Less hair but more tattoos, and at least I don’t have to pose in my parents’ backyard anymore :)"

Goth music, The Cure, Gothic, fashion, style A man posts a photo of himself at 18 and at 48 showing off his goth looks.Reddit, Hemlox76

Upworthy had a chance to speak to this Redditor and when asked if he still feels the "goth vibe" that he did as a teen, his answer was enthusiastically , "Oh hell yeah I do!" He added, " I keep my look pretty toned down for work ( corporate gothic, sort of), but still go all out when going to concerts and stuff like that."

The comments under the post are undeniably goth in nature. The first immediately references death when they write, "Looking stylish in both pics. I'm currently 33. Goal is to be buried in goth attire." The OP replies, "Well, a black suit is usually standard :) Myself, I’d go for just a hole in the ground in the woods and an ash tree planted over me if that was legal over here."

This commenter explains how their music influences brought them to the goth lifestyle. "Heh. I came by mine honestly. Dad likes Black Sabbath and science fiction/fantasy, Mum likes Steeleye Span, Edward Gorey and gothic novels. Their kid likes all of it, plus goth rock and power metal. They thought it was weird when I was a teenager, but now that I'm an adult we go to shows together and my mum buys me black lace and darkly themed vintage :)"

And this kind Redditor compliments the OP: "You aged like a fine wine brother. And your hair colour now suits you. Granted I was 4 when the first pic was taken, but yum to both."

Goth guy explains how goth fashion emerged from the music. www.youtube.com, Jake Munro

The goth vibe, in music, clothes or all-around attitude, started gaining in popularity in the late 70s, as a term to describe atmospheric post-punk bands. The term got thrown around a bit, but the overarching idea is music and clothes that are dramatic, moody, and emotional. To paraphrase an old adage, "I'll wear black until they find a darker color," certainly applies. Both musically and in appearance, think Robert Smith, the front man for the English band The Cure.

The official music video for Pictures of You by The Cure. www.youtube.com, RHINO

The whole mood is steeped, at least in attitude and clothing, in Gothic literature which goes way farther back than just the 1970s. Moody heartbreak and even mysterious horror were romanticized in books like Frankenstein and Dracula. It was cool to be sad, and beautiful to be heartbroken.

And even though the goth baseline might appear dark, the Reddit thread illustrates that its community is often like a tight-knit family—with great taste in music AND clothes.

From Your Site Articles
goth
FashionPop Culture
Trending Stories