@Quercus:

some of mine make a sound kind of like "hrumphf" if they want something…some will moan, and whine. Our male just gives us the mind meld stare....

OMG! The "mind meld stare"…that's a perfect way to describe it! Mine does the "hrumphf" thing too. Sometimes it sounds like a sneeze, because if you're near it, you get snotted.