New kitten won't make noise??

[catthecatlover]

We just got a 7-week old male kitten and he's gotten accustomed to us and he's very playful, but he's very quiet. The most I've heard from him is a tiny mew when he was in his cat carrier. He purrs and acts normal, but won't mew. Is it normal for kittens to be this quiet? 

 

[margd]

Some kittens and adult cats are very quiet while others may never shut up - it really depends on the kitten.   I have two quiet cats myself.   In the two years that I've had them, I've heard less than 15 meows each and even their purrs are barely audible.  Sometimes the only way I know they are purring is to touch their throats and feel the vibrations. 

Your kitten sounds like he is perfectly normal.  You may find that he becomes more talkative with age but there is no need to worry about him now just because he's quiet.   Believe me, we have some members who would be glad to trade with you when their cats start meowing in their ears at 3:00 am!  

 

[IndyJones]

I'm not sure where you got this kitten but I know when we used to have barn cats the kittens where quiet. I was told this is so they aren't ambushed by a predator.

 

[jcat]

He's extremely young to be separated from his mother and littermates. Normally kittens aren't adopted out till they're 12 - 16 weeks old, so he's missing out on feline socialization.

That said, cats don't meow to communicate with each other, but they do learn to do it to interact with humans. Some turn into real chatterboxes. He's so young it's impossible to predict how vocal he'll become. Our Mogli didn't find his voice till he was over a year old - he came to us at 9 months of age and would only give a "silent mew" when he was hungry. His predecessor came to us at 10 weeks and was one of those cats that never shut up.

It's really nothing to worry about.

 

[catthecatlover]

Ok! We got him off of a Craigslist add, I think the owners were moving and had no choice but to sell the kittens. There were seven I think. We already have an older cat and they're getting along (if avoiding each other counts)

 

[Geoffrey]

Sukie doesn't meow, she squeaks!  She is now in her early 3rd year but my wife told me that last night, while I was asleep, Sukie was unbearable, running around the bedroom, so she was put out.  She then actually meowed so loudly (and so pathetically) that she was allowed back in - and she settled down on the bed and purred herself to sleep.

This was the first time that she had ever spoken in proper cat speak....

With all regards,

Geoffrey

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