Cats meow to communicate with humans. Cat to cat communication is done mostlythrough scent and body
language with very little vocalisation. Your catquickly learns of your inability to communicate like
this and develops hermeowing sounds specifically for you. Some common cat meows
Short Meow - greeting - "hello!"
Multiple Meows - Excited story telling - "Hey! while you've been gone, I've been..."
Low Pitch Meows - complaint - "It's past dinner time and I've still not been fed"
Mid Pitch Meows - request - "Please Feed Me"
High Pitch Meows - Pain - "Ouch"
Drawn out Meows - demand - "OH!! Feed Me Now!!"
How does a cat purr?
Basically, nobody's entirely sure. The problem is that scientists have a hardtime making a cat purr
while it has a camera down its throat, which is understandable really. There are two theories
though...
Blood passes through the large veins in the cat's chest cavity causing a vibration which is
amplified by the diaphragm. It then passes up the windpipe and into the sinus cavities of
the skull.
Vibration of the larynx that resonates down to the windpipe and into the diaphragm.
Why do cats purr?
Most of the time cats purr when they are happy, however it's not uncommon for cats to purr
when frightened or in pain. There's no definitive answer yet as to why cats purr, however it's
generally thought that the purr of a cat may be beneficial to it's [and possibly your] health.
Interestingly cats purr at around 25-150 hertz. and it's been claimed that sounds in this frequency
range can stimulate bone growth and health. It's also thought that purring may release endorphins in
the brain [or vice versa], these are natures own pain killers and are known to be released in humans
in times of pain and pleasure.
Why doesn't my cat purr?
Since we don't know exactly how a cat purrs, we can't be entirely sure. It maybe due to a birth
defect in the organs that cats use to purr? Personally, we thought Dylan, one of our bengal cats,
had "lost it's purr" until one day while she was on my lap, being petted, I could feel the vibrations
of her purring on my legs. I suppose it's possible that since cats have better hearing than humans,
they're simply purring outside our hearing range.
Cat Tail Quivering and Twitching
When your cats tail twitches or vibrates rapidly it can be an affectionate way of kitty saying hello.
Tail wagging or swishing
This is a sign that kitty's getting angry
Tail Fluffed Up
Kitties trying to intimidate an opponent. Before cats fight they try and intimidate their opponent by
making themselves look as big as possible.
Why are cats attracted to people who don't like cats?
In the cats world, if they don't appreciate the presence of another cat they'll "stare them out",
slowly advance towards them and generally try and intimidate them. Kitty then knows that to come any
closer could provoke a fight. People who don't like cats generally do the exact opposite. They'll
ignore them, back away and try not to look at them in case it encourages them to come over.
Cats interpret this human body language as an invitation to approach and have a sniff of all those new
and interesting smells.