My Kitten Can't Meow. Normal Or Not?

Purrific1996

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Hi everyone. I'm hoping someone can shed some light on my little ones situation.
I picked up my kitten today from the SPCA. They say she is about 9 weeks old. She is the size of a ruler (30cm) and her weight is 700grams (1.5 pounds). When she tries to meow, she opens her mouth but no sound comes out. Is this normal? Will it pass? Her purring on the other hand is very loud and she also suckles her blanket, not sure if this is normal either. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance
 

DreamerRose

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Cats do not communicate with each other by meowing, so it takes a while for them to learn. They notice humans communicate by talking, so they eventually begin to meow to "speak." Your kitten may not have completely learned to speak yet, so give her time. What she is doing is cute. My Lily was a grown cat when I got her, and it took some weeks for her to begin meowing. She is still guttural about it and sounds nothing like Mingo, who I can carry on conversations with.

Welcome to the Cat Site! This is a friendly site full of information on cats.
 

tabbytom

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:hellosmiley:Purrific1996, welcome to TCS!

Thank you for adopting this kitten and for giving her a warm and fur-ever loving home :clapcat:

Here are two articles for you to read regarding your questions and hope that it's helpful to you.
But if you are still concern on why your kitten meows without sound, best is to have her checked by vet for a professional advice to rule out any health problems.

cat-sounds-feline-vocal-communication.29677

the-silent-meow.22416

Do introduce yourself to the community here in : new-cats-on-the-block.20

See ya around :thumbsup:
 

susanm9006

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It probably is what others have suggested, too young or just not a meower. But just to be on the safe side mention it to your vet at the next visit. One of my cats had repeated bouts of tonsillitis as a kitten and her only symptom was that she wouldn’t meow or only made squeaky ones.
 

danteshuman

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:welcomesign:I doubt you have any reason to worry but ask your vet just in case.

One of my foster feral kittens was adorable with her near silence!:happycat: She rarely if ever meowed and her hisses sounded like a huff LMAO ..... I nick named her huff&puff :flail:.... and at 5 months we still call her that occasionally. She rarely meows at 5 months and you have to really annoy/hurt her for her to meow. Her two brothers? Big on the meowing.:dunno: Who knows. :dunno: We should remember that cats primary communication is body language ..... just like humans are vocal. Can you imagine being a small child adopted by a family that only speaks using sign language?!?!? Cats do a remarkable job communicating with their furless 'deaf' family members!

You can try meowing at her to encourage it.... but I think you should just accept it.... given all the threads about to much meowing!;)
 

Maria Bayote

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As advised by our TCS family members, better ask your vet. But some cats really are not that very vocal. Two of my adult cats do not meow at all, or at least, one tries to but very seldom and when he does his cute mouth only produces so little or no sound. My cats communicate so differently when hungry or when they need something: Bourbon thru a hard swat on my face; Barley thru a soft tap; Brandy and Pepsi (the vocalists) by their shrieks.
 

war&wisdom

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In response to your other question, yes, blanket sucking is normal (and, in my opinion, adorable), especially (but not exclusively) in bottle babies and kittens separated from their moms too early. It's a comfort thing, like a kid sucking their thumb. She may or may not grow out of it.
 

Genesis123

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Here's my opinion --

Have you ever walked in to a party (or gathering of some kind), seen someone you know, across the room, and mouthed the word "hi"? In doing so, you conveyed your message without making a sound. Cats, sometimes, do the same -- they mouth their message, believing they are getting it across.

Your cat may, or may not, get more vocal, depending on her need. (She may feel she's communicating without making noises. However, she might get quite vocal, at times.) I. personally, don't think it's abnormal, or an illness. I have cats that are quite vocal, but often, "mouth words". They still make their messages/feelings none.
 

lollie

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My cat did not make a sound until she was six months old. The vet said she just hadn’t found her voice yet. Like yours, she would make the meow motion, but nothing came out. I have since come to believe, from what I have read, that she actually was meowing. It said a kitten can meow at a high octave, out of our range of hearing, and they eventually learn to bring it down to get the required response.
 

Suru

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I just caught my cat trying to chirp the other day, it’s a new thing for him. he was doing the whole mouth movement thing, but no sound came out. It was quite funny to watch!
 

JazzyKitty

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My daughter got a kitten years ago that would do the same thing. When she became the only cat in the household, she became more confident and started to meow. Now she is VERY vocal! At times, though, she will still do the 'open mouth and no sound comes out' thing.
 
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