Cat BEHAVIOUR

So you want to understand your cat's vocabulary of purrs, meows, hisses, growls, screams, chirps, trills, chitters and caterwauling? If scientists are to be believed, cats actually make only 16 basic vocalizations, however that is like saying that the English language has only 44 basic sounds. The complexity comes in the combinations and the way they are used.

"VOCAB" BASICS
Each basic sound made by a cat can be modified. This follows a universal code used by virtually all animals, based on four aspects of the sounds they make: pitch, duration, frequency (or repetition rate) and loudness. When it comes to pitch, low-pitched sounds, such as a growl, usually
indicate threats, anger and the possibility of aggression.

In the case of duration, generally speaking, the longer the sound, the more likely the cat is making a conscious decision about the nature of the signal and any subsequent behaviour. Thus a sustained meow, is apt mean that the cat has thought about what he is trying to communicate and it is important to him, while a quick short meow might be the result of surprise or a passing thought.

Sounds that are repeated often and at a fast rate indicate a degree of excitement and urgency, whereas sounds that are “spaced out”—or not repeated at all—usually indicate a lower level of excitement. Similarly, excitement and the degree of emotion the cat is showing can be measured by the loudness of the sounds.

IT'S HOW YOU SAY IT
To see how one sound can be modified by these factors take the sound we call caterwauling. The loud yowling sound that people associate with cats in heat or mating. Actually it has nothing to do with sex. It is an aggressive signal meaning, “Back off, Jack!” Caterwauling is the perfect example of how a basic sound can be altered. As the cat’s mood varies from moment to moment the pitch, duration and volume of the sound changes to what people may give distinct labels to, such as growling, snarling, wailing or howling. Regardless, all should be treated as simply variations of an aggressive signal. These sounds are so similar to the growling and yowling of dogs that they respond to caterwauling cats by getting excited and growling back at the source of the noise.

DIALECTS AND ACCENTS
The quintessential cat sound is purring. Cats only purr in the company of living things. Kittens purr when they are nursing and it has been suggested that the mother and the kittens purr as a sign of mutual reassurance. Usually purring seems to be a signal of well-being and contentment in cats.

However cats may also purr when they are in great pain or suffering from intense fear. It may be that they do this because purring is a positive signal and they gain some reassurance from hearing their own purring sounds.

MAIN VOCABULARY
The sound that cats tend use most frequently however is the “meow.” It can effectively be broken into syllables as “me-ahoo-ow.” Each of these syllables can be affected by the rules of pitch, duration, frequency and volume separately. Thus lowering the volume on the “ah” portion is associated with disappointment, lengthening the “ow” portion shows a sense of hopelessness, and repeating that “ow” at the end is part of begging.

Strangely, there is even a silent meow. These sounds are too high pitched for the humans, but still within a cat’s hearing range.

IMPERATIVE VOICE
The meow seems to be a demand for a service, made when the cat wants to be fed, wants a door opened or just when he wants attention. The interesting thing about the meow sound is that it seems to be almost exclusively reserved for human beings. Very young kittens may occasionally make the meow sound to their mother, but after they are grown, cats virtually never meow to other cats or to dogs or other pets. Dogs apparently understand that the meow sound has nothing to do with them, or they are unwilling to provide the service the cat is demanding of them, since they seldom seem stirred to move toward a meowing cat.

Learning what your kitty is trying to communicate will help your relationship grow.