You may have more in common with people from the south than you realize. I live in WNC where plenty of people use that word regularly. Folks in the mountains have widely varying knowledge bases and depth that they often don't reveal right away. It might seem out of place in Southern California, but you may be shutting yourself off to the possibility that someone could surprise you and offer insight from a perspective you hadn't considered.
Interesting litmus. Thanks for explaining. I hope it continues to serve you well.
My cat would respond when my wife or I sneezed. Anthropomorphically, it was similar to how we blessed him when he sneezed. We adopted another cat who does the same when one of us coughs.