Meow, clack, clack, clack!

skewch

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Ok, I just have to post this. My female Devon Rex did something so weird yesterday, and I'm completely baffled. She was in our large picture window in the kitchen and my husband and I could hear this strange noise. I went over to Bonnie and she was watching the birds outside. She would meow, then with her jaws and teeth make this "clack, clack, clack" sound. I have no idea what this might be. She is healthy, no problems with behavior or anything else.

I did see her do this once about a month ago, we thought she was choking or something, and only did it once. Yesterday, it was more than just one mew, clack clack.

Anyone ever hear of this before?? I'm stumped. Never in my life have I seen this in a cat.
 

addiebee

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No worries, Susan. She is perfectly normal. That clacking noise is chattering... they do that when they are honed in on prey!! Sometimes they will make this strange meowy noises ... kind of reh, reh, reh, reeeehhhhh... like air leaking out of the neck of a balloon... ever do that as a kid... you know... squeesquee... squeeeeeee! Some cats described by owners here do a more mrrrrp kind of noise.
 

deedeemay

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My kitty Arwen makes that clacking sound whenever she spots a fly buzzing around her head...she does it when she can't reach it, or it flies away from her.
That same sound is made also when she is preying on the magpies in our garden.
I think it's their way of telling you they have found something really tasty!
 

graciecat

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Mine all make that noise as well.
I heard what I thought was a dog barking in the ally one day...turned out it was Elliott.
He was watching the birds and it really sounded like a dog barking rather than a noise a cat would make.
 
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skewch

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Well, thank goodness it's not unheard of!!!

Thanks everyone for explaining that it's normal and your kitties do it too!! Whew!! I just couldn't believe it. I have 5 cats and she's the only one that does it, and they all watch the birds

Anyways, thanks sooooo much for clarifying the behavior as "normal" LOL

Susan
 

paulena

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Mine all do that chattering too! I think it is so cute to hear them do that, their lil jaws are moving ninety to nothing, and their tails are swishing around and around!!
 

audiocat

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Originally Posted by Paulena

Mine all do that chattering too! I think it is so cute to hear them do that, their lil jaws are moving ninety to nothing, and their tails are swishing around and around!!
Forrest does the tail thing along with chattering too. Thank goodness he is fed by us because he'd scare off anything he'd try to catch in the wild with that tail.

My husband and I call it "uncontrollable tail" and it never ceases to leave us rolling on the floor laughing. It swishes, shakes and jerks around unnaturally fast. We've had lots of cats and never seen one with a tail this spastic. If Forrest is by a window, his tail will be hitting against the window pane and of course, whatever he his looking at always runs off. Sometimes even he seems surprised by that "wiggly thing" behind him and will turn around and chase his tail for a bit.
 
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skewch

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Wow, it's amazing how many cats do this! I swear, I have had cats all my life and I'm pushing 40 in a year and never have seen this besides in Bonnie! Bonnie did wag her tail pretty hard when she was doing this clacking yesterday. I just noticed my window looks like we own a dog, its all full of nose marks LOLOL.

I wanted to get a video of it, but I have no idea where the video camera is, everything has been shoved and moved into storage while we are showing our house.

Thanks all for sharing!!

Susan
 

xocats

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I love that sound....
I call it chirping.
 
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