Silent Meowing
Cat behaviour has always fascinated me and how many cat owners although devoted to these graceful, aloof creatures understand very little about what their little friend is trying to say to them. They have many intriguing behaviours and the silent meow is perhaps one of the most lest understood. There is a lovely quote by Lewis Carroll about cats and the mystery surrounding their language.
He wrote:
”It is a very inconvenient habit of kittens that whatever you say to them, they always purr. If they would only purr for ‘yes’ and mew for ‘no’, or any rule of that sort, so that one could keep up a conversation! But how can one deal with a person if they always say the same thing?”
In the cat world cats communicate with each other beautifully through subtle body language and catty speak. They can assess each other’s mood with a glance and without making a peep they can communicate. The swish of a tail, posture, the move of the eye and even scents are all cat signals. It is rare to see a cat meowing at another feline.
However in their attempts and obvious frustration to get through to their befuddled human owners cats have developed a whole range of mewing, meowing and chirruping. The tone, pitch and volume level can differ to mean various things. Here’s a quick guide to cat speak:
Meowing – according to the pitch this can be calling for attention, it may be making an enquiry like ‘Where’s my tea?’ or just simply conversational
Low pitched growl – generally this is a warning growl to someone to back off! My cat uses it a lot around my shih tzu puppy, usually just before he boxes the dog on the nose!
Warble – this is often a display of affection
Trill – this sing-songy trilling can be affection or even enquiry. Mother cats will use trilling to summon their kitten close to them.
Low pitched meow with purring – this can signal pain, distress, fear or discomfort. Tikka makes this noise when I put him in the car – he hates traveling!
Purring – this is the famous, well loved noise of happiness, contentment, comfort and security. But beware! Confusingly a cat may also purr if he’s in pain.
Howl – again depending on pitch this can denote pain, fear, stress and even sadness
And finally that curious silent meow – this denotes affection and a very un-catlike emotion – gratitude! So if your get a cherished silent meow cherish it!
Some things I've noticed
| Jam Packed Boxes |
| choose world translations ltd for Notarized Translation |