You’d like to live with a chatty cat. Some people don’t want to live with a chatty cat but I think, in general, most cat guardians appreciate it if they can have a conversation with their cat. It’s fun and helps with bonding.
With respect to purebred cats i.e. the cat breeds, Dr Bruce Fogle said that some years ago he carried out a survey of vets’ perception of cat behaviour. They reported that Persian cats were less vocal than on average. Persians are also less active than average 🙂 .
Conversely, he discovered that Siamese and Orientals were more vocal than average. You may already be aware of this. You may also be aware that there are several cat breeds which are part of the Siamese cat family and the Oriental Shorthair is one of them.
The Siamese and cats in the Siamese cat family are known to be vocal and they have a special tone to their voice which is quite demanding or raucous. Most people enjoy this characteristic. The Korat is an Oriental breed too.
With respect to random bred cats or moggies, Dr Bruce Fogle refers to Dr John Bradshaw the well-known animal behaviourist. My interpretation is that Bradshaw says that the cat meow is a learned process in living with people. The cat is trying to imitate human speech, Bradshaw believes. On this basis, cats are going to be more loquacious, Fogle says, when they are raised from birth in constant contact with people. In an earlier post I discussed the cat’s meow and how it is a demand between cat and human owner.
There’s a third issue. If a cat owner wants their cat to be chatty and likes having a conversation with their cat they may instigate a conversation, which may well result in a response. The point that I am making is that people who like chatty cats may create chatty cats. Their cat will learn to respond and talk to their human companions. It’s a bit like projecting one’s thoughts and concepts onto one’s cat i.e. humanising them. Or you might say that it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you want to be fairly sure that you are adopting a chatty cat the breeds of the Siamese cat family are the choice. However, this means that you’ll be passing up on adopting a rescue cat at a shelter. You’ll have to make up your mind about that. Personally, I’d adopt a shelter cat who is vocal and talk to him/her a lot. You should have a chatty cat and you’ll have given one more cat a good life and perhaps saved a life.
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Yeah I have a cat who seems to have some Seychellois in him which is part of the Siamese family. All the same colors (just a little random around the head) including crossed blue eyes and a talkative nature. He even talks to himself. Seriously, when I know he thinks he’s all alone but I can see him, he’ll do that. He’ll pretend like he’s talking to somebody (me) though he knows I’m not there. Anyone elses’ cat do that? And by “talking” I mean “Hmmm” and whiny sounds along with very loud purring. I really need to record these guys. Can anyone recommend a good eyeglass or wearable camera that doesn’t cost a small fortune?
I also have a calico who I started “talking” to years ago and who will carry on these little “conversations” with me for many minutes at a time, looking straight into my eyes all the while. All we say is “Meh”, but she’s fascinated with it. Me too I guess.
Oh and “Callie” does a lot of “eh” sounds, mouth wide open. What kinds of sounds do other people’s cats make?
Maybe you should record them and do an article about your cats’ chats because I would enjoy it. WordPress allows 8 megabyte audio recordings to be uploaded direct to the site. I could do it for you. I can imagine you talking to your cats. It is good I am sure.