How cats and cats meow: how kittens and adult animals try to talk to a person and how to recognize what a pet wants to say

Cats

By making certain sounds, animals want to tell you some information about their desires. One of the main reasons why you hear a cat meowing is because it wants to get its owner's attention. But these are not all the reasons why pets make certain sounds. Sometimes, a cat's meow speaks of her desires, sometimes of worries and fears, and in some cases it can indicate a disease. Therefore, it is important to figure it out in time and understand what the cat’s meow “tells” you.

Why does a cat constantly meow?

Cats meow for a variety of reasons, including the following:

Disease. The first step is to conduct a thorough examination by a veterinarian. Many medical conditions can make your cat hungry, thirsty, or in pain, all of which can lead to prolonged meowing. Older cats may suffer from constant pain or chronic illness, which can also lead to meowing.
Hunger. Some cats meow every time they are waiting for food in the kitchen. And many cats become very loud when their feeding time approaches. If you have a similar problem, then do not feed your cat when it meows. Wait until she calms down and then give her food. If this doesn't work, try using an automatic feeder that opens at a set time. This way your pussy will meow at the device and not at you.
Seeking attention. Cats don't like to be alone too much. Cats often meow to initiate play, affection, or just to “chat.” If you want to reduce this type of meowing, stop responding when it happens. Pay attention to her only when she becomes quiet. If she starts meowing again, turn away or walk away. However, don't ignore your pet. Spend time with her every day, play, caress and talk. A tired pet is a quiet pet.
Greetings. Many cats meow when their owners come home, or even when they just greet you in the house. This is a difficult habit to break and it is best to treat it as if your cat is happy to see you.
Loneliness. If your pet has spent too many hours alone and thinking about his beloved owner during the day, then you should think about possible ways to brighten up your cat's time. Leave your cat's favorite toys with food inside. Hang a bird feeder outside your window for her to look at.
Stress. Cats that are stressed often become more active. A new pet or baby, changes in the home, illness or the loss of a loved one can all cause a cat to meow. Try to understand what is causing your cat stress and try to help her adapt to the changes. If possible, give your cat extra attention to calm her down.
Old age. Cats, like humans, can suffer from dementia, or cognitive dysfunction, as they age. They may become disoriented and often meow for no reason, especially at night. A night light can sometimes help if a cat becomes disoriented at night. Veterinarians also often prescribe medications that successfully help combat such symptoms.
Instinct of reproduction. If your cat is not spayed or neutered, then you may hear a lot more noise. During the “rut,” females can sometimes even howl, and males howl back when they smell the female’s scent. Both females and males can sometimes drive them crazy with such howls. Spaying or neutering your pet will prevent this behavior.

Meow sound meaning

Meowing is the most common sound a cat makes.

Meowing is also a sound that cats use more directly to get their owners' attention. There is no simple translation to meow, the possibilities are very wide

However, from the pitch frequency and intensity of that sound, we can more or less interpret what the cat is trying to say. You should also notice your cat's body language, body language In addition to the sound released, these will work together to help understand what the cat is trying to say.

If your cat meows in the same pattern for a long time and sits or stands near the feeder, she will most likely ask for food to satisfy her hunger. If your cat meows near a door or window, he most likely wants to leave. If a cat meows and growls excessively with a tense posture, we can assume that the cat is stressed, feeling aggressive or angry. In addition, cats also produce a very specific meow in the heat.

What do cats want to tell us with their meows?

Owners with “experience” are able to clearly determine what a meowing cat wants to tell them. It has been scientifically proven that cats have their own language and it is not so difficult for humans to learn to understand it.

Let's try to determine what the cat wants.

The short “mur-meow” means greeting.
Loud “rattling” means a demand for food or your attention.
The short “pur-meow” signifies the cat’s impatience; a cat can make such short sounds when it sees unattainable prey or a treat.
A loud and clear meow at the top of your voice means a demand, call or complaint from the cat. The meow of a cat begging for food is similar in tone to a child's cry, so a person cannot refuse the cat's request.
Sometimes a cat lets out a “meow” as if casually, quietly, usually in these situations the cat simply cannot contain its emotions or indignation within itself.
The meow of kittens searching for their mother is characteristic; it is very plaintive, loud, long and shrill.
Cats “scream” when calling for a sexual partner, cats especially “try.”
A cat that is aggressive will hiss, snort and howl. The hiss of a cat means that it is better not to approach it, and the cat begins to howl during a fight.
Cats have perfectly adapted to life with people, with their meowing they “educate” us, accustoming us to a daily routine that is comfortable for a cat and fulfilling its desires, however, the meowing of cats makes us not alone; you can always talk to a talkative cat. It is noted that the more often a person responds to a cat’s meow, the more often the cat meows for no reason, simply communicating with a person. There is nothing bad about this, especially for lonely people, and it is very funny to watch; sometimes entire dialogues with the cat are conducted for 5-10 minutes and it seems that the cat understands you perfectly.
Not all cat breeds are talkative; some cats are silent; take these breed characteristics into account when getting a cat.

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Night conversations

Probably the most annoying cat ringtone is the cat's night meow. Breeders claim that their nocturnal activity is completely natural. Many pets, not being able to realize their hunting instinct, still try to feel like masters of the territory. They can run around the apartment, play, and, of course, scream loudly and make other “hunting” sounds. Then they prefer to sleep during the day.

And it is precisely at this time that the domestic “hunter” wants her owner to pay more attention to her. At night she is brave and resilient. She really wants to show these qualities to her breadwinner. You can calm a cat's meowing simply by petting your pet or answering it with kind words. Most often, if your cat's meowing is caused by a lack of daytime attention, after you answer her, she will become silent.

Another cause of cat meowing at night is stress. Moving or the appearance of a child in the family, i.e., any changes in the life of an animal, causes stress. When experiencing stress, the pet walks and meows pitifully at night, because then she experiences greater anxiety and an acute lack of attention.

The nightly meowing of a cat in the spring is also a common occurrence. Males attract females with their loud voices, and cats communicate their needs with long meows. Castration or sterilization usually helps to get rid of constant “talks” of this kind.

However, if the above reasons are not present, and your pet still constantly and restlessly turns on his night ringtone, and does not sleep well during the day, this may indicate that he is sick. In this case, the cat's meowing will be strange, it will be sounds such as yapping, wheezing and meowing with an intonation that is not typical for it. In this case, it is best to take your pet to the veterinarian.

Iridescent purring and squeaking

Sounds similar to the chirping of birds are acquired by kittens from early childhood.
This is a much more insistent demand than meowing. The mother cat uses them to let her kittens know that they should look at her or follow her. As an adult, the cat will squeak and purr loudly, forcing you to pay attention to something extremely important to her. Squeaks and iridescent purrs may also indicate that your cat is excited.

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Why doesn't my cat stop meowing?

A cat's excessive meowing is often caused by her learning that she can get what she wants through meowing. This can become a habit, and the cat begins to meow more and more often. This can be quite cute, however, if she starts meowing all night or drives you crazy during the day, then it's time to break this bad habit.

The first step should be to completely ignore her meow. Meowing is used by a cat to get what it wants, so don't give it to your cat when she's meowing (like food), but give it to her when she's being quiet. Likewise, give your cat lots of attention and affection when she is silent and ignore her when she meows.
Don't yell or scold your pet when he meows. If this cat behavior persists, then you may need to resort to a spray bottle: spray some water on the cat when it meows (although I personally don't like this method as it can scare some cats). This won't hurt the cats, but they will soon learn that meowing is followed by a shower, and this will stop the excessive meowing. This can be especially helpful for cats that meow all night for attention. Remember to cuddle and play with your cat before bed.
Some owners use the following trick: a cat can stop meowing if you blow on its face. Why don't you try this with your cat next time she meows? Will it work?

FIRST METHOD: MUSIC

Cats may not have an ear for music, but they can hear perfectly well. But they perceive music differently than we do. Scientists from the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, together with musicians from the Conservatory at the University of Maryland, experimentally found out what kind of music cats like (the full text of the study is here). In short: the frequency range of sounds and the tempo of the music should correspond to the sounds and tempo of natural communication of cats.

This very “natural communication” of cats can be different. They may scream, hiss, or beg for food. Or they can rumble, purr and even snore. It follows that music similar to hissing and screaming will excite them. And similar to rumbling and purring - calming. At the same time, young cats react to music more strongly than older ones.

Low-frequency vibration, rumbling sounds, chirping birds, chirping insects and a slowly flowing melody - this is the recipe for building music for cats. When you go to work, go to the veterinarian, or go on vacation and leave your cat with a friend, play music for him so that he doesn’t worry so much.

Where can I find music for cats? You can Google it, or you can turn on Internet radio and listen to it on endless repeat. Here are the most successful examples of cat music:

— David Thea’s famous album “Music for Cats,” which we already wrote about: listen here.

— nine (!) albums of music and relaxing sounds from “Cat Music” at once: listen here.

But remember that cats' musical tastes may vary. For example, one of our cats remained indifferent to the scientific approach of David Thea, but liked the simple new age from “Cat Music”.

How to punish a meowing cat

There are several ways to punish a noisy cat. The easiest, time-tested methods are to use water or sound to disrupt her train of thought.

Unexpected noise

For example, your cat stares at you and meows. Immediately and as carefully as possible, throw a metal can of coins in the cat's direction. Aim carefully to avoid hitting the cat. Of course, meowing is annoying, but this is not a crime for which you can take your life. When the can lands, the cat will be scared.

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After a few seconds of silence, call the cat over to you. Praise her and give her a treat. This way you will reward her for her silence and reassure her that everything is fine. In addition, this will demonstrate to her that you have nothing to do with that noisy object that seemed to fall from the sky - this just always happens with noisy cats.

Abstraction

Sometimes a strong offense is truly the best defense. Start some noisy game. When you see your cat getting ready to meow. The game will give her the mental and physical exercise she needs, and it will also force her to completely put all her problems out of her head.

Reward

After punishment, you should not only praise the cat, but also try to notice when it behaves quietly and reward it. This requires a keen eye and a patient nature, but timely rewards for quiet behavior can plant the seed in a cat's head.

It is not always easy to notice that a cat is being quiet and undemanding. If you're busy all day, it often happens that only the squeaky wheel gets the grease. But if you're already tired of this squeaky wheel, you'll have to encourage yourself to watch your cat closely and notice what's so easy to miss. Then you will reward the cat for normal behavior and wait for a miracle to happen and she will finally learn how to behave.

Education

The good news is that your cat is exceptionally smart. The bad news, too, is that your cat is exceptionally smart. She desperately wants to communicate with you, devoting a lot of time to this attempt. It will be great if you develop a vocabulary for communicating with each other. This is a great way to develop your cat's intelligence, as well as a basis for guiding her behavior in a more positive and desirable direction. Think of some tricks you would like to teach your cat and work on them. The great thing about training a cat is that it doesn't matter how long it takes: two days or two weeks.

Entertainment

There are special exercises for this purpose. Cats, especially the most energetic ones, tend to exercise on their own. However, this is not always the type of exercise that is desired. So, to prevent unwanted behavior and release pent-up tension, roll some table tennis balls around on the floor and have some fun with your cat. Divide her toys into three groups and introduce a new set of toys every few days. Pay special attention to playing with your cat for at least fifteen minutes in the morning and evening.

Friendship

Two cats will entertain each other themselves. Two kittens raised together become practically inseparable. A kitten raised with a sibling is less likely to develop into a demanding cat than one raised alone.

Reconciliation

If you bought a Siamese or Abyssinian cat, don't complain that it's so energetic. It's like complaining that a Ferrari drives too fast. If you don't want to have a fast car, then don't buy one that is designed for high speed. If you don't want a cat that needs and demands full integration into your life, don't buy a cat from a breed that has become famous for doing just that.

Rules

A cat has an inherent concept of boundaries. These boundaries just need to be presented in a way that makes sense to her. If you simply tell your cat that she shouldn't go somewhere just because you'll be happy if she doesn't, it won't work. You will have to come up with some more compelling reason. It will be much more effective if you make the area look dangerous for the cat. You can make the area seem dangerous by setting traps there or punishing your cat whenever she goes there. If your cat bothers you while you're snacking in front of the TV, don't let her get on the couch at that time. Command her to “Get out!” and use a spray of water or air, or a loud sound, to punish her every time she disobeys. As soon as she jumps off the couch, praise her. If you are inconsistent in this, you will create an even more terrible monster than you had before. So once you have taken a position, stick to it! Don't start chatting in vain.

What sounds does it make?

The most popular is purring

By purring, the cat expresses love or requests to the owner, for example, to play with him.

Most people believe that purring indicates bliss, complete satisfaction and pleasure in the cat.

Experts who study cat behavior designate such a behavioral sign as a norm, signaling love for the owner or a person who shows attention and affection to the animal. In certain situations, cats turn to the owner in this way asking for food, drink, or for the purpose of playing together.

Meowing as a way to communicate with the owner

This soft and insinuating cat sound is known to every person, as it basically signals a request. The animal seems to want to say: “Open the door,” “Give me something to eat,” or something like that. When a cat meows not only during the day, but also at night, there is no need to punish it, you just need to take a spray bottle of water and spray it on the animal. There is another option, which is recommended by owners of restless pets: blow on the cat’s face and it will stop meowing. The effectiveness of this method is tested and helps in individual cases. There are situations when frequent and incessant meowing means that something is causing severe pain to the animal or causing significant anxiety.

If the cat howls

A cat's howl is reminiscent of human screams and screams. If two cats turn out to be hostile towards each other, their fur stands on end, they begin to hiss and growl, then howl, which foreshadows the imminent start of a fight. When a pet (especially a cat) is alone in an apartment or house and howls, this indicates the beginning of the “mating” period. At this time, heart-rending sounds heard from the animal should not alarm you.

Cat hissing

If a pet, hunched over, makes hissing sounds, then this means that it is aggressive.

Sometimes the sound is compared to the hiss of a snake, it looks so menacing. Sometimes, having heard something like this, you want to walk away, since a cat is not always aggressive towards a relative or a dog; aggression is often directed at a person. Hissing is converted into such a sound due to the continuous flow of air exhaled from the mouth. At the same time, the cat stands hunched over, its back is tense, its fur is raised. A clearly expressed signal is sent to the enemy, and if you ignore it, you can fall into sharp claws.

When is the squeak heard?

Kittens make a similar sound when they want to attract the attention of their mother cat, when they feel thirsty or hungry, when they are freezing, or in times of danger. When the baby gets what he wants, he calms down and behaves quietly

A kitten may also squeak due to internal colic; this often occurs due to worm parasitism in the intestines.

A kitten may also squeak due to internal colic, which often occurs due to parasitic worms in the intestines.

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Squealing or chattering

A sound reminiscent of a bird chirping. This can often be heard when a domestic cat sits on the windowsill and watches pigeons or sparrows outside the window. At the same time, the cat tries to imitate birds, chirping in response

This sound feature is associated with an inheritance received from a wild cat, which chirped while hunting feathered game and, in this way, attracting its attention

Ambiguous growl

Two cases when a cat may growl:

Irritation and dissatisfaction. A menacing sound indicates unpleasant actions on the part of a person or another animal. The growl is a warning signal of a possible attack.
Illness or injury. If the owner, touching a certain area of the body, hears a dull growl, the animal should be taken to the veterinarian. Often such a sound means that the cat is in pain and, thus, “tells” the owner about it.

Wild screams

A cat or she-cat making such sounds is experiencing the “mating” season and is looking for a partner to mate with. The pet is tossing around the apartment, grumbling, howling, and meowing pitifully. The owner should spay or neuter the furry cat if there are no plans to use the pet to produce offspring. Street cats organize concerts day and night. They especially often sort things out at dawn, when people are sleeping. In this case, you have to close the windows and endure in silence.

What not to do

Don't ignore your pet without making sure it doesn't have a problem. However, sometimes cats meow for a good reason, such as when they can't get to their litter box or when their water bowl is empty. Check if there is any problem when the cat meows, and then you can safely ignore it if everything is fine.
Don't punish your cat for meowing. Yelling, physically touching, or spraying water on your cat will rarely calm the meowing in the long term, but all of these actions can develop distrust or even dislike of you.
Do not give up. If your cat is used to getting what she gets through meowing, she will meow louder and longer when this stops working. In other words, the behavior is likely to get worse before it gets better. Just reinforce quiet behavior and ignore the meows, and eventually your cat will understand.

Hiss

It’s simply impossible not to understand a cat when it hisses. “Don't come near! I’ll kill you!” - this is what the frightened little predator, ready to fight for his life, is trying to convey to you. The source of stress can be a large annoying dog or, even more likely, a small child. Often the cat does not just hiss, but arches his back, raises his fur and bares his fangs, demonstrating how dangerous he is. If your cat hisses, leave him alone and try to eliminate the source of irritation and threat.

Hissing is very individual. Each cat has its own understanding of personal boundaries and comfort zone. Some friendly and sociable cats almost never hiss, while there are also withdrawn, shy and even socially phobic cats who almost always drive away sources of irritation from themselves by hissing. Cats that are most likely to hiss are those that were once either rejected by a person, grew up in a shelter, or were abused.

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Prevention

Experienced breeders and veterinarians recommend that owners take the following preventive measures:

Keeping your pet in a clean and ventilated area. Regular wet cleaning, the use of air humidifiers, and the absence of tobacco smoke reduce the risk of developing a reflex cough in pets.

Prevention of hypothermia - keep in a warm room, without drafts.

Regular treatment of the animal against helminths. Excluding raw meat and fish from your pet’s diet.

Vaccination against viral infections such as rhinotracheitis, calcivirosis, etc.

Strengthening the pet's immunity: feeding with nutritious food, vitamin and mineral prophylaxis.

The owner of a furry couch potato should not ignore a cough. The cause of the reflex act can be serious diseases of the upper respiratory tract, lungs and even the heart. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate your pet. The effectiveness of treatment directly depends on correct and timely diagnosis.

What are the varieties?

Devices for repelling cats are indoor, portable (hand-held) and stationary, which are installed on the facade of the house. The devices are powered via an adapter or batteries. There are models with a motion sensor that automatically detect the presence of cats in the area. The most common models are:

Manual. These include NY-0027 with a laser beam or Ximeite, which produces sounds that are unpleasant to the animal's ear. They do not cause pain and are harmless.
Rooms. The JF-0902 electronic device can scare a cat. It operates in a range of 9 m. It has an infrared sensor, thanks to which an ultrasonic frequency is triggered, which animals do not like. It works for no more than 10 seconds.
Street. These include EcoSniper, Citytek Pegasus, LS-937CD. Such repellent devices are designed for a large local area and are mounted on the wall. There is also a Garden Protector device, which runs on solar panels and is installed on the ground. Scares cats, dogs, moles, and is unpleasant for mice.

Repellers at home

If scary sounds at high frequencies frighten your cat, and you are afraid to use chemicals, you can make a cat repeller with your own hands. You can use natural remedies against an unruly pet - juice or peel of citrus fruits (orange, grapefruit), rosemary, cinnamon, garlic, onion. It should be remembered that animals have a powerful sense of smell, so the odors affecting the animal’s nose should be moderate. It is recommended to dilute the juice or seasoning with water and sprinkle it where the pet is not supposed to be. A cat frightened by the smell will be weaned off. There is also an Android app that produces ultrasound that only cats can hear.