What is Kitty Trying to Tell You?

By Allison Ford, DivineCaroline

I can barely stumble out of bed in the morning before my cat tries to strike up a conversation. As she goes through her busy day, she tells me when she’s ready to eat, when she wants to play, and if she’s in another room and sees a bug, she demands that I come vanquish it immediately. She doesn’t speak English, of course, but she’s trained me to correctly interpret every little sound she makes, from the meekest “meep” to the mightiest “MROW!”

Talk Kitty to Me
When cats communicate with each other, they do so almost silently. Felines mostly communicate through smell and body language, rarely having to raise their voices. Cats leave scent markers to tell other cats about their sex, their reproductive status, and their health, and when communicating face to face, they rely on a complex system of postures and body language to let each other know how they’re feeling. Cats are experts at communication, so with the exception of hisses and growls, most cat-to-cat interactions are wordless. When the humans enter the room, however, suddenly everyone’s got something to say. That’s because many of the vocalizations cats make are expressly for human benefit.

Cats start meowing when they’re kittens, in order to get their mother’s attention and food, and the most vocal babies are the ones who get the most of each. Domestic cats never grow out of this juvenile vocalization, because they’ve learned that it’s a pretty effective way to get what they want from people. It’s almost as if domestic cats think of us as mother figures, and they’re not afraid to let us know when they’re hungry, angry, or want some affection.

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Read more: Behavior & Communication, Cats, Pets

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Taylor R.

8:52PM PDT on Apr 24, 2012

Fantastic article! Now I don't feel so weird about my "kitty voice." And I pay more attention to my kitty's squeaks and chirps now. Thank you for sharing!

send a green star

Grainne O.

6:31AM PDT on Apr 23, 2012

So true!

Sheila S.

5:08PM PDT on Mar 31, 2012

I agree - a delightful article! When a stray showed up in my yard a few years ago, I began taking food out to him in the mornings. Sometimes he wasn't there and I hated to just leave the food to attract flies or other cats. So I started meowing from my front door. When he was there, he'd answer back and then I took him breakfast. If I didn't get a response, I'd try again later. It became our routine - until he finally moved in!

Pat W.

10:44PM PDT on Mar 28, 2012

My cat is very verbose!

Dale O.

10:45PM PDT on Mar 26, 2012

Delightful article and purrfectly written-just love when my cat talks to me but over the years she has learned to Bellow when it comes to food she sounds as if she is in agonizing pain and wails like a banshee if wanting food-she is fed a certain amount purr day - or she will gain too much weight--so she can bellow all she wants--after her healthy amount--kitchen is closed!

Ans W.

1:02PM PDT on Mar 26, 2012

My cat is always very friendly when we see eachother when one of us was out for 20 minutes. He comes to me saying hiiiiiiiiiiii. Ofcourse I respond hiiiiiiiiiiiiii. hiiiiiiiiiii. hiiiiiiiiiii. goes on for a while. Really love that little rascal

Elvina A.

1:21PM PST on Dec 15, 2011

It's very interesting to look at cats just for the reason the article speaks about, they always communicate and love to show their personality!

Ria T.

4:54PM PDT on Sep 30, 2011

Lovely! I thought my kitty was feral at first. She yowled "Ah Wah" whenever I fed the ferals. But, how quickly she became friendly and talkative told me she didn't like her previous home. At first she was timid and skittish. Now she "talks me under the table." My dear friend thought I was forgetting to feed her when my husband was in the hospital, hearing her talk up a storm. She refuses laps, period, but likes to sleep on me draped precisely over my popliteal at night. Ah Wah means bubbles in Japanese and she loves me to sing "Pretty Bubbles" alternating her English and Japanese name.s

Penelopa T.

5:48AM PDT on Sep 30, 2011

I just read some comments and...I love them. I am happy that people - cats' owners or better "cats the owners" - knows and enjoy their felines.
We - my husband and I - are talking daily with our owners - 6 cats and 7 tom-cats