The sound of cat is her most effective way of communication. As a cat owner I understand how important it is to properly communicate with your cat.
Cats or pets in general are quite expressive. The question is are you as a human being sensitive enough to understand their expression.
One may feel that it is only human being that can express themselves fully through evolved communication. Well, if that is what you believe think again.
The sound of cat is the most prominent if not the only mode of communication. Cats speak with their whole body if you are sensitive to it.
The communication patterns and protocols of cats are are way too diverse and different as compared to other pets but the sound of cat still is the central mode of communication.
In a previous post on how to effectively communicate with your cat, we collaborated with Jonas Jurgella.
There we told you step by step the changes that you need to make within yourself and in the environment around you in order for you to effectively communicate with your cat.
Though in that collaboration we discussed the essential steps, we didn’t talk a lot about the sound of cats.
The Sound Of Cat : A Cat’s Most Direct Form Of Communication
In this post we are going to drill into a cat’s most direct form of communication that is a cat’s sound.
We are going to look into the sound a cat makes and what each of those sounds mean.
When you truly understand the sound of cat and what it means, intuitively your cat will sense that you understand what she means.
And this will have a big impact in your relationship with your cat.
Now before we discretely understand the individual cat sounds, there are a few pointers that you need to understand.
We are going to discuss 11 cat sounds here but understand that this is not an exclusive list.
Cats make a wide gradient and variation of these cat sounds.
The sound of cat also sounds also depends on cat breeds, especially the pitch and volume of the sound of cat varies greatly across breeds.
In a similar sense, a cat’s age can also affect how talkative and chatty your cat is and as such the sounds she makes may vary.
While it is true that cat sounds have a very subjective basis, what is also true is that cats are simple and innocent creatures.
And for that reason although the cat sounds may be diverse and different, the fundamental needs of all animals including cat are very simple.
Survival and procreation.
If they are fed well and feel safe. They have no more problems.
Unlike human beings whose problems start once there is food in the belly.
Once we have this basis in our minds, the sound of cat can be decoded to perceive what cat is saying in this moment.
So let’s go ahead and see what those different sounds of cat mean.
Cat Purring : The Cat’s Sound Of Content
Well I have already covered this topic in depth in a separate post where I went in depth to understand the precise reason behind cat purrs.
But for the subject of this topic it is important to highlight what is cat purring and what do they want to convey when they are making this sound.
In that post I also told you that the fundamental truth regarding knowledge is the fact that knowledge and ignorance go hand in hand with each other.
The more we know, the more we realize how much we do not know.
And it very well applies to our knowledge regarding cats as well.
Researchers and veterinarians actually don’t know why or even how cats purr but the Library of Congress looking at various experiments and behavioral tendencies have speculated certain things which we can understand.
What the researchers know for sure is that purring involves respiratory elements like larynx, diaphragm and other structures of vocalization.
If you ask any cat owner as to why do cats purr most probably they will answer that their cats purr when they are content and happy.
And to a great extent that is definitely the case with domestic cats.
But you have to understand that domestic cats are not the only cats out there.
Kittens purr when they are suckling and Queens when they are nursing.
Cats that are happy tend to purr a lot and you can sense it if you put your hand on cats body you should be able to feel the cat’s healing vibration of purrs.
A purr may also be an indication that your cat wants you to continue doing what it wants you to do such as comforting, scratching or making you understand that it wants to be taken care of by you.
On the other side of spectrum cats who are sick and dying may also purr.
Meowing : The Most Common Sound Of Cat
Do I even need to explain what meowing is ?.
I’m just kidding of course I do.
I don’t know about other sounds but cat meowing is one of the most common cat sounds that everyone who is reading this post has always listened to.
And more often than not meowing is usually an indication from the cat telling you if she wants something from you.
When the cat meowing is directed towards the cat owners it means the cat is asking you to pet or feed her.
And when the same meowing is directed towards other cats, it can mean a variety of different things depending in on the situation.
It can be a curious meow, it can be angry one or it can even be a meow that is just saying Hi to the other cat.
And it can be decoded very easily looking at the body language of the cat.
Now what is more important to understand here is not just the sound of cat but also the intensity with which the meow is happening.
For example, in many cases older cats that have hearing loss meow quite louder than the adult cats that don’t have that problem.
In a similar sense, the frequency of a meow is also an indicator of the mind set the cat is in.
A longer meow may sometimes indicate sadness or annoyance towards something or somebody.
If your cat exudes any sound which is normal but is expressed at a frequency than what is used to.
Even if it is meowing, it may be an indication that your cat may need a visit to the vet.
In case of frequent meowing, she may have some kind of tooth or health related problem.
But if your cat is meowing in sense that has a deep soft touch to it, that means your cat is happy, healthy and playful.
Cat Yowling
Every cat owner has had their cats yowl at some point.
If you are not a cat owner you can be forgiven to think that the sound is coming from a human howling.
Because yowling is an intense scream that resembles a lot like a human scream.
In most cases, yowling is a preceding signal to a cat fight.
Yowling is often accompanied with hissing and growling which are all different forms of aggression in cats.
However these aren’t the only situations when cats yowl.
Yowling can sometimes happen sometimes due to territorial reasons. For example, a new cat wanting to explore the already marked territory of your cat can get a yowl slapped on her.
In some cases, a yowl may also be an indication of pain or discomfort.
Intermittent yowling followed by crying or whining are indications that your cat is not comfortable and needs to visit the vet.
Cat Chirping
Yup, cats do chirp.
But I doubt you aren’t already aware of that.
You see a few funny cat videos, and it will have one cat chirping away at birds from a window.
In any case, maybe you haven’t I don’t know. Then why not see one now.
You know what’s funny, nobody knows why cats chirp.
But again in all the glory of our ignorance, nobody can stop us from making an “educated” prediction.
Researchers and veterinarians say that chirping is an evolutionary memory stored in cat’s body that stimulates cat chirp to lure and hunt them.
Most cat owners report that their cats chirp sitting close to a window and staring at them.
But it is reported that some cats chirp when excited. In some cases, I have even heard that some cats chirp when they are in deep sleep.
If there is any other situation in which you have seen your cat chirp, comment below.
I would love to know more about it.
Cat Hissing
A cat hiss in simple words mean back off.
Situations that make cats hiss can be numerous. Cats can hiss at a possible intruder in their territory or to indicate annoyance.
A cat’s hiss sounds a lot like a snake’s hiss and is aptly named so.
The cat’s hiss is produced as a consequence of short burst of air and in most cases is accompanied by other signals that a cat exudes such as laid back ears and tendency to attack.
Hissing is a signal which indicates a cat’s aggression and it is very likely that the situation can accelerate very quickly if an intelligent action doesn’t happen.
With hissing what a cat is saying is that I am frightened or upset and you better watch out.
The subject of hissing can be anybody dogs, cats humans for anything that is not respecting a cat’s boundary and territory.
Cats Growling
Cats growl with a combination of hissing as pointed out in a previous section of the post.
Growling and hissing often happens when the cat is in a defensive or attacking mode.
You can call get growling as an intense hiss and most of the times when cats growls what they are saying is to leave them alone.
Sometimes it may also mean that the cat is under pain or is feeling tender.
One thing that every cat owner as a rule must understand is that all of these sounds when occurring occasionally in a subjective sense is okay.
But what is important here to understand that if any of these sounds occur in a frequency which is not natural or normal to your cat, it may be an indication that there may be something wrong with your cats health.
Cat Trilling : The Sound Of Cat That Says Hello
If you want to you classify this cat sound, you can refer to it in a relative sense as a shorter version of the standard meow.
And more often than not cats trill to SAY HELLO.
But in many cases a cat’s trill may also mean that your cat is is looking for your attention.
Trill is generally an expression of happiness.
After trilling if your cat starts to move away and then gives a look back to you it may be a sign that your cat wants to show you something.
In many cases after telling your cat may want to rub his head against you and me even raise her back to encourage you to pet her back.
But animals are quite cunning too.
She may relate this pattern knowing doing this can make you give her something she wants.
Food, care, attention or whatever floats her boat.
So beware SHE MAY JUST TRAIN YOU.
Whining or Crying
It may happen that sometimes you may hear your cat cry and this cry is very similar to do when dogs whine.
But in terms of frequency a cat cry is all over the place.
And a cat crying for whining invariably means that your cat is in distress.
In some cases, cat develop crying habits if they need something but that is very very rare.
Cat crying and may even happen when your cat is curiosity to explore surrounding gets her into some trouble.
The sound of cat that we discussed here are very common and you may have heard about them.
But if you showed the patience to see this post through, I have a very special segment just for patient people like you let’s look at some exotic sounds that pets make.
Cats Barking
Lol, I guess this is the first time you are hearing this.
Yes, to make your dog feel down cats are going to go to extremes beyond just slapping them.
That is the beauty of Internet it always slaps you with something that you have never seen before.
There are many more instances and videos on internet where cats appear to make a noise like a dog bark.
Researchers claim that this may be because of similarities between the feline and canine larynx and other such biological similarities.
Cats Bleating Like A Goat
Cats have immense talent. If they want something don’t be surprised if they start bleating like a goat.
Just because one day you were feeling kind and decided to feed a bleating goat.
Cat Talking
Oh no it doesn’t stop there.
Give her some love and she may even call you “Mom”.
But don’t think they only have this goody goody and loving side.
I recently came across this cat who starts summoning something if she doesn’t get what she wants.
Alright my babies, I hope you enjoyed this post on the sound of cats and what do they mean.
Once again, cats are wonderful creatures full of surprises, and if you have discovered what your cat’s sound mean go ahead comment that out below.
Or if your cat makes a sound you haven’t heard anywhere before share it with the community.
I may even edit this post to include it.
Take care of yourselves and your kitty and I will see you in the next one.
Bbye 🙂
Cats also purr when they are in pain. It is a soothing and calming mechanism that can help lower their blood pressure.
Absolutely. Thanks for commenting 🙂