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Cat with weak meow

post #1 of 7
10/1/11 at 7:10pm
Thread Starter 
First time poster here, glad to finally be registered here on the forums. Quick question though.

My cat has a very weak meow. It's always been like this since we picked her up from the Shelter (one of the main reasons we picked her because it was so cute). It's not due to her being sick but I've always been somewhat curious. If she's far enough away you can see her mouth open as if she's meowing but no sound. Close up you can hear the air pushing out but its just this tiny little squeek, almost sounding like her throat is dry.

I browsed a couple of websites online and the most common thing I found is that if cats are separated from their mothers too early they may not learn how to do it correctly. I guess its possible since she was very young when we got her from the shelter, but would appreciate any other insight you guys have for me.

Oh, she also had gotten sick from the shelter she was staying at, but got better about a week or so after we took her home. I believe it was some type of virus. All I remember was a lot of sneezing and mucus on my pillows and clothes Any chance that could have caused something?
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post #2 of 7
10/1/11 at 7:26pm
One of my cats also has a very low meow. I only saw her when she was over a year old and pregnant. Her one daughter has same meow and the other 4 now adult kids have regular sounding meows
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post #3 of 7
10/1/11 at 7:43pm
Some cats are just louder than others. A few will have meows that are so loud you can hear them on the other side of the house. A few, like yours, will have tiny little squeaks or even use mostly silent meows, where they open their mouths and look at you and you can see they're mewing but can't hear anything.

I think it's just a matter of the variation between cats. Christy does the silent-meow quite a lot, and she knows it's cute. I bet yours knows how cute she is, too.
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post #4 of 7
10/1/11 at 10:04pm
Our Claire does this. Every since she first came to us she has the quietest, funniest cries. She doesn't cry very often but she opens her mouth and looks like it though nothing comes out. It is adorable.
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post #5 of 7
10/1/11 at 10:20pm
Harley (who was bottle fed) did this for years. I think maybe it is something they learn from their moms. He would open his mouth and nothing would come out. It took probably 4 years before he would actually meow. Maybe you're baby is just a quiet one?
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post #6 of 7
10/2/11 at 2:02am
Our cats are brother and sister. As young cats, of course, they both had very small voices, but their voices have grown up with them -- but differently. Clyde has a pretty powerful voice, and his miaow can fill the house. He also has a trick, when he's bored or just wants attention, of giving the most heart-rending wail imaginable. Bonnie, on the other hand, chirrups and warbles quietly more than she mews; but when she wants to know where I am and can't be bothered to search the house, she'll sit in the stairwell which has a nice echo and give a fairly decent shout.

It's interesting that when Clyde calls us, he uses a falling intonation, while Bonnie uses a rising intonation.

I think the point is that cats' voices are as individual as their personalities.
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post #7 of 7
10/2/11 at 5:35am
Cosette has a tiny meow, too. In fact, it often sounds more like a chirp sometimes. It definitely fits her dainty frame. Some cats are just quieter than others.

My cats are like rewboss's -- Cosette has a falling intonation, while McGee has a rising intonation. So funny!
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