Signs for CAT

Definition: a small domesticated carnivorous mammal with soft fur, a short snout, and retractile claws.

Pronunciation/articulation: Dominant "F" handshape (palm facing left) strokes along the chin away from the chin twice.

Phonological variation in handshape. Either handshapes "F" or "20" are both acceptable.

Pronunciation (sign description): Dominant "G->20" handshape (palm facing left) strokes along the chin away from the chin twice.

That's Kibe the cat in the video; she has been my blogging buddy.

Related signs: CLOWDER is a group of cats; TABBY, adorable KITTEN.

And, the wild, big cats: BOBCAT, LION, LEOPARD, JAGUAR, TIGER, CHEETAH, COUGAR, LYNX.

Word associations: ANIMAL, MEOW, PET, CATNIP.

Enmity of c.. err, antonym of cats: DOG.

Printable ASL Printable ASL for CAT
Usage/Grammar

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Language learning, language play, etc.

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Some word entries have one of some tidbits in this section, such as minimal pairs of sign words, rhymes, etc. usually related to or associated with its word entry.

Written ASL

[Note: ASL writing is not an official standard. This sign language writing remains in a state of open space to allow room for experiment, evolution, and improvement.]

ASL writing for CAT

ASL written digits (two versions/handshapes) for CAT. Contributed by Adrean Clark, 2015. Later added the little circle inside the handshape.

Deaf Culture and tidbits

For your catty smile

Introducing Handspeak's furry companions, Kibe and Fritzy have been my constant companions (and distractions).

Kibe and Fritzy
Kibe (left) and Fritzy (right), 2021

Kibe (2015-) is a mouse catcher and a bit of warrior. She often brings a mouse, sometimes dead and sometimes alive. These carrions are usually given to neighborly magpies. Kibe is brave and kind.

Kibe often sits on my desks. Whenever she walked across the desk, she stretched out her forelimb and hindlimb between the monitor and me (or behind my laptop). She understands that she is not to touch the keyboard, often jumping over the keyboard or walking around it.

Fritzy (2020-), on the other hand, is a brush bandit with her furry bandit racoon-mask, looting and hiding my art brushes in her wool cave. She also took an adorable tiny stuffed alpaca to her cave. Fritzy is so sweet and she purrs often.

If you cannot find Kibe in the backyard, she is somewhere far beyond the backyard. If you cannot find Fritzy in the backyard, she is usually somewhere far up in the sky (trees) within the backyard. Sorry, I digress.

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Contextual meaning: Some ASL signs in the dictionary may not mean the same in different contexts and/or ASL sentences. You will see some examples in video sentences.

ASL is very much alive and indefinitely constructable as any spoken language. The best way to use ASL right is to immerse in daily language interactions and conversations with Deaf/Ameslan people (or ASLians).