Cat Struggles To Meow?

[Mama to the crew]

Ok i have 8 cat 7 of those cat have proven they can meow really good some might be softer then the others but they meow. However my ace my little phoniex dosen't meow he can make all sorts of other sounds and they come out very clear but the one time ive heard him try to meow it was cropy and very horse and strained like someone talking with a very bad sore throat.

My question is can a cat not be able to meow? Yet still make clear sounds?

 

[Grey_Tuxedo]

How old is he? Does he really seem to be "struggling" or are they just wrong sounding sounds? I've known juvenile cats that would try to meow and I'd think "what the hell was that?!" The one that I'm thinking of the most actually wound up getting much better at it after a while (like, a long while). Kittens meow (mew?) for their moms, but for older cats that haven't had much use for it, it might be a learning process. Maybe by encouraging more meowing he'll get better at it?

 

[Mama to the crew]

He is roughly or best guessed at to be 16 months old in july. He a rescue and just really coming out of his shell the last few months. I know all his warning sounds like growling and the like maybe not hissing? Ive heard his distressed cries and his happy play thrilling sounds. Now two of his sisters (one litter mate and one little sister) have soft meows and the baby tends toward bird sounds vers meowing but she can meow. The time i heard him try to meow was toward his mama (he a very big mama boy) but it sounded very forced and coughy? I guess. Sorta like how a car motor sounds when it can't start you hear the harsh sputter as it tries. He was six months old when they came here and yeah it took them all a week or so to really switch to meowing. Ace and Andi are my silent kitties rarly making a peep just watching everything that gose on around them.

 

[Grey_Tuxedo]

There is a good chance he just doesn't know how to talk to people yet. I don't know if the type of sound you are describing (nice description, btw) could be cause for alarm, but I do know that there are some alarming sounding meows that are totally "normal".

You might like to read this thread:
What Does Your Cat's Meow Sound Like?

One person describes their kitty's meow as being like a constipated lizard and there are also reports of cats that very rarely meow, too.

 

[Grey_Tuxedo]

actually, if you post your concerns in that thread ( What Does Your Cat's Meow Sound Like? ) you may get more replies because it is a popular one and many people are reading it

 

[Mama to the crew]

Ill check into it and may do that. I haven't been to worried aside from meowing issue his vocalizations have been very good. Just oh let say two weeks ago we got a couch and two chairs given to us and well only having 30 min notice and a storm comeing inorder to get it all in i flipped the two chairs over the couch and Ace had a blast finding all the hiding spots and giving exicted thrills as he exploded.

It could be that in the past year he never felt safe enough to learn to talk to us. Although he is the quite observant type come to think about it my midnight (rip girl) wasn't much for talking either and she was also mostly black wonder if its a black cat trait.

 

[Grey_Tuxedo]

Wow, sounds like an exciting crew! If it's not a black cat thing, maybe Phoenix just has a special Midnight trait.

 

[Mama to the crew]

You got that right lol ally is the sweetist and bossy cat with humans and a down right bully to the others.
Tailia my girl is both a ms. Priss meanie yet terrified and curious at the same time. We believe she was an inside cat tossed out for behavior. She a good girl just head strong who over stimulates very easy and seems to have two personalitys the sweet loving Talia and tasha that attacks without warning. She struggling to fit in because she just learning cat behavior.
Harley a big man who the bigest mother hen you'd ever see. He our lover who can get to pushy and ends up getting swiped at. He also our drama king.
Ace is one of our playful ones loves to box currently im trying to teach him left right 123 lol its going soso. He also very well mannered but takes after ally as a bully.
Andi is a little diva and sassy about it and love to play rough.
Ami is our talker and very gentle unless you get her going she love to explore there alway an adventure to be had lol
Sami is our trouble maker she acts all sweet but is usly the one who starting the brawl.
Sierra is our chilled cat well also on the hunt for anything loves the laser. When someone gets mean she just shrugs it off which i think annoys Sami as she has tried her hardest to bully her. See sierra is the youngest ans Sami didn't like losing that title and the fact sierra bigger now dosn't help at all.

Ive also got two dogs brady thinks he the cat whisper and wants to be buddies cat not so much. Ryder is my guy he just gose with the flow unless he thinks he needs to act like a top dog. He is also to smart for his own good.

 

[susanm9006]

It could not hurt to have his throat checked by your vet. One of my cats had frequent tonsilitus as a kitten and young adult and her only symptom was a hoarse meow.

 

[Hellenww]

A friend has Himalayans and their voice sound kind of like what you described. The first time I haerd it I asked if they were ok.

 

[Mama to the crew]

When he a bit more adjusted to handling he'll go he has only started to really allow petting this last week and when he was fixed he came back aggressive any progress that was made in the four days before was lost. They sais he was neted actually both he and Harley were. They never been neted before

 

[Mama to the crew]

There could be some long haired cats in their back ground but we really don't know

 

[Grey_Tuxedo]

If a hoarse sounding meow can be a sign of tonsillitis, it would be a good thing to get him checked out. Especially since he is a relatively recent rescue and you don't know if his meow sound has changed. Also, his possible exposure to bacteria is higher since he was out there in "the wild". If it is caught early or isn't severe, tonsillitis can be treated easily and inexpensively with antibiotics.

 

[mjhenn]

Our Girl Marcy was pretty timid when she first came home (8 months old) and never ever meowed. After about 2 months I started teaching her to speak before i placed her wet food on the floor. At that time her meow was very hoarse and was the only meow we had heard from her. It was actually quite pitiful. Now that she has more confidence in our apartment her meows are a little more robust. They are higher pitched than our boys but the only time it sounds horse is when its food time again. She seems to use that hoarse meow specifically when we are getting her wet food ready.

I'm sure as the others said, bringing him to the vet to rule out anything else is good but it may just be his meow as well.

 

[Mama to the crew]

When he first arrived almost a year ago now he was very sick with uri's at the time 4 of the six cats had them. Ace and his younger sisters struggled with it. We know now that herpies was ramp through that colony and that at least our oldest male Harley has it. Ally struggles with asthma and allergies im going to ask the vet if her wezzying could be caused by it. It took the kittens until 5 mo to truely knock it. Ace was treated for two and a half weeks before fully knocking if really stressed he'll flare up but be fine in a day or so. He has shown no signs of illness since and i watch him closely because until three weeks ago he seriously was untouchable. Unless he really sick i can't risk another set back with him just starting to really wanting attention. Im walking a fine line of allowing him to go at his own pace and his health after being traumatised at the clinic when he was fixed. Im talking he went from a cat who tolerated some handling once caught to not letting near him for anything just getting his monthly flea treatment was a huge hassle and stressful on use both. So while he will being to the vet at some point soon it can't be right now.

The other seven are very much meower when they want and lately because of Harley being given wet food and temptation for his meds (yes i brib my cat lol) the come running at the shack of a bag pop of a can and raddle of the hard food bucket. I've noticed Ace is mimicking the others at time so maybe he will learn from the others. I do know his baby sister has a soft meow and often coos like a dove so again it could just be in their blood line