Most cats only meow to humans. © maxpixel.com
At Ministry of Cat, we will have 7 to 10 cats roaming around the cafe. After consulting with vets and cat experts, including our partners Animal Mama, we decided this is the ideal number of residents to have.
To help you understand what they are trying to communicate when they walk around the cafe meowing, purring, chirping, trilling and howling, we decided to write this post on common cat sounds.
Cats use a complex combination of vocalization, sign language and scent cues to express themselves and communicate with their humans and the world around them.
While they rely primarily on non-verbal cues (e.g. movement of the ears and tail, shape of the irises and scents), which we will address in a future post, they have a long list of sounds in their repertoire to convey everything from “why is this human petting me?” to “yay! food!”. These are some of the most common ones:
MEOWS:
First and foremost, you should know that adult cats do not meow to other cats. Meowing is used by mother cats to communicate with their kittens, which has led some researchers to conclude that they view us, humans, as their helpless, pitiful kittens.
In cat-human interactions, ‘meows’ don’t have a definite meaning. Context is everything, since ‘meow’ is sort of an all-purpose word. For example, when they meow outside your door at 5am, they are probably telling you it’s time to wake up (or so they think). If they throw a ‘meow’ at you as you pass them down the corridor, they might just be begging for a snack.
This little guy is probably just saying 'let me in!' © maxpixel.com
These are some of the most common types of meows:
Short meow: “Hey, what’s up?”
Multiple meows: “You’re back! Where you’ve been? I’m so happy to see you!”
Mid-pitch meow: They are asking you for something, perhaps they want food or they want to be let outside
Low-pitch mrrrrraaaow: “This sucks. You call this food? I wanna see you eat it!”
PURRS:
We are all familiar with the sweet, sweet sound that a cat makes when purring. Many find it as soothing as rain hitting the roof when you are snuggled up in bed. We associate purrs with happiness and content, and this is generally right. If your cat is purring as you pet them, they are probably very relaxed and happy.
However, cats have also been found to purr as a way to comfort themselves, perhaps because they are experiencing some discomfort or stress.
If your cat is purring he is probably comfortable and relaxed. © Adolfo Perez-Gascon
CHIRPS AND TRILLS:
These bird-like sounds are usually emitted by a mother when she wants her kittens to follow her. Aimed at you, they want you to follow them, probably to their food bowl. They may also be excited in an anxious sort of way, and trying to direct your attention to something that’s nagging them, like the huge rat that’s hiding in the cupboard!
Cats may chirp to attract people's attention. © Supplied
GROWLS AND HISSES:
Doesn’t take a genius to figure this one out. If your cat is growling or hissing, they are angry, annoyed, or aggressive, and totally against what you are doing. So stop it.
Back off human! © Supplied
YOWLS AND HOWLS:
This one sounds like a long, drawn-out meow. Eerie and troublesome, it indicates that something is wrong. Your cat is in distress, and you should follow the sound until you find them. They may be locked inside the closet, or perhaps stuck in a treeThis is also the sound an unneutered/unspayed cat makes when they are in heat. It is part of their mating rituals, so to speak.
CHATTERING, CHITTERING AND TWITTERING:
No, your cat is not crazy. He has simply spotted a sneaky squirrel. © Eric Walli
Does your cat ever stare out the window looking forlorn and miserable while muttering? Don’t worry. This is common feline behavior. They are probably looking at birds in the balcony or squirrels up in the trees (or rats in the telephone lines).
Some believe this noise signals frustration, but the most accepted theory is that it is a sort of “predatory excitement”, as they visualize sinking their teeth into that juicy, juicy squirrel.