Every cat parent has likely heard their precious bumblebaby meow for their attention, but what about some of the other noises you might’ve heard emanating from your kitty’s tuna chomper? (That’s what I call cat mouths, by the way. Tuna Chompers. It’s trademarked. Just kidding. But just give me credit if you use it, okay?) Maybe you’ve heard a surprising sound or two come from your kitty baby throughout your adventures as a cat parent. Well, chances are, that didn’t happen by accident! Cats are very deliberate when they choose to vocalize, and it’s your job as a parental unit to distinguish between a cat yowl and a meow.
For Your Ears Only
So, what IS a meow and what does it mean? Well, by now you may know that cats do not meow to communicate with other cats. In fact, they hardly vocalize at all amongst themselves, so whenever your cat is meowing, it’s most definitely meant for your ears, specifically. So pay attention! A humble “meow” could mean anything from “hey! I missed you!” to, “hey! It’s been 37 minutes since you paid attention to me!”, to “UM WHY AREN’T YOU FEEDING ME?” But how do you know which meow means what?
Well, cats have a very special bond with their owners, and amazingly enough, YOU are especially attuned to your cat’s mews and meows! That’s right! It’s like y’all have your own secret language, according to a study conducted in 2003 Kinda like how I know Marzipan is in need of attention when she looks me dead in the eye and says “listen lady, if you don’t get me my favorite ever Millenium Falcon-on-a-stick toy and play with me right this instant, then I am absolutely going to chew the arms off of your limited edition Sailor Moon figurine”, in kitty meow-language, of course. But, of course, I’m the only one who knows that, because we’ve got that crazy science-y kitty-human love bond going on. How neat is that? So when you hear your cat meowing, try tuning into their tiny little cat psyche to figure out what they’re saying. Just like humans, cats use different inflections in their “meows” to make their thoughts known. If you’ve got an especially Chatty Cathy on your hands, just kick back and listen while they tell you all about their day!
The Purr-fect Way To Say I Love You
Now onto the second most common kitty vocalization: The Purr. Maybe your cat is like my Marzipan, the crowned Miss Never Stops Purring For Anything over here, and sounds like a humming SUV at all times. Well, simply put, that means she likes, or needs your company! More independent cats will rarely get the Purr Motor a-runnin’, but if you’ve got a clingy feline companion like I do, you might be hard pressed to catch her NOT trying to seduce you with her purring siren song. But be astute, as sometimes a purring cat can mean he’s injured and needs your attention, so if your sweetpea isn’t big on purring and you hear him starting to rumble, double-check to make sure everything’s A-okay.
All The Live Long Day
Maybe you’ve seen that [hilarious], yet harrowing video of the “talking” cat. Yes, watching this fuzzy little babe is absolutely hysterical, but unfortunately, that’s exactly what he is – hysterical. Cats only make such guttural vocalizations when they are in extreme distress and feel very, very threatened. If you hear your can making these noises, check on them immediately! A cat will make these noises when they are exposed to something that they are very, VERY not cool with. That could mean a bath, a strange scent, or being introduced to a new pet that they are not yet familiar with, and trust me, it’s a very hard thing to have to listen to in person.
Chirping Is For The Birds
Alright guys, so check this out: this one time, I brought my sweet precious honey pie Lula with me to my parents’ house to give her a taste of that sweet country backwater air, and her favorite thing to do was sit by the window and watch the birds. Lula loves watching those birds. So I’m sitting there, vegetating with my cat by the window, and I hear Lula making these insane little chattery noises. Being the neurotic cat mother that I am, I’m all, “WHAT THE HECK! IS MY CAT DYING?” But nah guys, listen, it turns out that cats chirp for a number of weird, yet benign reasons – one of which is to actually mimic their prey. I kid you not! She was trying to chirp with the birds! Cats can also chirp out of excitement, or to communicate with their offspring and tell them to follow her wherever she goes. CATS, man. THEY ARE SO WEIRD, I LOVE IT.
And there you have it! Look at you, a full fledged kitty linguist! So now that you know what your cat is trying to tell you with all her little mews and chirps, why not get some coffee together and complain about everything in solidarity? You know, minus the coffee part for your cat, of course.
My cat does the chattering thing with birds too, except it’s weird, almost like he’s rambling to himself. Or providing a running commentary on what the birds are doing.
He also does this thing, like “BRRRRRUUUPPPP!!!” right before he expends energy.
But the funniest vocalization I’ve heard from him was when he was a kitten and was doing his rocket pack thing at night while I was trying to sleep. He was bolting back and forth across the room like a Looney Tunes character, BRRRRUUUPPP!!-ing the whole time, until he finally stopped, let out this hugely satisfied sigh, and collapsed on top of me, after which he promptly fell asleep.
TBH this is like, the cutest thing I’ve ever heard. BUBS FTW
My cat is a talker, when he falls asleep in another room and wakes with nobody around he goes room to room yelling what sounds like “hello” until I say I a. In here and he comes running.