Kitten "Chirping" when excited?

[bigperm20]

My 7 month old kitten has been making a strange noise for the past couple of months. It's only when she is excited after I've just pulled out her favorite string toy. It's like a Chirp or a Trill, but to be honest I've looked up videos of what those cat sounds sound like and it's like niether. I did have a good video of her doing it including close-ups of this wierd motion she makes with her jaw but I have either erased, or lost it.  Please see the linked video as it's the only one I found on YouTube that matches Beans behavior 100%. She even looks a little like this cat only she's a kitten and has long hair.

I am including a picture of her for those who skim paragraphs so maybe I won't have to explain time and time again that it's NOT HER in the video

IMAG1110.jpg

• bigperm20
• Dec 15, 2012

Here is the video of the cat I found on YouTube:

 

[mrblanche]

That's called "chattering," and it's pretty common when a cat is excited.

 

[aeevr]

pretty common.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/247125/weird-noise

 

[bigperm20]

I had never heard that sound before and I've owned cats my whole life. But if you say so... Maybe my previous 8 cats were just wierd.

 

[aeevr]

I don't know the numbers, but if like 15% of cats engage in this behavior (that's billions of cats worldwide) I think I can use the word "common".

I would not say the majority of cats I have encountered engage in this behavior, and the ones I have seen display this behavior would not do it under the same circumstances and most were young.

My experience is comprises a super low statistic sample here - I've only ever lived with 8 cats over the course of my lifetime and 1/2 those were my roomates' cats.

I think I have seen 3/8 display this behavior.

 

[smitten4kittens]

Only one of the cats I've had does this. He only does it with one toy. Hartz mice. He clicks at it while he's hunting it. It's cute. He did it more as a kitten though.

 

[bigperm20]

I mentioned before that Beans does this when she's chasing a string toy. This particular toy has a Hartz mouse duck taped to the end of the string.

My cat's are so rough on toys that I end up having to "engineer" make-shift toys out of spare parts. This one in particular drives her wild. I think it's the catnip in the mouse :-)

 

[melalpha]

Ha, I love that sound! One of my cats used to do that whenever I came home, or made him wait before I threw his ball.

 

[orientalslave]

About half of the cats I've had have done this.  The funniest was one of my first two cats threatening an RAF fighter jet as it flew low up the Great Glen and he perched on the back of the sofa watching it out of the window!

 

[gemlady]

Ari does this while birdwatching.

 

[redvelvetone]

My current cat does not do this, but past kitties have done it (usually if they saw a bird or a bug)

 

[catspaw66]

Mine do it when there is a squirrel or blue jay teasing them on the back porch.  Or any bird they see through the windows.

 

[txcatmom]

Oh, I love the chattering.  All four of my cats do it when they get really into their bird watching.

 

[mac25]

haha thats so crazy! My kitten was making weird noises out the window too, it was a kind of 'barking' I've never heard cats do all these weird noises but then again, I've only been around dogs my whole life
 

 

[drbobcat]

It's not just excitement although some cat behaviorists think that extra adrenaline may lead to this chattering.  Scientists don't really understand why cats do this.  It seems to be related to hunting, frustration or just interest with prey (including toy mice!).  Cats in windows are often seen chattering at birds and squirrels.  One recent series of studies with wild cats suggests that this chattering is a cat's sneaky way of attracting through imitation birds or other small animals.  Cats are amazing mimics and could be trying to chirp like birds.  My experience has been that cats are pretty happy when they are chirping. 
 

 

[nurseangel]

Speck did this more when he was a kitten, but will still chatter sometimes if we shine a flashlight beam at the ceiling.  It is the cutest thing.

 

[sillysiberians]

My cats chirp at me when I sneeze.

 

[stephanietx]

Tumbles is our chirper here.  He does it while watching the birds and squirrels in the yard and also after my husband sneezes.  So cute!
 

 

[starehe]

My cat does this when she sees flies or birds outside. It's something to do with being happy, but I also heard it had to do with hunting?? I don't know but its normal

 

[pariscat]

My kittens make that noise too !! Sounds almost like a dove cooing or a hen.
I thought it was the sound they make when calling for each other.

LOVE your orange kitty !!