Do Your Cats Talk, and Do You Talk Back?
one of the primary ways cats communicate is through body language, but they also express themselves vocally. and many cat’s vocal expressions go far beyond just “meow.”
Even though I have no scientific evidence, in my experience, when it concerns being talkative, tortoiseshell cats have many other cats beat. Buckley was one of the most vocal cats I’ve ever come across. She had a range of expression from an practically silent meow to a very loud, demanding cry that practically approached a scream. I often heard her meowing or chattering somewhere in the house. It was practically as if she felt compelled to offer a running commentary on her activities: “I think I’ll go in the bedroom now.” “Oh, maybe I’ll jump up on the window perch. That looks like fun.” “Oh, look! There’s a big blue bird by the feeder!” It seemed that her constant delight at everything in her life needed to be expressed out loud.
Amber, who really wasn’t a common tortie in a lot of other ways, wasn’t much of a talker, but she purred more than any other cat I have ever known. She purred if you so much as looked at her.
Allegra’s has quite a varied range of expression. She makes a little “brrpp” chirping sound when she’s thrilled about a toy. Sometimes, she seems to use it for no reason that I can see, so I assume that she’s just particularly pleased best then. She also uses a pitiful sounding little whine when she sees me fix my meals in the kitchen. typically this is accompanied by her putting her paws on my legs, and she’ll only stop once I let her sniff whatever it is I’m making. because I’m vegetarian, many of the time, that sniff will result in a scrunched up face on her part and she’ll walk away.
Ruby has quite a sound repertoire as well. She squeaks. A lot. It’s a very pleased little sound that can range from low volume to incredibly high pitched and loud. She squeaks when I speak with her, she squeaks when I touch her, and she squeaks to announce her arrival in a room. She also makes this sweet little noise that’s somewhere between a squeak and a chirp when she first joins me after I’ve gone to bed. It’s like her “here I am, Mom, let’s snuggle” sound, and it makes my heart melt.
And of course, I talk back to them. I believe that talking to our cats is an essential part of the feline human bond, and even though they may in some cases display selective hearing, I do believe that they listen to us. I try to avoid using baby talk, but sometimes, they’re just so cute, I can’t help myself.
Do your cats talk, and do you talk back to them?
Ingrid King
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Tortie Talk: Are Tortoiseshell Cats much more Talkative Than other Cats?
Review: Let’s Talk about Cats: Conversations on Feline behavior
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51 comments on Do Your Cats Talk, and Do You Talk Back?
Pati says:
January 7, 2019 at 3:28 pm
My torti cat which I named “Calicat” is a really talker.
She “purrtalks”in question mark sounds…and she “squeak talks”..as well..and I talk back to her. Of course!!!
She is loving and affectionate…and will wrap her paws around you like a person and put her head near my forehead…My husband and I are completely smitten by her.
She is a gentle loving creature,,abd we’re thankful she found us.
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Nancy says:
September 13, 2017 at 6:16 pm
Our darling Morgan (rescued 10+ years ago) has always been verbal. This beautiful kitty sleeps on her back, is my kitty corsage at night and gently taps my shoulders and face with tentative meows night and day. She is given prompt attention for every effort.
Morgan has graciously taught endearing communications to other indoor kitties. Although some may view this behavior annoying, we treasure our moments of tender talk and touch
Morgan knows how to push our buttons.
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Michelle H says:
July 13, 2016 at 3:48 pm
Our mixed breed cat (mom supposedly pure Persian. Dad????). Talks constantly!! very conversational. He enters the kitty door yeowling about his day. He is very conversational, and expects a reaction from me! He talks and expects you to talk back. His tone changes when he is hungry, angry, upset, or really happy. I really feel as if we have a conversation in some cases ?
Any family getaway over for 5 days we put them in the car and bring it with us. He loves it as long as his family is here he is ok. He gets very lonely and talks to himself if we leave town without him. If we go somewhere and are unable to take him, we actually hire people to come in and speak with him!
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Ingrid says:
July 13, 2016 at 3:55 pm
Can I say how much I love that you hire people to come and speak with your cat, Michelle? That’s awesome!
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Chris says:
May 28, 2017 at 1:17 am
I have an orange tabby female that makes what seems like 100s of different sounds. like your cat, she seemsnullnull