Cat says “Are you coming?” – I explain how and why.

In this TikTok video the cat says: “Are you coming?”. How did this happen? Can a domestic cat speak like a human in the English language? It seems highly improbable! Indeed, it is impossible; at least currently. Perhaps in a couple of million years’ time a domestic cat might be able to say a few words of English or French or German or whatever due to domestic cat evolution. I guess you know what is happening and therefore it does not need explaining but I will do it anyway ?.

Cat asks 'Are you coming?'

Cat asks ‘Are you coming?’ – Screenshot.

Although domestic cats make the classic sounds that we know so well such as purring, hissing and meowing, they also make a series of intermediate sounds and each individual cat has their own variation on the meow. In human terms they have slightly different accents and they deliver their sounds in slightly different ways under a range of circumstances. And it just so happens that in this instance the unusual sound that this cat makes gives the impression that she is speaking English and saying, “Are you coming?”

 
The cat is simply meowing – an unusual rendition of the meow certainly – at her human companion. It is probably a call which ironically means… Are you coming?! It’s a call which demands attention from her human caregiver; in short, attention seeking.

It’s a good example, really, of how individual cats create their own sounds and it is unrealistic to pigeonhole all the sounds that domestic cats make into a narrow range of feline vocalisations.

Useful links
Anxiety - reduce it
FULL Maine Coon guide - lots of pages
Children and cats - important

Below are some more pages on feline vocalisations.

Chatterbox cat

Is your cat a chatterbox?

Talkative domestic cats are good. They improve the human-to-cat relationship. Cat owners want their cat to initiate an interaction with ...
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Female cat's meow is like music

Female cat has a beautiful, unique two-stage meow

I, and many others, have said it before, individual domestic cats have their own way to deliver the classic meow ...
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Female cats responded about 10 per cent faster to kitten calls that conveyed high arousal – greater urgency – than to kitten calls that conveyed low arousal

Female domestic cats respond particularly quickly to urgent kitten calls

A study found that female domestic cats responded about 10% faster to kitten calls which conveyed to them a high ...
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Chirruping sound

The domestic cat chirrup or ‘rising trill’ translated into English

Maine Coon cats are said the best the best exponents of the trill. Translated into the English language it means ...
Read More
Cat meow translated into English

The meow translated into English

Do you want to know what the meow means in the English language? Here it is: "I require your immediate ...
Read More
Larry and Palmerston

The way a domestic cat signals that they are frightened

A cat might be anxious because of something that is happening around them or not far from them. They might ...
Read More
Cat's purr heals

Translating the feline purr into English

I have a translation of the cat's purr into English. It means 'I am inoffensive'. This is an all-encompassing meaning ...
Read More
Useful tag. Click to see the articles: Cat behavior

Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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