Talking Cats?

[Michael Varn]

Now, I may be reading to deeply into this, but I had an indoor cat that lived for over 15 years.

And the only sounds any cat makes is when they are coughing up a hairball, hissing, and the standard meow-meow that you always expect.

However, I could not believe my ears when I heard what came out of this cat's mouth one time.

It sounded like the cat was trying to form words!

Now to be clear, the cat was not speaking plain English, It was a meow, but it just sounded different than usual.

I know that a cat's brain is different than that of a parrot, but I believe that indoor cat's are always trying to "figure out" their owners, and are simply trying to understand us and how we communicate.

 

[lucyrima]

You missed one sound that's common to any cat about to throw up - it's an exaggerated loud and deep meow (hard to describe) but loud and just precedes the act.

 

[Hellenww]

For the most part our cats had their own sounds for each specific demand and we learned them. I'd also say their vocabularies grew their whole life. There have been a few that copied us humans.

When we had Slippy our neighborhood was quiet enough for them to go out on their own. He said "oowt noow' the t part almost sounded like he was choking. He loved cheese off of pizza and made a hard deep E sound when we got pizza.

My parners name is Ellen and Yoshi always used 2 sylable with the correct rhythm when he wanted her. For me it's a quick sharp MA or Ma-MA-Ma-MA if I wasn't fast enough for him.

Sqeeker is 16yr and has never had any interest in copying humans. Until anout 3yrs ago he'd just stand in the middle of the floor and scream tha same sound for everything. He's finally making more sounds and leading us to what he wants.

 

[Alldara]

Our french cat says Mama a lot. It sounds a bit off from human yes. Our new cat has started coping this sound. Our English cat it sounds more like Mam.

We live in a bilingual area so the French one was raised by french rescue and foster family.

 

[lucyrima]

Coco Chanel would have approved

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, cats are capabIe of a wide range of meows. Hek is a very conversationaI cat, with both singIe and muItipIe "syllable" meows. She even has a recognizabIe "tone of voice." If she is unhappy, the meows have a minor key, very different from her ordinary sound. And she's been known to curse at me under her breath, a very Iow, "mrr-mph series of sounds, and she onIy does that when she is mad at me for saying "no" or don't do that." But then, it is just the two of us here, so I taIk with her constantIy. The more I've taIked, the more she has started vocaIizing back at me in response, and the more intricate those responses became.

 

[lucyrima]

Mamanyt - you remind me of 'us', just me and my cat, who doesn't have a huge vocabulary, but definitely wants me to purr with him at certain times (like after eating), but thinks when I do it spontaneously it means he's going to eat. And he's also a black DSH, 16, and purrfect, so good! Don't know if it's what you meant, but I was born in '43... if it matters .

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm not quite as Iong on the Earth as you, I was born in 1953, but I've noticed that as I get oIder, I vaIue conversations with animaIs more than I did in my younger years! And I believe that they respond in kind! If I were given my choice of "super powers," it woud be to be abIe to communicate with cats. Not aII animaIs, that wouId be overwheIming, but with cats!

 

[lucyrima]

I think you probably do it already, just don't realize it .

 

[Michael Varn]

This was our black cat named, "Midnight" that I am talking about here.

And you described what I heard perfectly.

It was a meow, but it was in multiple syllables like you said.

Now when a I heard this from Midnight, she was not in any distress.

She was not coughing or sneezing, she was simply sitting in the living room looking at us.

Are there any published links in this forum that attempt to explain how and why this happens since many of ypu have reported the same thing?

 

[Alldara]

Are there any published links in this forum that attempt to explain how and why this happens since many of ypu have reported the same thing?

Cat research itself is quite behind dog research. However, it has been noted that cats have different accents depending on where they grow up.

This is because meows (not all vocalizations but meows) are believed to be something cats developed to speak to humans. (I'm not sure about this belief, as I note cats who are separated from other cats at 6-8weeks and live as solo cats have less vocal range, typically.)

Cats are intelligent. They note we make different sounds and it means different things. Just as dogs can understand what different sounds we make mean.

They develop their own different sounds to mean different things. If we react to it, then they have conditioned us that x sound means x.

Animals are always communicating. The AAC 'studies' also comment on how important it is to understand your pet's non-button communication and not to fully rely on button communication. I think it's made more people aware, as AAC with pets becomes popular, that pets are communicating.

But they've always been doing it.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

This is because meows (not all vocalizations but meows) are believed to be something cats developed to speak to humans. (I'm not sure about this belief, as I note cats who are separated from other cats at 6-8weeks and live as solo cats have less vocal range, typically.)

I have seen this information, as weII, and have some questions about it, as feraI cat mothers definiteIy vocaIize to their kittens. I know that some NA tribes taught their very young chiIdren to be siIent and communicate in other ways so as not to give away the Iocation of a band on the move. Do cats do the same?

 

[Alldara]

I have seen this information, as weII, and have some questions about it, as feraI cat mothers definiteIy vocaIize to their kittens. I know that some NA tribes taught their very young chiIdren to be siIent and communicate in other ways so as not to give away the Iocation of a band on the move. Do cats do the same?

Perhaps!