Deciphering these cat sounds will help you connect with your kitty
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Short, high-pitched meows
“A short, high-pitched meow is your cat’s way of saying hello to you,” says Rubin. She adds that several of these meows strung together could mean “I’m so happy to see you!” or even “Hey, let’s play!”
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Drawn out meow
According to Rubin, a meow that sounds pleading or drawn out—somewhere between a meow and a cry—is another way your cat tries to get your attention. This is one of those more serious cat sounds that could signify that your cat is anxious. It could mean anything from “Please feed me!” or “Please let me out!” to “Please pet me!”
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Crying meow
A crying meow is longer than the pleading meow, and it tends to sound more urgent and perhaps even a little agonized. “Kittens will emit a cry when they are in distress, with the goal of eliciting a search response from the maternal figure to look for them,” says Dr. Sung. “If they have wandered from the nest, she will retrieve them and bring them back.”
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Quick, aggressive meow
This cat sound isn’t quite a yowl (which we’ll get to), but it sounds decidedly urgent and even a little angry. Doing something your cat hates could trigger this cat sound. Rubin says, “This harsh-sounding meow is our cat scolding us for something we did, or maybe something we did not do.”
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Yowling
“Some extra chatty cats yowl as part of their everyday communication, but if your cat is yowling without precedent then [it could mean] they’re in distress,” notes Dr. Richter. If the vocalizing goes on for 24 to 36 hours, this cat sound could be one of the signs your “healthy” cat is actually sick.
“A low, drawn-out yowl can be a complaint,” he says. “In older cats, [excessive] yowling is often a sign of cognitive disorder or dementia.” If your cat is not spayed or not neutered, loud and long yowls can also be part of mating behavior.
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Hissing
“This noise sounds much like the word does—like air slowly escaping through a hole,” says Rubin. “A cat makes this noise as a warning that it is very angry or fearful and is going to strike out.” Hissing is one of those angry cat sounds that’s made when the cat feels that its life is threatened. It’s intended to scare away predators as a pre-defense to actual fighting. Sometimes spit inadvertently comes out at the same time as the hiss.
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Growling or snarling
According to Dr. Sung, like hissing, your cat makes a growling or snarling noise as a way of saying “Hey buddy, back off or else!” She considers growling or snarling to be aggressive vocalizations. “If the other party does not retreat, then a physical confrontation will occur,” he says.
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Purring
Purring is a soft, low rumbling sound that almost all cats make. Depending on the feline, a cat purring sound may be a very quiet murmur or so loud you can hear it across the room. You can also often feel a vibration when they purr. “Purrs are produced by contractions of muscles in the throat, as well as the diaphragm in the chest,” explains Delgado. “Purring most often happens when cats are content, such as when they are enjoying being petted, about to be fed or when a mother cat is nursing her kittens.”
Dr. Sung adds that in some cases, cats will purr when they’re afraid or in pain, or even if they’re feeling sleepy or drowsy. It’s believed that they do this to comfort and calm themselves.
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Trilling
“Trilling lands somewhere between a purr and a meow,” says Dr. Richter. “It usually means that your cat is extra pleased or excited.” It could be that they’re really excited to see you when you get home, excited to snuggle on the couch or thrilled about the food you’re preparing for them.
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Chatter or clicking
Cat “chatter” is a quiet, fast-paced “ack-ack-ack” sound, or a clicking sound that cats make when they see birds or other animals outside. “We don’t fully understand this behavior, but because it seems to almost exclusively happen when cats see prey that they can’t access—like through a window—we think it might be frustration or excitement,” Delgado says. “Some scientists have observed that some predators make sounds mimicking their prey as a way to sneak up on them, so it may be the cat’s attempt to ‘tweet’ like a bird.”
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Sources:
- Susan Rubin, cat behaviorist
- Wailani Sung, DVM, veterinary health expert and founder of Bay Area Vet Behavior
- Gary Richter, DVM, Rover veterinary health expert
- Mikel Delgado, Rover feline behavior specialist
