Book ID - When you read the cat's mind, all it says is "mipmip"

Question

Bit of a silly question, but I thought this was really funny and now I can't remember what it was in. A main character can read minds, including, I'm pretty sure, animals' minds, and is travelling with a cat, among others.

She (I think it was a she) tries to read the cat's mind, but the cat's thoughts just consist of "mip? mipmip?" in varying levels of impatience. Cats, apparently, don't know themselves what they want - that's your problem.

It sounds like it could well have been Terry Pratchett, but if so I don't know which book it was.

EDIT: My mind is now insisting that it was the Acorna series, or something like it? I did a bit of searching but can't find any reference to this, though she certainly is telepathic and does have a cat in at least one book, I see, and what the descriptions say seems vaguely familiar. Could this be?

Answer 1

I believe you are correct in saying it is a book by Terry Pratchet. You are most likely looking for one of the Tiffany Aching books which certainly did feature a cat who repeatedly said meep. The name of the cat was You. I believe you are looking for either the novel Winter Smith or I shall wear midnight.

You can read a description of this character here... https://discworld.fandom.com/wiki/You

I can't find the exact scene you describe but this quote from Wintersmith should certainly identify the cat and put you in the right ballpark.

Terry Pratchett · 2008 · Juvenile Fiction (Discworld Novel 35) Terry Pratchett ... 'Her mother is Pinky, the Widow Cable's cat, said Tiffany, to fill the silence. ... The kitten rubbed up against Granny's legs and went meep.