How Do Cats Communicate with us

By: Stanley P.

How Cats Communicate With us? Although cats may look uninterested in humans, they are actually social animals. In a wild setting, cats live in litters with hierarchies. Domestic cats think the same of us humans, in that people, are friendly but also are of a slightly higher hierarchy. Research shows that wild cats do not meow nearly as much as domestic cats. In fact, scientists believe that this is because domesticated cats develop meowing as a way to communicate with humans. Meowing isn’t just a cute sound that cats make, it also has a meaning to it. Besides meowing, cats also show humans a lot of body language. Here is how cats communicate with humans!

Meow and Other Vocalization

‘Meow’, if you own a cat, you know this sound way too well. It is mainly written in only one way, but meows can actually vary in length, pitch and volume. Other vocalizations include growling, hissing, purring, etc. According to scientists and cat specialists, Here is a list what each meow means

Short meow/mew: Standard Greeting
Multiple meows/mews: Excited/Happy Greeting
High-Pitched Meow: Cat is in pain
Mid-Pitched Meow: Asking for something, usually food
Low-Pitched Meow: Complaint of a mistake
Long Meow: Angry, or is demanding something
Purring: Happy, comfortable, and/or sleepy
Growl: Aggressive
Snarl: Higher pitched growl while showing teeth, aggressive
Hiss: Fearful, but is ready to attack
Caterwaul/mowl: Loud, drawn-out ‘mowl’. Indicates female in heat
Chatter: Kind of like when we chatter our teeth, potential prey is out of reach
Gurgle: Friendly
Chirp: Excited and happy
Yowl: Cat to cat communication, typically means they don’t want to mate. Cats also yowl when they’re scared, in pain, or just caught prey

Very much like humans, they meow (speech) itself does not convey the whole message. Combining the meow with their body language is key

Body Language

Our bodies talk, through position, expression and so much more we are communicating constantly. Cats are very similar, in fact cats use their body language to communicate with each other more than meowing. Let’s look at each body part and what it can tell us

Ears

Forward-facing ears: Curious
Sideways ears: The more the swivel backwards, the more the cat expresses arousal or distress
Backward ears: Cat feels threatened, paired usually with aggression

Eyes

Slow blink: Shows affection
Droopy eyelids: Relaxed and trusting
Wide-open: Trusting
Narrowed eyes: Fearful or aggressive
Dilated pupils: Strong emotion, fear, curiosity, etc.

Fur

Self-groom: Cats are self-grooming animals, and the state of their fur can actually tell you a lot
Unkempt: This can mean illness, especially when paired with symptoms
Fluffed: Fear and/or aggression

Tail

Thumping: Irritated, annoyed, angry
Quivering: Excited
Twitching: Hunting, playing, mildly irritated
Wrapping tail around your leg: Friendly greeting
Straight up: Friendly and confident
Hook shape: Invitation to interact
Puffed up with arched back: Threatened/frightened
Low to the ground: Scared, anxious, or in pain
Tail wrapped around own body: Defensive, in pain, or not feeling well

Other

Arched Back: Wants to be pet
Lying on back: Trust you, (don’t give belly rubs though!)
Rubbing against you: Marking territory, your cat is claiming you!
Kneading: Shows pleasure
Curled up: Calm and safe
Butt wiggling: Stalking prey
Licking you: Trying to groom you, it’s kind of their way of petting you

There are many ways cats can communicate with us. Although we can’t communicate with them verbally, we can still understand them through their actions. You may have thought that some small quirky things your cat does were insignificant, but they may actually have a hidden meaning behind them!

https://cats.lovetoknow.com/Cat_Meow_Sound

https://www.purina.com.au/en/cats/behaviour/meow

https://moderncat.com/articles/12-sounds-cats-make-and-what-they-mean/

https://www.thesprucepets.com/cat-language-explained-553981

https://www.tuftandpaw.com/blogs/cat-guides/the-definitive-guide-to-cat-behavior-and-body-language

https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/zoology/item/how-do-cats-communicate-with-each-other

https://petcube.com/blog/cats-body-language/

https://petcube.com/blog/content/images/2018/02/cat-sounds.jpg

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