Blackie the Talking Cat

Miles v. City Council of Augusta, Georgia, 551 F. Supp. 349 (S.D. Ga. 1982)

Carl and Elaine Miles challenged the authority of the City of Augusta to levy an occupation tax. They own "Blackie, The Talking Cat." Carl Miles had trained Blackie to speak several words and phrases of the English language. The City wanted to exact money for a business license because Carl and Elaine had solicited and accepted contributions from downtown pedestrians who wanted to hear the cat speak. Plaintiffs lived off the contributions received for Blackie's orations.

The Judge confessed that he had seen and heard a demonstration of Blackie's abilities:

The point in time of the Court's view was late summer, 1982, well after the events contended in this lawsuit. One afternoon when crossing Greene Street in an automobile, I spotted in the median a man accompanied by a cat and a woman. The black cat was draped over his left shoulder. Knowing the matter to be in litigation, and suspecting that the cat was Blackie, I thought twice before stopping. Observing, however, that counsel for neither side was present and that any citizen on the street could have happened by chance upon this scene, I spoke, and the man with the cat eagerly responded to my greeting. I asked him if his cat could talk. He said he could, and if I would pull over on the side street he would show me. I did, and he did. The cat was wearing a collar, two harnesses and a leash. Held and stroked by the man Blackie said “I love you” and “I want my Mama.” The man then explained that the cat was the sole source of income for him and his wife and requested a donation which was provided. I felt that my dollar was well spent. The cat was entertaining as was its owner. . . .

In a footnote, the Court also said:

For hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, people have carried on conversations with cats. Most often, these are one-sided and range from cloying, mawkish nonsense to topics of science and the liberal arts. Apparently Blackie's pride does not prevent him from making an occasional response to this great gush of human verbiage, much to the satisfaction and benefit of his “owners.” Apparently, some cats do talk. Others just grin.

Ultimately, Blackie's owners were required to get a license.