Soft spoken kitty?

I have two cats, gray tabbies, who can meow! Wow, it sounds like I have a siamese on the loose. But my little black cat, Rueben, is so quiet. He squeaks more than anything. Every once in a while, he'll give a quiet little "mew", but he has never, ever, meowed even so loud that you can hear him in the next room. When he was a kitten, I thought it was normal, but he's over a year old now and he still mostly just squeaks. He's so laid back. He also never demands food or attention like my tabbies (yes, I do feed them, just not 46 times a day). He appreciates it, and he'll always come to me if I call him, and always when I'm talking on the phone (he thinks I'm talking to him). But I could ignore him for days and he wouldn't seem to mind (I don't ignore him for days, but I could). He also doesn't play much. I try to get him to, but he just doesn't. He'll play with the other cats some, until they get too rough. I'm wondering if his mellow attitude has anything to do with getting his shots as a baby. He stopped eating for a week and almost died (I ended up force feeding him). He is not fully vaccinated because I refuse to go through that again.

Any thoughts? Or is he just mellow?

Dawn

If all his behaviors are normal, eating, drinking, peeing and pooping in the box, then I wouldn't worry about him. Some cats are more laid back than others, it has to do with genetics mostly and how they were brought up by momcat.

As I type, my blue persian is howling his head off like a maniac, and little persian girlie Fifi is just uttering the odd squeak. It's all she ever does and she's just fine.

Some cats are vocal and others hardly talk. I don't think there's anything too wrong with Reuben from what you say. However if you have any concerns at all maybe just get the vet to give him the once-over?

that's what I figured, just wondering.

I got him from the shelter at 4 months old. I went in knowing what I wanted. I wanted a long haired kitty, something of a ragdoll type, or big and fluffy and orange. Most of the cats are in cages, but one, a little short haired black kitten. I picked him up while looking at the others. I didn't put him back down (even though there was a little longhaired orange kitten).

Henrietta squeeks, Jake mews like a kitten, I only remember Carmella meowing once, Hallie has kind of a low pitched squeek. Princess has a "normal" meow. Not quiet, not loud!

Sounds like our puppy Fatty boi, he never even once barked! I couldn't believe it, he looked so tough and mean but no sometiems a bit of wimpering but never a bark.

All my cats range in "voice", sophie is extremely vocal and elmo is normally pretty quiet. Yogi only ever once or twice squeked.. Cats can be strange!

Nope I think your kitty is normal but if you're really concerned just take him for a check up!

hugs!

I had a huge red tabby boy that was like that. I found him as a sick, abandoned infant, and he grew to be the most laid back mellow cat I have ever had. As long as there was food in the feeder and a soft place to nap, he never was a bother at all. He also had the meow of a tiny kitten.

Maybe their "voice-boxes" never grow?

I'm pretty out of touch with cats vocal ablities, never really learnt much about it.. If anyone has anything to share on the matter I'd be interested.

Squirt meows until I need to take an aspirin, but Joey can't get out anything more than a squeak either.

meow meow usually doesn't quite talk unless she's hungry... but boy boy sounds like a trumpet... your kitty might be just laid back... just like some ppl.. they dun care abt anything in the world... maybe that's how your kitty is really like.. a low maintenance kitty..

My big boy, Buddy, has tiny, little squeak. I figure that's just the way that he came. That squeak is part of what attracted me, when I found him at the Humane society. He's a big, strapping healthy longhair and, if he wants to squeak - fine by me!

Over the years, I have had several large, neutered males who squeaked. I just figure that they are reincarnated castrati from centuries past.

Leo rarely makes a sound. There have been times when he has been locked in a closet overnight and we have never heard him meow! So when I havent seen him in over an hour I make sure to check all the closets hehe. He's a big boy too and when I first adopted him I thought he was mute! LOL. I only ever hear him meow unless he wants food or when he chatters when he looks out of the window. I dont really like talkers anyway to he suits me fine

Berkley talks alot. I really think that she thinks she is speaking English sometimes. The sounds she makes are different for every situation Sterling talks sometimes but not alot. Coco is really soft spoken, she meows when it is canned food time but it comes out as a little dainty meow. Sasha makes strange noises, not meows but chirps and squeaks-odd! Peaches has a loud raspy meow, sounds like "MOW". So cute!

Originally posted by katl8e
Over the years, I have had several large, neutered males who squeaked. I just figure that they are reincarnated castrati from centuries past.

Click to expand...

LOL! That sounds like my Dad's outdoors cat AJ. I like to call him a Mike Tyson cat-he looks like a bruiser but has the tiniest squeakiest voice.

My Old Lady Shasta was such a loudmouth that we were sure there was some Siamese in her background -- not a particularly attractive voice either. Then Gryphon and Nibs came to our house. Nibs was a Siamese, and had the voice and the vocal habits -- made Shasta seem almost reticent. On the other hand, Gryph -- big mackerel tabby -- was a cat of few words, and all of them softspoken. So, at that point, we would have said he was the exception.

After Gryph and Shasta died, Suzy and Samantha joined our family. Sam was insistent, to be sure, but not loud, and Suzy's squeak was barely audible until she was probably two years old. Even now, it's pretty little.

Cindy and Fawn have tiny voices, Fawn's is almost breathy, and they really don't have a great deal to say, except when I have food dishes in hand and ask if they're hungry.

So, by now, I'm just getting used to the possibility that tiny is NORMAL in kitty voices.

All of which is to say, if everything else seems normal, I wouldn't give it another thought, except to enjoy the individuality of the cat.