How Cat's Communicate

How Cat's Communicate: Communication
The unique sound a small cat makes is written onomatopoeically as "meow" in American English; "meow" or "miaow" in British English; "miaou" or "miaw" in French; "miao" in Mandarin Chinese and Italian; "miau" in German, Spanish, Finnish, Lithuanian, Polish, Croatian, Romanian and Portuguese; "miau" or "????" in Hebrew; "miyav" in Turkish; "mjäu" in Estonian; "mowa'a" in Arabic; "nyaa" or "nyan" in Japanese; "meong" or "ngeong" in Bahasa Indonesia; "ngiau" in Malay; "nyau" in Swahili; "yaong" or "nyaong" in Korean; and various ways in other languages.

The sound of an increasingly annoyed cat is transcribed in James Joyce's Ulysses as "mkgnao", "mrkgnao" and "mrkrgnao", and the sound made by Pixel, the title character of Robert A. Heinlein's The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, was written as "blert", while the sound made by Bill the Cat in Berkeley Breathed's comic strip Bloom County was generally described as "ack". The cat's pronunciation of this call varies significantly depending on meaning. Usually cats call out to indicate pain, request human attention (to be fed or played with, for example), or as a greeting. Some cats are very vocal, and others rarely call out. Cats are capable of about 100 different vocalisations, compared to about 10 for dogs.

How Cat's Communicate: Kitten Communication
A kitten's call first starts out as a high-pitched squeak-like sound when very young, and then deepens over time. Some cats, however, do not exercise their voices a lot, so their call may remain similar to that of a kitten through adulthood.

Cats can also produce a purring noise that typically indicates that the cat is happy, but also can mean that it feels distress. Cats purr among other cats—for example, when a mother meets her kittens. Until recently, there were many competing theories to explain how cats purr, including vibration of the cat's false vocal chords when inhaling and exhaling, the sound of blood hitting the aorta, vibration of the hyoid apparatus, or resonation directly in the lungs. Currently, though, it is believed that purring is a result of rhythmic impulses to the cat's larynx.

It is possible for a cat to call out and purr simultaneously, although this is typical only in very vocal cats. In addition to purring, happy cats may blink slowly or partially close their eyes to break any possible stares and communicate their ease in the situation. However, purring may also be a way for the cat to calm itself down. For example, cats have been known to purr when hurt.

How Cat's Communicate: Angry Communication
Most cats growl or hiss when angered or in danger. Some may engage in nipping behavior or batting with their paws, either with claws extended or retracted. With cats who are improperly socialised and do not know their own strength, this can result in inadvertent damage to human skin. Cat scratches can easily become infected, and in extreme cases can result in cat scratch fever.

Cats are also known to make chirping noises when observing prey, or as a means of expressing interest in an object to nearby humans. When directed at out-of-reach prey, it is unknown whether this is a threatening sound, an expression of frustration, or an attempt to replicate a birdcall (or replicate the call of a bird's prey, for example a cicada). Since this feline expression often involves a mouth movement similar to the one they would use to kill their prey (their "killing bite"), they may be trying to practice this mouth movement in anticipation.

How Cat's Communicate: Health Problem Communication
When passing solid waste, cats, like many types of predators, release from anal glands a small amount of liquid that scents their feces, to mark their territory. These scent-producing anal sacs are found in all predators; those of the skunk are used for self-defense, for example. During moments of excitement or other strong emotions, a cat's anal sac may discharge, releasing a foul-smelling brown liquid. Anal irritation, possibly shown by the cat rubbing its bottom on the floor and frequent licking of the area, can be a sign that the cat's anal sacs are not being emptied when waste passes. Although this condition can be treated through the addition of a small amount of bran to each meal, it may require veterinary attention. Shorthair cats are more prone to this problem.

How Cat's Communicate: The Tail Tells All
Cats will twitch the tips of their tails when hunting or angry, while larger twitching indicates displeasure. A tail held high is a sign of happiness, while half-raised shows less pleasure, and unhappiness is indicated with a tail held low. A scared cat may puff up its tail and the hair along its back and turn its body sideways to a threat in order to increase its apparent size. Tailless cats, such as the Manx (cat), who possess only a small stub of a tail move the stub around as though they possessed a full tail, though it is not nearly as communicative as that of a fully tailed cat. Touching noses is a friendly greeting for cats, while a lowered head is a sign of submission.

How Cat's Communicate: Happy Communication
When cats are happy, they are known to paw their owners, or that on which they sit, with a kneading motion. Cats often use this action alongside purring to show contentment and affection for their owners. The action is often referred to as paddy-pawing, making muffins or treading paws. It is instinctive to cats, and they use it when they are young to stimulate the mother cat's nipple to release milk during nursing. As a result, cats that are hand-raised by humans may lack this reflex. Pawing is also a way for cats to mark their territory. The scent glands on the underside of their paws release small amounts of scent onto the person or object being pawed, marking it as "theirs" in the same way they would urinate to mark their territory.

Next: The Domesticated Cat