Cat Noises : What does your cat says ?

Not many cat owner knows when their cat trying to comunicate. They maybe just hear simple meow or purr. Cats,and other animals cannot speak as human do because the voice box is too high in the throat. But, as they associate with us their purrs, yowls and growls combined with body language, make their meanings very clear.

Cat Communication Type

Cats are capable of a huge variety of noises and sounds. Their range is all the more remarkable when you consider that cats are solitary creatures by nature. Domestic cats are more likely to be fussy than wild ones, because tame cats are mentally kittens all their lives. That is why they remain with their human families instead of striking out on their own they consider their human friend to be Mommy and act accordingly.

Domesticated cats are highly skilled linguists when it comes to communicating with each other and with humans. According to veterinarian and author Bruce Vogel, DVM, in "The Encyclopedia of the Cat", cat noises can be broken down into three general categories:

• Murmurs, Typically used when the cat is happy and relaxed.
• Vowels. Can express a broad range of emotions, from excitement to anxiety to frustration.
• High-intensity sounds. Express both fear and anger.

Murmurs are cat noises like the purr or the bird-like chirp that a cat uses to greet a human and sometimes its fellow cats. It is important to realize that purrs can indicate both happiness and great distress. Chirps sound like "brrp" or "brrm" and are always used by a happy cat.

Murmurs include purring, chirping and chirruping. Cats will purr when they are happy, but they will also purr when they are frightened or upset in an attempt to calm themselves. Experts disagree on how exactly cats generate the purring noise; most believe that the cat's voice box is not involved, since cats can meow and purr at the same time. A mother cat will use chirps and chirrups to call her kittens, and also to alert them if potential prey is nearby.

Vowel sounds are cat noises that typified by the famous "meow," which can carry an amazing number of meanings depending on the cat's tone and intensity. For example, a cat who sees its person carrying a bowl of food will often utter a demand meow, which sounds something like "MEE-yow," while a frightened or confused cat will call for help with a string of "meOWWs."

Vowels are also known as meows, and are used uniquely in domesticated cats of all ages, but not in adult wild cats, and actually represent an extension of kittenhood. Meows can mean anything from a specific request, complaint or command to bewilderment.

High-intensity cat noises and sounds include hissing, spitting, growling, snarling, and shrieking. A cat will hiss to intimidate a predator or rival. The noise resembles a snake's hiss, and many experts believe this is a deliberate imitation on the cat's part, since nearly all mammals have an instinctive fear of snakes. The high-intensity sounds indicate extreme emotion, and if you hear a cat uttering any of these cries it's best to step warily as he may lash out at you in his distress.

Cats also employ a language of high-intensity sounds that they mainly use among themselves to either scare off another cat or entice one to them. They can growl, snarl, hiss, spit, shriek, and wail to get a specific point across.

You may have noticed your cat opening her mouth as though to meow, apparently without making a sound. If you see this, do not panic; your cat has not lost her voice, she is simply meowing at a pitch too high for your ears to detect. Cats can hear and utter sounds far above the level of human hearing. In fact, a cat's ears are tuned such that they can most easily hear noises in the precise frequency which mice use to communicate sounds that humans can not perceive at all.