Communicating with your Cat

Cats are thought to be very complex and independent creatures, so understanding their method of communication can be tricky. Each cat actually develops their own unique and fascinating way of speaking to their owners. Here are some ways that your kitty may be speaking to you. 

Body Language
One way a cat communicates their mood is with their tail. When the tail is held straight up, it expresses confidence. When your cat wraps it's tail around your legs, it communicates friendliness. If it is tucked between their legs, it signals anxiety. 

So, when you come home from a long day at work and your cat rubs up against you and wraps their tail around your legs, that's their way of saying "I missed you!"

Facial Expressions
When felines interact, responding with a slow blink is an official sign of trust. Like a wink between friends, your cat may close their eyes in your presence to show that they are friendly and comfortable with you. It is a signal of acceptance that a cat may only communicate with their owner. 

Vocalizations

Cats develop a vocal language that is unique to them and their owner. Your cat may meow as a way of greeting you, requesting food, or asking for approval. Purring is also a way for your cat to communicate with you. Purring is a sign that your cat wants to be comforted and/or cared for. Pay attention to the different sounds your cat makes, so you can better understand their specific way of speaking to you. 

Cats can easily sense their owner's mood. If you are sad or anxious, your cat most likely knows. Understanding and responding to your cat's language can help deepen the bond you have with each other. 

Source: DailyMail, nymag, webmd, huffingtonpost

Speaking “Cat”

As passionate pet parents, many of us can honestly admit that we talk to our pets, but have you tried conversing with your pet in their own language? 

In the 1940s, cat lover Mildred Moelk discovered that cats meow differently to people than to cats. She categorized 16 sounds used in cat-munication. These 16 sounds are formed by your cat into 3 different patterns and when expressed, can be loosely translated to meanings like "hello,” "pay attention to me,” "give me,” "please give me,” and "I like” or "I don’t like.”

The 3 patterns:
1. Greeting or satisfaction: Soft murmurs or consonants made with the mouth closed

2. Request or complaints: Vowel sounds from an open-to-closing mouth as in meowing

3. Arousal or stress: Loud sounds called strained intensity patterns, emitted from a wide open mouth

Cats meow in different ways to convey:

•    Friendliness

•    Confidence

•    Dissatisfaction

•    Anger

•    Fear

•    Pain

So, here is your guide to speaking with your furry feline. To pronounce these sounds in “Cat,” use the partial phonetics based on Moelk’s system; An apostrophe (’) means an emphasis, and a colon (:) means the sound is drawn out. Good luck!

Murmur Pattern

1. Purr (’hrn-rhn-’hrn-rhn)

2. Request or Greeting (’mhrn’hr’hrn)

3. Call (’mhrn)

4. Acknowledgment or Confirmation (’mhng)

Vowel Patterns

1. Demand (’mhrn-a’:ou)

2. Begging Demand (’mhrn-a:ou:)

3. Bewilderment (’maou?)

4. Complaint (’mhng-a:ou)

5. Mating Cry - mild form (’mhrn-a:ou)

6. Anger Wail (wa:ou:)

Strained Intensity Patterns

1. Growl and Anger Wail

2. Snarl

3. Mating Cry (intense form)

4. Pain Scream

5. Refusal Rasp

6. Spitting

While many experts agree that a cat’s vocalizations are meant to communicate specific messages, they are still not sure exactly what cats are saying!  It is also believed that a cat’s meow is meant to manipulate their human into doing whatever they think the meow might mean. So, try speaking to your cat in their own language tonight and see what happens. We are interested to find out! For now, we will ask if any of our kitty guests have any ’mhng-a:ou (complaints) so we can quickly see to them, so we hear nothing but ’hrn-rhn-’hrn-rhn (purrs) from the catteries!

Source: Cat Channel