When the domestic cat meows it is at us not other cats. I’d be interested to know if someone has observed their cat meowing at another cat. I feel it should be happening but personally, I haven’t seen it.
Whenever my cat meets another cat (a stranger), he will usually hiss or growl or yowl but never meow. When I watch two sibling cats, who are semi-stray, together, they never make a sound towards each other. When I turn up, one meows at me and the other hisses at me. My late lady cat, Binnie, never meowed at Charlie and vice versa. The point I am making is that adult cats make a range of meow sounds towards us but not to each other. However, kittens communicate by meowing to their mother and between themselves by “screaming” when play-fighting.
This seems to support Dr Morris’s theory that people keep cats in a permanent state of kittenhood in respect of the human-cat relationship because we act as a surrogate and permanent mother. This seems to kick-in the kitten’s inherent vocalisations towards her mother.
ASPCA say that cats meow at people to request something. What else?! We are aware of this and we respond. But why don’t cats meow at other cats to request something from another cat? You would think that they should as a form of communication that goes beyond scent exchange (allorubbing) and body language, such as the tail up greeting.
I have not found an answer but the answer could be that cats don’t want anything from another cat because the domestic cat is a domesticated wildcat and the African/Asian wildcat is self-sufficient and a solitary cat. The only time the wildcat wants something from another wildcat is when they want to mate and procreate at which time they yowl at each other.
In the human-cat relationship the cat has learned to use different types of meow to get his way. This appears to be a refinement brought about by the 9,500 years of domestication.
You may remember a recent article describing how some adult domestic cats have learned to meow like babies to push the maternal instinct button of the female, caretaking human. Cats probably learned that trick by watching how babies get attention when crying. They wanted a bit of the action and learned how to get it. That is my guess.
An interesting point worth making is that we don’t know how much our cat meows or yowls when we are out of the house and at work unless we have set up a video recording system of some sort (Marc has, for example). It might surprise people to find out that their cat yowls a lot when they are away particularly if they are miss their human companion. I think it is wise to set something up to check what is going on when you are away. It might be enlightening and good for your cat’s welfare.
lol no not weird at all……if you say so Ruth lol
I must say we’ve not had a cat who talked to himself like your Monty does, even though I do!
Our Walter talks a lot but Jozef doesn’t usually say much. I suppose they are like us, some of us talkative, some quiet.
Bryan used to sing! Last thing at night after Babz had been in to say goodnight to us he would sort of hum a little tune before putting his head down on the bed, we said he was singing his prayers lol
yes and very occasionally in the bath tub except there’s a static electricity problem there – she is very fluffy so we get electrocuted. I prefer the kitchen floor 🙂
The kitchen is for cuddles! Funny how a cat will get ideas into his or her head and then it has to be that way always.
Monty has started to meow more and more. He often imitates me in activities I am doing, so I think he is imitating vocal behavior as well. The fact is, I am talking pretty much all the time when we are here alone together. Yesterday we both were outside on the back porch while I created some materials for my tutoring student. During that time I talked to Monty and to myself. It helps me think if I talk through what I’m doing when I’m creating something, whether a song or a worksheet. (I’m an auditory learner, so I understand things best if I hear them. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)
Monty was playing with a little stone, batting it around and then carrying it around in his mouth. He was making little meow sounds while he did this. Later in the back on the grass he was walking around with that stone in his mouth meowing. I thought, “Is it stuck in his little mouth?” No, then he dropped it. But frequently while we played with it he would meow and while I was working I heard little meows but they did not seem to be directed at me, and he didn’t seem to want anything.
I now have a cat who talks to himself because I talk to myself. He talks to himself and wants to be petted with your foot. That’s not weird at all.
LoL – too funny – foot petting – Lilly allows that but Molly I have to get down on the floor with here for cuddles. She leads me to the same spots usually and flops down. If I go to the toilet in the night she always waits til I’m done and then leads me into the kitchen for a cuddle session. It’s our private time together. I am proud of Molly for coming out of her shell and trusting me. She lets me walk past her now without jumping up and running.
Yes – that’s how I feel – it goes without saying almost.