Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: juliees on December 05, 2006, 12:28:35 PM
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Hi Everyone
We have 2 gorgeous 2 year olds, Marvin and Tammi. Tammi has never made a sound since we got them - she opens her mouth but no sound comes out. I can feel the vibration in her neck when she purrs but there isn't a sound. She is a very happy, healthy, playful cat and her brother does a lot of her talking for her!
I wonder if her voice box has never developed properly - has anyone ever heard of this?
Julie x
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I'm of the opinion that some cats are just more vocal than others; although as far as I can tell, when cats get older they get noisier! I really wouldn't worry too much unless your cat looks uncomfortable when doing its silent miaows. One of mine does it fairly regularly, but believe me, when he wants to make noise, he can!
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I know one cat - the quieter girl of a brother and sister pair - who virtually only ever makes a sound when they're playfighting if it all gets a bit much - and it's only a little squeak then. I think it might be fairly common - certainly there's nothing at all wrong with the cat I know. Perhaps her brother does all the talking for the 2 of them so she feels no need?
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She maybe is making a sound but it's beyond the range which humans can hear. Jaffa sometimes does the silent miaow thing except it's not totally silent - he makes a very slight raspy sound in his throat! I'd be grateful she doesn't make a noise tbh - Mosi sometimes makes rather more noise than I'd like if he thinks I'm not listening.
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Hi and Welcome to Purrs
As other have said this is more common than you would think ... too be honest there are times when I wish my little lad also had a silent miaow ... he's an Abysinnian and doesn't understand the term quiet! He is VERY VOCAL!! of course I love him dearly and would miss his shouting if it wasn't around.
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Hi Juliees
I wouldn't worry about Tammi being the silent type, my cat has never been able to meow either (have had her since she was a kitten). The only annoying thing is that she can't wake me up by meowing so she attacks my head with her paws instead! It's odd how you can't hear Tammi purring though as Tiggy has quite possibly the loudest purr ever to compensate for her lack of voice, she still does the mouth opening but all that comes out is a little gasp of air sometimes if she is really desperate for me to notice her.