Problem miaowing by your cat may actually be caused more by your failure to get the message, than the animal’s attempt to simply annoy you. In fact, the reason your cat may be keeping it up is because it feels that you are just not listening. Cats generally communicate by using a variety of sounds, from contented purrs that express their pleasure to low menacing growls as well as hissing when they are angry or frightened. Both of which are pretty easy to understand. However, miaows actually can have a variety of meanings, depending on the “tone” in which it is uttered. These can include, “let me out” (or in),”come see the nice dead mouse I caught for you,” “I’m hungry,” and even a simple, ”what’s happening.” It can also mean that the animal is lonely and in need of attention and/or more companionship, especially if left alone for most of the day.
However, if its is more of a persistent “yowl” than miaow, it could mean that the animal is actually in some sort of pain or emotional distress, and probably should be taken to the vet. This can include simply being in heat (which can generally be cured by either having the animal spayed or neutered) or an injury that requires immediate attention.
The key to understanding just what is going on is to pay more attention to its body language accompanying the vocalizations. In addition to miaowing, cats can also speak volumes with their eyes, ears and tails. For instance, if its pupils are semi-dilated it means that the animal is feeling defensive or angry, especially if the ears are positioned backwards or sideways. However if the pupils are fully-dialated pupils and the ears are “forward”, it is a sign that the animal is being playful as well as curious about what is going on.
Problem Miaowing Is Often Caused By Impurrfect Communication Between Cats And Their Owners
Posted by Theo Williams in Animals
Problem miaowing by your cat may actually be caused more by your failure to get the message, than the animal’s attempt to simply annoy you. In fact, the reason your cat may be keeping it up is because it feels that you are just not listening. Cats generally communicate by using a variety of sounds, from contented purrs that express their pleasure to low menacing growls as well as hissing when they are angry or frightened. Both of which are pretty easy to understand. However, miaows actually can have a variety of meanings, depending on the “tone” in which it is uttered. These can include, “let me out” (or in),”come see the nice dead mouse I caught for you,” “I’m hungry,” and even a simple, ”what’s happening.” It can also mean that the animal is lonely and in need of attention and/or more companionship, especially if left alone for most of the day.
However, if its is more of a persistent “yowl” than miaow, it could mean that the animal is actually in some sort of pain or emotional distress, and probably should be taken to the vet. This can include simply being in heat (which can generally be cured by either having the animal spayed or neutered) or an injury that requires immediate attention.
The key to understanding just what is going on is to pay more attention to its body language accompanying the vocalizations. In addition to miaowing, cats can also speak volumes with their eyes, ears and tails. For instance, if its pupils are semi-dilated it means that the animal is feeling defensive or angry, especially if the ears are positioned backwards or sideways. However if the pupils are fully-dialated pupils and the ears are “forward”, it is a sign that the animal is being playful as well as curious about what is going on.