I have a young kitty, some variety of domestic shorthair tabby mix, who has yowled at me almost constantly since he came home with us in November.
If I were to go by tone alone, I feel like he is complaining of something, but not sure what it could be. He is SO talkative that even his photo at the shelter was taken mid-meow, and other than the constant vocalizing, he seems content and healthy. He is EXTREMELY affectionate, such that he purrs immediately upon being picked up by anyone, and if it is ME, then he will place his paws on my shoulders in an embrace and duck into my neck to lick me along with the purring. He will announce his entrance to any room or upon waking from a nap and be fairly consistent , perhaps giving you time to respond to each meow with a "hello!" or "how may I help you?" of your own before making a new demand of sorts which I cannot decode.
This is not unusual behavior as he has done this daily for the entire time we have had him, and we have just taken it as him just liking to speak and be the center of attention when it isn't addressed by feeding or door opening or some more obvious demand, but sometimes I wonder if I might be missing something wrong, just because he sounds so much like he is yelling at me about something. He was just doing this for about ten minutes and now he's just quietly laying next to me, seemingly relaxed as always. Other than all the noisy, he is really an unusually mellow beast, even not stressed by sharing space with the 110lb puppy mutt, having apparently fully forgiven him accidentally put a hole in his paw by playing too rough earlier this year. ( I REALLY got an earful during the six weeks he was confined and splinted, but it was more obvious that he was complaining of his confinement situation then.)
But the general rule is seemingly that if he is awake, he's got some commentary to share. He will often plop down on his side, stretched out or belly up, and is amazingly accepting of being treated like a dog who is inviting belly rubs when he does this. Is he just weirdly conversational or is this maybe something that could have been overlooked by a vet on all the times we've been back and forth? For a while we were going nearly 3 times a week when he insisted on kicking off his bandage every other day or so. Once she said he might have a slight heart murmur, but otherwise seems normal. Well, normal-ish, if having a cat who behaves this way is normal, but I find him unusually trusting and affectionate for a cat. Much more like a dog might be in that regard, but he doesn't seem to have any other odd issues in behavior besides being a bit verbose.
It's not problematic, but it is weird that I don't really know what all the talking is about half the time. We've kind of just put it down to he likes hearing himself chatter, and that the tone is just how his voice sounds. I can't imagine what he might be complaining of, as he doesn't seem to have any pain or anything. Could it be that he just wants to be the center of attention? It usually stops after several rounds of "dialogue" which leave me giving up on having the last word and then he will settle in nearby, perhaps after a good snuggle.
He is neutered, and about 9 months old, in a household with 2 dogs and another 10 month old kitten, oscar, whom he was initially aquired for keeping him company. sometimes I interpret his complaint as wondering where his brother is, when Oz is not immediately present. Oz is actually unusually silent for being a siamese-y type flame point. He only chirps inquisitively on occasion, but otherwise is pretty mum about everything.
Are there just some kitties who are exceptionally this chatty? What else could he be trying to say?
If I were to go by tone alone, I feel like he is complaining of something, but not sure what it could be. He is SO talkative that even his photo at the shelter was taken mid-meow, and other than the constant vocalizing, he seems content and healthy. He is EXTREMELY affectionate, such that he purrs immediately upon being picked up by anyone, and if it is ME, then he will place his paws on my shoulders in an embrace and duck into my neck to lick me along with the purring. He will announce his entrance to any room or upon waking from a nap and be fairly consistent , perhaps giving you time to respond to each meow with a "hello!" or "how may I help you?" of your own before making a new demand of sorts which I cannot decode.
This is not unusual behavior as he has done this daily for the entire time we have had him, and we have just taken it as him just liking to speak and be the center of attention when it isn't addressed by feeding or door opening or some more obvious demand, but sometimes I wonder if I might be missing something wrong, just because he sounds so much like he is yelling at me about something. He was just doing this for about ten minutes and now he's just quietly laying next to me, seemingly relaxed as always. Other than all the noisy, he is really an unusually mellow beast, even not stressed by sharing space with the 110lb puppy mutt, having apparently fully forgiven him accidentally put a hole in his paw by playing too rough earlier this year. ( I REALLY got an earful during the six weeks he was confined and splinted, but it was more obvious that he was complaining of his confinement situation then.)
But the general rule is seemingly that if he is awake, he's got some commentary to share. He will often plop down on his side, stretched out or belly up, and is amazingly accepting of being treated like a dog who is inviting belly rubs when he does this. Is he just weirdly conversational or is this maybe something that could have been overlooked by a vet on all the times we've been back and forth? For a while we were going nearly 3 times a week when he insisted on kicking off his bandage every other day or so. Once she said he might have a slight heart murmur, but otherwise seems normal. Well, normal-ish, if having a cat who behaves this way is normal, but I find him unusually trusting and affectionate for a cat. Much more like a dog might be in that regard, but he doesn't seem to have any other odd issues in behavior besides being a bit verbose.
It's not problematic, but it is weird that I don't really know what all the talking is about half the time. We've kind of just put it down to he likes hearing himself chatter, and that the tone is just how his voice sounds. I can't imagine what he might be complaining of, as he doesn't seem to have any pain or anything. Could it be that he just wants to be the center of attention? It usually stops after several rounds of "dialogue" which leave me giving up on having the last word and then he will settle in nearby, perhaps after a good snuggle.
He is neutered, and about 9 months old, in a household with 2 dogs and another 10 month old kitten, oscar, whom he was initially aquired for keeping him company. sometimes I interpret his complaint as wondering where his brother is, when Oz is not immediately present. Oz is actually unusually silent for being a siamese-y type flame point. He only chirps inquisitively on occasion, but otherwise is pretty mum about everything.
Are there just some kitties who are exceptionally this chatty? What else could he be trying to say?