Interpreting what cats are trying to say can be a little difficult. Their way of communication changes as they get older; when they’re young, cats meow to their mother to tell her they’re hungry, scared, or cold. But as they get older, they learn to be self-sufficient and stop meowing.
Interestingly, cats do learn more vocalization methods other than meowing like growling, hissing, and yowling that they never use on their mother, but humans aren’t immune to these threatening cat voices!
Depending on the breed of cats, they can be more vocal than others. Like Siamese cats are more prone to vocalizing their feelings than any other breed. So, if you like quiet cats, then you better not opt for a Siamese!
Let’s Figure Out Your Cat’s Vocal!
From trying to seek your attention to warning you of something serious, your cat’s meows can mean a lot of things, so you better try to listen to them and act accordingly!
Meowing in Greeting
Some kitties greet their humans when they come home. Sometimes they’ll also greet you when they see you in the house; this just means that they are happy to see their precious human at home. So, make sure you greet them back when you see them at home!
Asking for Food
Most cats get really vocal when they are hungry. Some even start meowing when someone walks into the kitchen in hopes of getting a treat. If you keep giving them something just to stop them from meowing, you’re encouraging the behavior, and you won’t be able to stop them.
The best way to deal with this is to let them meow all they want, and then when they stop meowing, out their food near them. This way, they’ll know how to be trained for food. You can also get an automatic feeder that puts out food at specific times; now, your kitty will meow at the feeder instead of you!
Trying to Get Your Attention
Contrary to popular belief, cats don’t always like to be left alone. So, they ask for attention by meowing at you. Sometimes they’re just asking you to play with them, pet them, talk to them or cuddle them.
Even though it’s not a problematic habit, if it’s getting out of hand, you can prohibit this habit by waiting for them to be quiet and then giving them all the attention they need. If they start meowing again, stop the attention and then try it again when they become quiet. This way, your kitty will learn to take your attention quietly.
But you better give them kisses and hugs to make up for all the ignoring!
Indicating Illness or Injury
If your cat doesn’t meow a lot but has suddenly started to meow and yowl, this might mean that it’s trying to indicate something. The best way is to take them to the vet to get evaluated. You aren’t able to understand their language, but you know that it’s not the typical way your kitty behaves because many underlying conditions can make your cat feel hungry, thirsty, and in pain. So, it’s high time for a complete examination at the vet!
Meowing Because They Feel Lonely
If you have been leaving your cat alone at home for long periods of time for the sake of work or studies, that might mean that your cat is getting anxious about staying at home alone and it’s feeling lonely. So it’s trying to tell you not to leave it home alone because it’s scared or anxious.
To stop this behavior, you can hire a pet sitter for a couple of hours a day, or you can leave your cat with one of your friends or family your pet is familiar with until you come back from your business.
Better yet, make some extra time for your cat child!
Communicating their Stress
Cats usually become more vocal when they’re experiencing stress. New scenarios like an addition to the family like a new pet beside them or a baby, change of environment, or an illness can stress them out.
Though you’ll mostly hear these stressed noises when you’re on the way to the vet because that’s the scariest place!
You can help your kitty out in these stressful situations by helping them adjust to the new things and environment. If it doesn’t help, then give your kitty a little more attention to soothe the stress out.
Telling You They Want In
Cats’ primary way of communication is through meowing, so if they want to go outside, they’re going to meow and paw at the door until you open it for them. Similarly, when they’re ready to come back in, they’re going to meow at the outside door till you let them in. If you’re trying to transition your outdoor cat into an indoor cat, then the meowing at doors and windows will be consistent for months until they become habitual of staying in.
All this ordering us around, well it’s their world, and we’re just living in it!
Angry Yowl
When cats get agitated or angry, they start yowling and hissing at their object of offense. This also happens when they feel threatened. It’s more common in households that keep more than one pet. Therefore, some tension building between them is normal; so, you’ll usually hear yowling when they’re angry at their competitor.
You can calm them down by separating them from their offending object or show them ways of becoming friendly again!
Old Age Meowing
Aging cats are similar to older people and can suffer from mental confusion from time to time. This makes them disoriented, and they are prone to making excessive noise to make sense of their confusion. This usually happens at night when it’s dark; here, you can help them by decreasing their confusion by adding a nightlight near them. Vets can also help by prescribing your cat medication to help them with their disorientation.
Final Thoughts
Cats resemble infants in their way of communication, and most pet owners take kitties as their pet child, so approaching the same style of understanding them makes it easier to interpret them. Children tell you things by crying, and you understand them perfectly; similarly, cats do that by meowing.
So, listen closely and listen well!
