{"id":2669,"date":"2017-02-27T09:24:19","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T09:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/?page_id=2669"},"modified":"2024-01-08T08:07:22","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T08:07:22","slug":"how-to-decode-your-cats-meows","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/caring-for-your-pet\/training-behaviour\/how-to-decode-your-cats-meows\/","title":{"rendered":"How to decode your cat\u2019s meows"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You\u2019ve probably heard before that adult cats don\u2019t meow to each other; it\u2019s a form of communication that they use specifically to communicate with humans<\/strong>. So when your cat meows, they\u2019re not trying to converse with the other cats in the neighbourhood \u2013 they\u2019re trying to tell you something.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, particularly if you\u2019re a new cat parent, it can be tricky to identify what each meow means. Like a newborn baby, it can be difficult to know at first what exactly they want when they\u2019re crying; \u201cIs this your hungry cry, or your tired cry?\u201d \u201cDo you want attention?\u201d \u201cAre you gassy????\u201d<\/p>\n

15 years of cat ownership has helped me create this guide and hopefully it\u2019ll help you understand what it is your cat is trying to tell you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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The \u201cPAT ME\u201d meow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with an easily recognisable one.<\/p>\n

In my experience, this sort of meow often accompanies the solicitation purr \u2013 that adorable, high-pitched, \u201cpat me, love me!\u201d purr<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When either of my two cats, Angel (13) and Meester (7), wants a pat, they\u2019ll meow in different registers, but the phrasing is basically the same.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re talking half purr, half meow and with these happy, purr-mixed meows, they\u2019re asking you to pat them<\/strong>, to shower them with love and attention, up until they inevitably tire of it and signal to you that they no longer require your attention.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/strong> Their eyes are sometimes half-closed when they use this meow as well, so keep an eye out for that and you\u2019ll know if this is the meow you\u2019re hearing.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

The \u201cFEED ME\u201d meow<\/strong><\/p>\n

The meow my cats use when they\u2019re begging for breakfast is not altogether different from their respective solicitation meows.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be able to differentiate this meow from the \u201cpat me\u201d meow because their eyes most likely won\u2019t be half closed<\/strong>, and the solicitation purr won\u2019t be quite as loud.<\/p>\n

Tip<\/strong>: Sometimes accompanied with jumping on kitchen counters and an excessive amount of rubbing up against legs and feet, so this should help you further differentiate between this meow and the \u201cpat me\u201d meow.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

The \u201cWHERE DID MY HUMAN\/S GO\u201d meow<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had different experiences with this meow.<\/p>\n

The first instance was when I was younger, and it would be 3am, and I\u2019d be fast asleep.<\/p>\n

And then suddenly I\u2019d hear, \u201cMoooow? MRAAowwww? MRAAAOWWW?????????\u201d<\/p>\n

I soon identified that this was the sound of my dear Angel vocalising her confusion as to where all her humans had disappeared. Not that she wanted cuddles or anything; she\u2019s never been the type to sit on you and beg for a pat, she was just wondering where everyone had gone.<\/p>\n

Meester, on the other hand, reserves this meow strictly for when \u2018his Bobby\u2019 (my older brother, and his favourite human) leaves the house. The instant he realises his Bobby is gone, he\u2019ll start up with this sound:<\/p>\n

\u201cMowwww. Mraaowww. MRAOWWWW. Mrowwwwwww. Mroowwwww.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a very loud, and a very pitiful, sound.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s basically a cry of loneliness; even though there\u2019ll almost always be another person home, it\u2019s his Bobby he wants. It\u2019s a cry for attention, even though they don\u2019t actually want attention.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/strong> If your cat makes this cry at 3am, or when someone leaves the house, just make some noise and reassure your furry friend that you are still home.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

The \u201cHELP ME\u201d meow<\/strong><\/p>\n

One fine day, I discovered Meester had jumped into one of our outside bins, and of course he couldn\u2019t get out. I heard a:<\/p>\n

\u201cMOOOOOOOW. Moooooow! Mooooooowww!\u201d<\/p>\n

A very high-pitched, pleading sort of sound.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This sound may be unfamiliar to you, as some cats have too much pride to ask for help, and would rather struggle in silence. Angel, for instance, once got her claw stuck in a jacket hanging off the back of my mother\u2019s bedroom door, and rather than cry for help, she just went to sleep there, with her paw still stuck in the jacket, front leg in the air.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/strong> Don\u2019t laugh at your cat when they get themselves in these precarious situations, no matter how hilarious!<\/strong>\u00a0Their feelings will be hurt, and cats are known to hold grudges<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

The \u201cLET ME IN\u201d meow<\/strong><\/p>\n

A very disgruntled meow, with a little bit of the \u201chelp me\u201d meow mixed in<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMOWWWWWWWWWWW. MOOOOOOWWWWW.\u201d<\/p>\n

*scratch scratch scratch scratch, bang bang bang\u201d<\/p>\n

\nTip:<\/strong> Often accompanies a scratching or a banging on the door they wish you to open for them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve probably heard before that adult cats don\u2019t meow to each other; it\u2019s a form of communication that they use specifically to communicate with humans. So when your cat meows, they\u2019re not trying to converse with the other cats in the neighbourhood \u2013 they\u2019re trying to tell you something. Sometimes, particularly if you\u2019re a new … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “How to decode your cat\u2019s meows”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2673,"parent":2003,"menu_order":258,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"sub-sub-details-page.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2669"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4351,"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2669\/revisions\/4351"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2003"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zookie.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}