Why Is My Cat Meowing So Much?
By accepting a cat into the family, we often agree to endure its whims in return for warmth and affection. So, why is my cat meowing so much? Watching the funny sounds coming from them, many people wonder how interesting it would be to translate them. In fact, cat language is not that complicated.
Table Of Contents
· About Cat Language
· Talking to the Owner
· Food
· Pain
· Attention
· Fear
· Game
· Greetings
· Hunting Instinct
· Ask for a Walk
· Boredom
· Old Age
· Stress
· How to Understand Meowing: What to Do
· Forbidden Actions 🚫
· Why Does a Cat Meow at Night? 🤔
· Questions and Answers
About Cat Language
Each cat possesses a distinct voice, so owners can always distinguish between the meows of their animals. Cats can meow, purr, hiss, and snort and can gesture their tail, ears, mustache, and paws.
Meowing is used only in communication with people; cats communicate differently with each other. Probably, they have realized that they can achieve something from their owners with the help of these very sounds.
Do you know? Cats often express their discontent with defecation. One cat regularly urinated on the head of a drunk owner, and as a result, he gave up drinking.
A cat can make such sounds:
- Purring
- Meowing
- Hissing
- Screaming
- Growling
- Squeaking
Mostly, purring means pleasure, but it can also mean that the animal is dying. Cats also purr to their kittens.
A cat purr is intended for humans and includes the sounds “meow,” “rrmiau,” “miau,” “mau,” etc., spoken with different intonations. The main reasons are hunger, boredom, pain, the joy of meeting, fear, and desire to open the door.
Sizzle, with the help of sounds “chsh,” expresses dissatisfaction, also in the arsenal of animals have a snorting with a jerky sound “pf.” In this case, they can hit the floor with their tail.
You can also hear their clacking of teeth along with a very short “mija.” This happens when they see potential prey in a hard-to-reach place.
Cats scream, or meow loudly, to express emotions such as passion, anger, fear, stress, and pain. In the first syllable, the intonation is ascending; in the second, it is descending — the sound “y” is long and transitions into growling.
The snarling resembles a purr, but the “rr” sound is pronounced angrily; it means something like “leave me alone.”
When a kitten is beeping, they are conveying their hunger, looking for their mother, releasing anger, or complaining.
Talking to the Owner
Depending on how and with what intonation cats meow, you can understand their different moods. They converse when they want to communicate their desires or intentions.
Do you know? In the natural environment, unmatured adult cats do not meow. Only kittens can meow.
Food
When a cat is hungry, it makes a “mrmaow” sound using demanding intonations. If it doesn’t eat, the vowels in this sound become longer. The demanding intonations can be replaced by begging intonations. If a cat pronounces a short ‘frown,’ it wants to push you along; you’re too slow to give food, in its opinion.
Almost all cats are prone to loud meowing when they become hungry. And the stronger it is, the louder the ‘meow’ sounds. The meowing is incredibly demanding in the morning when the owner only lifts his head off the pillow. In addition to the desire to eat, animals can send the owner signals of thirst.
You may also hear the request for food in a loud “miau” sound.
If a cat brings strangled mice or birds, it wants you to enjoy a delicious meal as its best friend. If you don’t want to eat a mouse, praise the cat and throw away its prey. Don’t criticize; it took care of you.
Pain
Cats hide their pain, and for them, it is natural. Unlike dogs and some other animals, cats can behave quite normally despite their pain. In public, they do not show their pain, but they lick the painful area intensively when left alone.
If there is no contact or trust between the cat and its owner, the cat will tolerate and hide its problems. Massive pain is significant biological stress and affects many aspects of an animal’s physical health, including wound healing and resistance to infectious diseases.
Studies have shown that cats whose pain was controlled before and after operating procedures are much better rehabilitated than those whose pain was not given due attention.
Cats do not show pain in the way we are used to, as we and some other pets would do. Because of this feature, veterinarians and cat owners, for a long time, mistakenly believed that cats do not experience pain at all. But this is one of the many myths about cats.
If a cat is in pain, it can rumble and fuss. Cats communicate their pain with a complaining “mnau” sound, stretching the “y.” If it breathes with its mouth open, the cat is showing their pain or overheating.
Attention
If the cat wants your attention, it sits down, turning away from you. Then it leaves and returns, sitting in the same way. The same occurs in the murmur with the sound of ‘hm’ and the meowing while rubbing on you.
Some animals are, by nature, silent; they share their voice only in exceptional cases. But sometimes a cat will meow for no reason every day. Meowing at different volumes is accompanied by literally everything that happens to your pet: meeting the owner from work, eating delicious food, caressing and playing, and communicating with other animals in the house.
It is noteworthy that many cats love melodic meowing in unison with their owners when they talk loudly on the phone, laugh or swear, sneeze, or cough. It seems as if cats are trying to shout at the owners with their meows.
The most talkative breeds are Siamese. Next to them are Abyssinian, Oriental, Burmese cats, and Kuril bobtails.
Fear
Cats express their anxiety by the extended “mayu” sound with questioning intonations.
A frightened cat pronounces a short “pft” or long “shhh.”
It also occurs when the cat hears a frightening sound (for example, the noise of a working hairdryer, the rumble of a perforator, howling of an alarm from a car outside a window, etc.). The meowing caused by fright will stop as soon as the pet calms down.
When a cat is terrified, it waves its tail intensely in different directions. If the cat wants to be scared in return, the hair on its back and tail becomes a hole. Also, at this point, its ears are directed to the side or pressed against the head, and the pupils are dilated. At this moment of excitement, the cat may begin to actively lick its nose and lips.
Game
When a cat becomes interested, the tip of its tail twitches a little, while the tail itself lies still. This is also shown by the ears turning forward.
Space put between you and the cat, as well as its back turned toward you, indicates a resentment for lack of attention.
When a cat wants to play, it can look into your eyes, pointing its mustache forward, briefly meowing.
Important! It is essential to distinguish games from anger:
• When playing, the claws are not released
• The back is not bent
• The tail is not swollen
• Bites do not cause pain, no growling and hissing
Greetings
When a cat greets its owner, it makes a short purr with aspiration and runs up to him, holding its tail upright or slightly bent at the tip. You may also hear the “roumaurrow” sounds.
Hunting Instinct
Our domestic cats — natural predators and gamblers in an enclosed space — can only afford to catch mice, rats, cockroaches, centipedes, or flies. Street cats can also catch birds. Very often, during the tracking of prey, cats may meow loudly and whimsically.
Ask for a Walk
Those pets who have the opportunity to walk in the street, wishing to leave the apartment or house, start meowing at the door. At first, it is relatively quiet and timid, but over time, the sounds may turn into a real meow if the loving owner does not react.
Boredom
Many pets love to make noises at night when the house is quiet. As you know, cats are nighttime animals, which means they are more cheerful in the dark than during the day. They tell the owners it is time to get up and do ‘business’ (for example, to treat their pets or play with them).
Old Age
In old age, cats often become capricious and “meow” like a curse. Concerts begin at night, jealousy increases, and from the toilet, there is an irritating meowing, and they dig there for a long time.
Stress
Cats are more likely to be stressed than you think. This can lead to prolonged loneliness from the owner’s absence, moving, new furniture, a small child, many guests, a trip to the vet, a vacuum cleaner, another pet, and excessive caressing.
Symptoms of Stress:
- Beginning to breathe heavily with their mouths open
- Licking and yawning a lot
- Eating inedible things, flowers, and wool
- Eating or refusing to eat without end
- Dull, dirty wool
- Tampering with furniture
- Aggressive behavior or complete apathy
Important! Stress can lead to illness or even the death of the animal, so it is essential to mitigate this condition.
How to Understand Meowing: What to Do
To understand exactly what your cat wants, listen to the cat’s voice and intonation notes. Pay attention to where you are called and how the tail and ears move. The intonations and gestures turn the same “meow” into different meanings. Watching the animal will assist in understanding what they want.
Listen, and you will hear many sounds — g, sh, n, ff, hh, rrr, vv — about 15 besides “meow.” The intonations can include begging, complaining, demanding, delighting, and threatening.
If you pay attention, cats lick not only when it is tasty or dirty, but also when it is puzzled and uncomfortable — for example, when it is scolded.
It is also easy to notice signs of aggression — narrowed pupils, junkie wool, irritated “meow.”
A short, quiet “meow,” combined with purring and trampling on the soft parts of your body, indicates deep satisfaction and happiness of communication with you.
Do you know? The most talkative cats are Siamese, Oriental, Cornish Rex.
In response to excessive meowing, the steps to take are weaseling, feeding, and in exceptional circumstances, going to the veterinarian.
Forbidden Actions 🚫
To live in harmony with your cat, it is important to understand that it needs attention, affection, and love. At the same time, you need to be aware of some actions that can cause problems between you, such as constant meowing:
- Absence of rules of behavior and a short training course
- Periodical permission to break the rules
- Pampering
- Lack of attention
- Neglect of communication and playing games with the animal
- Long trips, during which the owner leaves the pet alone
- Too severe punishments
- Punishment for meowing. If in your opinion, the cat meows for no reason, it is important to understand why it does so — perhaps something hurts or it is stressed
- Respond to meowing. The more you respond to meowing, the more the cat will do it, so if it annoys you, feed and caress the animal only during quiet pauses. This advice is irrelevant if you are a lonely person and talking to your pet is a pleasure
Why Does a Cat Meow at Night? 🤔
The biggest problem for the hosts is night concerts. However, you can get rid of them, just understand the reason.
Cats can meow at night from:
- Lack of daytime attention
- Recognized hunting instincts (because they are night hunters)
- Stress due to sudden changes in life (for example, change of residence, the birth of a child at the owners)
- Sexual activity
It is possible to alleviate such behavior without screaming and punishments but only with the help of caressing. Pet the animal, praise it, talk to him, and calm down.
You can reduce the display of sex hormones by castration, sterilization, or unique means sold in pet stores or veterinary drugstores.
Important! Suppose you have eliminated these reasons, and the concerts continue. In that case, while the sounds are strange, the animal does not sleep during the day — perhaps disease is to blame, and it is worth visiting the veterinarian.
Particular attention should be paid to the screams of the cat in the period after childbirth. Their causes may be:
- Hunger
- Thirst
- Problems with kittens
- Postpartum complications
If there is enough food and fresh water, examine the kittens; they may not eat well and sleep. Then, see a veterinarian.
Flutter, frequent heavy breathing, and constantly going to the toilet, combined with complaining shouts, may also mean that veterinary help is needed.
Learning to understand your pet is not difficult — just look at the habits and listen to the sounds. If you succeed, rest assured, you will find a common language and learn how to prevent annoying situations.
Questions and Answers
Should I ignore my cat meowing at night?
If you have an active cat, do not limit it to a large number of bans, it will only cause resentment and provocation of revenge (for example, a cat can mark and spoil the owner’s favorite things). An active cat just needs to move in space not only horizontally, but also vertically: jump on the backs of chairs, closets, and other furniture.
Remember that the period of maximum cat activity is from the first to the sixth year of life: these are its best years, and it is in your hands to make the cat spend them enjoying life.
How do you know if a cat is crying?
In the process of studying cats, it was found that cats do not cry, despite the fact that they have an iron that produces tears. It is intended to preserve the cornea of the eye from drying out. Tears are emotions, to cry you must be able to show your feelings, even a human baby can not cry at birth, only screams.
Cats can be sad, apathetic, and depressed, but they show it in a completely different way than people. In time
Cats lose their hair, which means a lack of attention from the owner.
In any case, cats can’t cry, and if you notice “tears” in the eyes of your favorite pet — he is sick.
What do cats think when we kiss them?
The fact is that cats love freedom — it is easier to control the situation and avoid danger. Rapidly approaching the head of a cat may be associated with a bite and hit it with a paw with released claws. Therefore, hugging and kissing is not the best way to show love. Cats are much more understandable than the usual strokes.
Do cats get sad?
What is interesting is that they can. Cats have a nervous system, and, therefore, they also have disorders of its functions. Cats may feel sad, depressed. Naturally, everything happens differently in cats than in humans, at least, it is not yet known that cats become alcoholics or show suicidal tendencies.
In cats, this is manifested in the fact that the animal becomes lethargic, even physiological disorders, such as hair loss, are possible. And such troubles happen mainly to cats that live constantly with people and do not communicate with their peers.
Is it bad to meow back at your cat?
Cats are empaths, they accurately recognize the emotional state of a person and respond accordingly. Of course, they do not understand our speech, that is, the meaning of words and phrases. But a person’s speech is not only words with meaning, but also tone, voice timbre, volume, which change depending on the mood, emotional state.
Will a cat purr if it’s in pain?
According to the veterinarian, a healthy cat purrs when it is stroked. If it starts purring in unusual situations, it may indicate a problem. If a cat purrs harder than usual, or in a situation where they do not purr normally, they may be ill. For example, if it purrs when lying on its own.
