Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: AliCat on June 22, 2009, 21:40:45 PM

Title: Meows!
Post by: AliCat on June 22, 2009, 21:40:45 PM
This may sound very odd, but my cats only meow when we can't see them (ie they are on the other side of a door), otherwise they are completely silent.

Is that normal??

Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Janeyk on June 22, 2009, 21:45:57 PM
Our Schui made loud yowling noises outside and never made a sound indoors, he just silent meowed everytime we passed him or he passed Byron, like little silent hellos  :Luv:
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Den on June 22, 2009, 21:49:47 PM
Would you like me to send you Memphis to make up for their silence ... he never shuts up!!  :doh:

Sorry I can't answer your question ...
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Rosella moggy on June 22, 2009, 21:50:57 PM
Does that mean you can't recognise who is meowing?  We have 6 and I can pretty well tell everyone's "voice" altho would be pushed atm to differentiate the 7 month old kittens  :-:

Have you tried moving up close and talking directly to them?  Oh dear perhaps it's me that's odd  :-[  I chat to them constantly and in the main they respond...even Billy Whiz on occasion.

As I understand it, cats don't talk to each other; only humans but only when they are spoken too.
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: AliCat on June 22, 2009, 22:03:35 PM
I talk to them all the time. They just look at me.  :scared:

Maybe I just have very odd cats!
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Kay and Penny on June 22, 2009, 22:09:00 PM
Trigger manages a tiny peep when I don't put his food down on the floor quick enough - and that's it

Tiffany chatters to me, but doesn't meouw - funnily enough she always does a lot of squeaking when she jumps down from somewhere - no idea why
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Mildred on June 22, 2009, 22:18:57 PM
I must have very noisy cats then - all six of mine are chatty and interactive!!
Meg and Nelson both answer back and are great to have a conversation or arguement with - Meg always has the last the word (or miaow)
The other four all miaow when they are after something or talking to each other. Also if they are looking for each other or us then they regularly call out.
All six brup as well.
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: AliCat on June 22, 2009, 22:21:12 PM
Tachi brups when he jumps off things or sees a fly, but Vader is just silent.

Maybe I should be happy that they aren't making a racket!

Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Sam (Fussy_Furball) on June 22, 2009, 22:42:16 PM
The only one that "talks" to me is Zephyr and that's only when he wants me to do something (open the door to let him out, open the door to let him in or open the fridge to get a treat out).

Cats only miaow at us thick humans cuz we are too stupid to understand the proper ways of communication - body language and scent.
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: moiramassey on June 26, 2009, 07:24:27 AM
Two of my cats also meow more when they can't see me.

Mitzi meows when she is shut away, which happens regularly beause she is always going into sheds, wardrobes, cupboards. That's a proper yell 'come and get me out'.

Blackie sits on the stairs and meows untril one of us goes to see what is wrong. She then looks smug.

Both Mitzi and Blackie have some Siamese in them (Mitzi is half Siamese) and are therefore prety vocal.

Mini rarely makes a sound, just a small mew when she realises she is going to get her favourite dinner.

Flynn is an Egyptian Mau and therefore has an wonderful repertoire of cute chirps and whistles, but he does not meow.

They all purr :).
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: LadyJane on June 26, 2009, 08:13:14 AM
Samson doesn't meow alot at all.  He has a 'I don't like this/put me down' meow, a 'I want to go outside' meow (he's not allowed to for another 2 weeks though!), a greeting chirrup and that's about it.  He must have to be in the mood to chirrup though as he doesn't do it everytime he greets us.

The loud, appreciative purr is enough for us :luv:
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: bunglycat on June 28, 2009, 14:27:37 PM
All my cats sound different and i can tell each one -even in bed in the dark !
Winston for a boy is high pitched and sound like he is saying "hello " , Sophie sounds like a sheep - "eh , eh " noises and quite continous -especially if you answer the same back  :rofl:
Bungle is quite vocal if she wants something -usually a door opening !
Smartie has a  quite quiet  meow most of the time like a "hrmpp" noise
FiFi is like a "am mow" noise
Same with the purring -can tell each one from that from the quiet to the loud .!!!  Maybe as i spend so much time with them .
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Janeyk on June 28, 2009, 14:33:57 PM
yeah, mine have all had their own voices  :evillaugh:  our first cat Penny said a-oww in answer to hello and you would swear blind she was trying to say it.  Squeaky did a brrrup (sort of chirruping) when he saw you or if he jumped down from something.  Smokey and Timmy didn't really speak tbh.  Schui just did silent meows (his mouth opened but nothing came out  :Luv2:) to everything us, Byron or anyone he passed even his own reflection I think  :rofl: but....outside every day he would patrol the garden perimeter and yowl really loudly, I think to try and scare off any intruders! and because he was tone deaf couldn't hear how odd it sounded and Byron she does really deep meows, quite odd actually for some sweet little thing you don't expect this deep meow  :evillaugh: she does it alot on a morning at about 5.30 and in her sleep sometimes if she's dreaming and it wakes her up - I think she's a bit disorientated with her age.
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: blackcat on June 28, 2009, 21:01:44 PM
Mine only meow to communicate with me. Mainly - 'let me in/out' depending on which side of the door they are on. Esther also has her kitten-call sound of 'I have food' and Smidgen has his kitten squeak of 'please, I'm only a small kitten how can you deprive me' which, coming out of a huge cat who must weigh at least 7 kg is quite funny. I have had some cats who never vocalise and some who never shut up. So I guess they are like people. Some like quiet times and to communicate non-verbally. Others talk your head in ...
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Judecat (Paula) on June 30, 2009, 00:00:54 AM
I have always had certain cats that 'talked' to me. Sammy always told me about her day, and what Barney had got up to! :naughty: Cassie talks and chirrups. Trouble just asks for food! Typical bloke! :rofl: They understand me, I just wish I could understand CAT! :-:
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Susanne (urbantigers) on June 30, 2009, 13:53:28 PM
Jaffa meows loudly and fequently.  He starts almost as soon as I look at him.  Mosi takes longer to get going and is an almost silent purrer (but if I rest my head on his chest I can feel the vibrations).
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: clarenmax on June 30, 2009, 14:07:57 PM
Max is a very vocal boy, he'll sit by the front door meowing when he hears me come in from work, always meows for his breakfast whilst weaving around my ankles, and will often meow to say hello when he jumps on on the bed in the morning if he's slept downstairs  :Luv:
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Leanne on June 30, 2009, 16:09:21 PM
Milo is fairly vocal but rarely hear a meow, he'll chipper away though and he has a very soft purr.

Jess is quite a silent boy, he'll whine when we pick him up for his tablets or to bring him in from the garden. He'll purr away on my lap though  :Luv2:
Title: Re: Meows!
Post by: Sheli_80 on June 30, 2009, 16:21:19 PM
I have quite chatty cats and can tell exactly who is it and what they want. Garf has a very drawn out meeeeeeee sound and will answer you if you talk to him sometimes, usually if he wants something. Baxter is a very chatty cat and chatters away all day esp if he wakes up alone and doesn't know where any of his buddies are. Basil has a really loud yeowl that is reserved for when he is shut in a room esp if he is separated from Baxter. Charley's is the cutest because when he arrived he couldn't miaow. He would open his mouth and nothing would come out- now he has a half squeak half miaow for when he being fed, he can get really loud if he thinks I'm going to feed one of the others first, or if I've just come in and he thinks I'm going to pet someone that isn't him first.