Catdictionary -- Learning Cat Language

[jkrodger]

Originally Posted by GingersMom

The other night, Ginger woke me up at about 5 a.m. with a very loud: "Meow-yow-yow-yow-YOW" that she kept repeating. I ignored her, as I usually do when I'm trying to stay sleeping, and later that morning, I walked around to the side of my bed where she'd been "talking" and found her favorite catnip toy lying there.

She talks to her toys, especially in the wee hours.

I wish I knew what she was being so emphatic about!

My FI's cat at home does this, but she actually does it b/c she's too old to hunt but one of their other cats will occasionally catch a chipmunk or something and present it to the family. The other cat does this type of cry when she "hunts" a pair of socks or a small stuffed animal and wants to present it to the family! This might be what your cat is doing.

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by TrixtersMomma

One thing I have noticed that no one has mentioned here, is my Trixters "I'm gonna be sick" meow. If he is sick to his tummy (he used to throw up often when he was eating dry food) he will say "yaloddle-loddle-loddle" and then throw up.

Its so sad, but it was the same every time, so we knew what was about to happen. Its amazing the different types of sounds they use to communicate, isn't it?

Also, when Trixter is going to the vets, he cries the whole way with long, drawn out crying meows. Those words break my heart!

Trixter sounds like my Pixel - she does both of these, too. she doesn't throw up often, but i hear about it beforehand!

Originally Posted by jkrodger

The other cat does this type of cry when she "hunts" a pair of socks or a small stuffed animal and wants to present it to the family! This might be what your cat is doing.

Pixel also does something like this. she brings her 'ball' to me, meowing VERY loudly all the while. i usually interpret it as wanting me to throw the 'ball' so she can chase it, but sometimes she just seems to want recognition

 

[gingersmom]

Originally Posted by jkrodger

My FI's cat at home does this, but she actually does it b/c she's too old to hunt but one of their other cats will occasionally catch a chipmunk or something and present it to the family. The other cat does this type of cry when she "hunts" a pair of socks or a small stuffed animal and wants to present it to the family! This might be what your cat is doing.

The thing is, Ginger will ONLY make this meow in the wee hours of the night. It is always associated with either a specific catnip toy or with her "baby kitty," the orange tabby Ty Beanie Baby that so many of the TCS kitties seem to have.

I used to assume that she was "yelling" at her baby kitty because it wouldn't play back. Now that we have a REAL baby kitty for her (Ferris, of course) she no longer seems to ever play with her old baby kitty, and instead has turned her night talk to the catnip toy. It is a fuzzy, tiger-striped stuffed rectangle, and she LOVES it.

I recently bought another one for Ferris to play with, and she immediately took it away from him and won't let him play with it.

It isn't that she brings these toys to ME, but she does bring them into my bedroom before putting them down and going into her "Yow-yow-YOW" meow. Then she leaves them there, and off she goes.

Gotta love the furkids!

 

[renny]

Rambo has a language all his own....and i can't figure it out. It doesn't seem to fit with any of the sounds in the dictionary. When he was little he never made a sound, and then suddenly he found his vocal cords but he doesn't sound anything like a cat. He does have one cry that sounds exactly like a little kid yelling 'MMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" Really throws off any of my guests that hear it. And when i answer "yes dear...?" he come running over for scritches.

 

[fats mcgee]

When I fostered I had a kitten who would not wean and would instead attack you in a feeble attempt to get you to give her a bottle and I found that a really good, angry "MMMRRRrrrooowww" would get her to cut it out. Seems effective for kittens that play too rough too.

 

[loveysmummy]

Originally Posted by GloriaJH

Getting to know the signals from each "personality" comes with time. I've learned Phoebe play growls and hisses.

At first when KiKi had Phoebe "pinned", she was both hissing and growling, so, like you, I thought this was a place where I needed to intervene.

But, one time, (I shared this earlier, I think) she was pinned, and growling & hissing - KiKi wasn't giving up - even after me pulling him off several times. So, I actually picked her up to "save her", that's when she protested to me and slapped at ME :-),

I re=thunk my "take" on all her growling and hissing.

(Boy, I got that message loud and clear - "leave us alone, I'm having fun!"

)

I actually think, now, that she's just like a child who screams while she is playing (which can drive you crazy, too) ... - so, now - I just observe, and let them at it.

But it is really scary!

These "vocals" at play are just part of her personality it seems.

But, when KiKi growls, I know this warning means business, and usually it's something I'd better go check out. (He has never growled at the babies, but he makes noises like he's being hurt, and talks to them as he's playing and they're biting at his head.

KiKi purr talks a lot, and I'm beginning to kinda know the different communications - he mostly purr talks just when he's going to do something, or greet me - like before jumping into the bed with me.

I'm hoping he's teaching the babies to purr-talk too, it's so sweet it melts my heart.

Your Phoebe reminds me of my Lovey if she was a grey boy...Just the expression in her face.

Jack is new to the house and is trying to stay out of Rocky's way and for the most part, they get along...except when Jack is walking by Rocky's line of vision a little too quickly...

or if I bend down to give Jack attention and Rocky forgets

that Jack lives here too now....
But its just a pure warning growl as Rocky is always the initiator...The funny thing is that, with humans, Rocky is the dumb as rocks goofy cat who just loves up on you...

Babies in the house...You are so lucky...

It's just so fun to try and figure out your individual cat's personalities...

 

[gloriajh]

Originally Posted by GloriaJH

We need a catdictionary.

That is - communication that the cat teaches us. Mine know several things I say to them, but I only know about two of their "words", or "sign language".

The meows are hard to define, other than things like "I'm hungry" - and then there are several sounds that are definite sounds that let us know it's time to eat.

I've picked up two things, one - a ca-ca-ca sound, - when a bird comes near the window - I learned this from a cat that was my daughter's.
When KiKi arrived, we bird watched together, and when a bird arrived on the bush, I'd mimic him, and he knew what I was telling him. So, whenever I'm at the window by myself and a bird arrives, I start making that sound and KiKi runs to see the bird too. The kittens are just looking at me trying to figure out what I'm doing.

The second thing I learned was using my hand in the "stop" position. I learned this from Phoebe. When the kittens were about 8 weeks, I happen to feed Phoebe first, and Simon tried to "share". Well, this time she wanted the food all for herself, and Simon got the message when she just held up her front paw - as if to push him away. He knew what she meant, so I figured if I did the same when necessary, they, too, would know what I meant.

It works. Sometimes KiKi gets a little too rough with one of the kittens. I go over to them, get KiKi's attention and hold up my hand as if to push him off, and he backs up - off of the kitten. It has worked on every other occassion that I've used it.

I find these things interesting, and I bet others have plenty things they do/say that "communicates" in cat language - do you have something that you might be able to add to the catdictionary?

The two kittens are now 21 months old, and no matter where they are in the house, if they hear me "ca ca ca-ing", they come running to see the bird (or anything else of interest - like a cricket) that I'm alerting them to come and see.

If I were younger I wouldn't have the time to be able to observe these precious Furbabies as much as I do - and, the more I observe, the more amazed I am - three cats, and all three have totally different personalities. Now that my children are grown with their own families and live in other states, it wonderful to have the cats to keep us entertained.

Simon has learned to pat me on the shoulder (when I'm sitting at my computer) to get my attention - for me to follow him - showing me the place where I get their food. If I'm in the kitchen, cooking, or whatever, he gives me "head butts" to alert me he's hungry.

I'm still learning other ways they are trying to communicate their needs, the way they use their body language to communicate.

They seemed to have learned the words "no", and "hot" - and I'm in the process of teaching some of my other words - they are smart creatures that don't seem to get frustrated when I'm not pickin' up what they're puttin' down. :-)