"Psion, I remember that, but I don't remember having a strong reaction to it,"

It exists in two versions: it was published first as a slightly bowdlerized young adult novel and then reprinted with the preferred, original text. I'm not sure if this would make any difference to your reaction. I like all three of Vinge's novels about Cat, the others being Catspaw (1988), Dreamfall (1996), and the novella "Psiren" in Phoenix in the Ashes (1985), and have always been sorry that she seems to have abandoned the character (on a cliffhanger, no less). Her language is believably telepathic.