Cat "talking"

[maddysmommy]

My cat is making a silent and audible sound. It isn't a vocal cord involved sound. It is more of her tongue moving in her mouth. She looks like the animals in commercials who look like they are talking. She will just sit there and look at you and talk. I am unable to find anything on the internet about this phenomena. Has anybody heard of this before?

 

[otto]

HI! Welcome!

Sounds like she's chattering which is a common thing for cats and nothing to worry about.

Unless....is this something she has always done, or are you concerned there is something wrong?

 

[otto]

PS...go to youtube, and type "cat chattering" in the search box. Watch some of those videos. Is that what she (what's her name?) is doing?

 

[maddysmommy]

i went to youtube and watching a couple of them and that isn't it. It kind of sounds like when someone is chewing with their mouth open. That kind of smacking noise. And if you look at Maddy directly you can see she is moving her tongue back and forth. Any other ideas?

 

[trillcat]

Hairballs caught in her throat? Bad tooth?

 

[otto]

Originally Posted by maddysmommy

i went to youtube and watching a couple of them and that isn't it. It kind of sounds like when someone is chewing with their mouth open. That kind of smacking noise. And if you look at Maddy directly you can see she is moving her tongue back and forth. Any other ideas?

Hmmm......is this new behavior? I would be worried about dental problems. My advice is a trip to the vet.

 

[fiddledee]

If she'll let you, open her mouth to see if there's anything caught in her teeth or in the back of the mouth that she's trying to dislodge with her tongue/mouth movement.

If she is fine behavior wise, health wise, eating properly, sleeping, using the bathroom, and playing like normal, then I wouldn't rush her to a vet, just mention it on your next visit.

Has this behavior just come up? If not, how long has she been doing it? If it's immediately sprung up without any warning, that would be cause for some concern.

If you notice any other change in behavior such as decreased appetite, sleeping change, health change, or sudden behavior change, or anything else that is just "off" for her, then I would put a call into your vet.

 

[maddysmommy]

i did check her mouth b/c i thought the same thing. there is nothing caught in there and her teeth are beautiful. it is a fairly new behavior. she has been doing it for a couple of weeks, but she doesn't do it all the time. it is very random. maybe we will just make a trip to the vet. i was trying to avoid it b/c i lost my job and she isn't due to go for a little while. she just had checkup in august. thanks everyone for the thoughts. if you think or anything else please let me know ) maddy would appreciate it!