Re: Broken meower

[Karen Chuplis]

in article , Marek Williams at
wrote on 9/4/03 7:31 PM:

> Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>
> There is a stray I am in the process of adopting. When I started with
> him he was semi-feral. He wouldn't let anyone get close enough to
> touch him. If anyone was successful in touching him he hissed at them
> and lashed out with claws and mouth.
>
> After a month of playing the cat-whisperer, I have gotten him to the
> point where he loves to have me pet him, rub his ears, and talk to
> him. He comes running, tail in the air, as soon as he sees me coming.
> He's actually starting to act just like a cat. I have a ways to go,
> and there are other worries -- like when I get him to my house will he
> understand about litter boxes and such. No way to tell yet.

It's pretty instinctual. When the time comes, mix regular dirt in with the
litter and slowly let litter take over.
>
> In the meantime, I am curious because he never meows. He's been around
> the neighborhood for several years, and no one has ever heard him
> meow. He doesn't even try. His sole vocal ability seems to be hissing
> and purring. If he lost his voice at some time, I would think he would
> still make the attempt, even if nothing came out. He doesn't growl
> either. I've never heard of a mute cat. Has anyone else?
>
> --
> Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

I had a cat that did not meow. Until he got stuck in the trunk of a car one
time. It was enough to be heard, but I never heard him meow any other time
and we had him a long time.

Karen

[William Hamblen]

In article >, Marek Williams wrote:

> Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?

I had a cat that hardly ever mewed. He would tune up when he was in
distress, as when he was in his carrier for a trip to the vet. Then he
sounded like a case of cat abuse. Otherwise, not a peep. When he wanted
something he would sit and stare at you. Long hair breeds tend to be
quieter than short hair breeds. Some kinds of cats like the Chartreaux
cat have the reputation of not "talking."

[William Hamblen]

In article >, Marek Williams wrote:

> Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?

I had a cat that hardly ever mewed. He would tune up when he was in
distress, as when he was in his carrier for a trip to the vet. Then he
sounded like a case of cat abuse. Otherwise, not a peep. When he wanted
something he would sit and stare at you. Long hair breeds tend to be
quieter than short hair breeds. Some kinds of cats like the Chartreaux
cat have the reputation of not "talking."

[Rona Yuthasastrakosol]

"William Hamblen" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
>
> I had a cat that hardly ever mewed. He would tune up when he was in
> distress, as when he was in his carrier for a trip to the vet. Then he
> sounded like a case of cat abuse. Otherwise, not a peep. When he wanted
> something he would sit and stare at you.

That's exactly what my cat does! She's the only cat I've had that does it,
too. It's quite disturbing, actually. She can stare without blinking (like
most cats, I guess) for a very long time. And she stares so intently, as
well. Last night she wanted to sleep on my bed but wouldn't while I was
still awake. She sat next to my bed and stared at me until I turned off my
lights turned my back to her. She jumped up right away and made her little
nest beside my head. She's a strange one, she is.

>Long hair breeds tend to be
> quieter than short hair breeds. Some kinds of cats like the Chartreaux
> cat have the reputation of not "talking."
>

Kitty is a DSH. I think she doesn't talk much because she was a stray for
so long, then stuck at the humane society. I watched a segment on a science
show about cats. They said cats in the wild rarely meow, and domestic cats
rarely meow unless they are around humans. The current thought is that
domestic cats have more developed vocal systems in order to get what they
need from humans. The researchers also noted that cats in shelters who meow
(especially plaintively) tend to attract more attention than cats that don't
meow. I'm thinking that's why Kitty was there for so long (3 long months!).
The first time I saw her she was in the top row, just staring at me and not
a sound came from her.

I think I've mentioned this here before, but the same researchers noted that
humans rely heavily on visual clues to understand cats' meows. Contrary to
what most humans believe, they can't really understand what their cats want
by listening to their meows.

rona

[Rona Yuthasastrakosol]

"William Hamblen" > wrote in message
hlink.net...
>
> I had a cat that hardly ever mewed. He would tune up when he was in
> distress, as when he was in his carrier for a trip to the vet. Then he
> sounded like a case of cat abuse. Otherwise, not a peep. When he wanted
> something he would sit and stare at you.

That's exactly what my cat does! She's the only cat I've had that does it,
too. It's quite disturbing, actually. She can stare without blinking (like
most cats, I guess) for a very long time. And she stares so intently, as
well. Last night she wanted to sleep on my bed but wouldn't while I was
still awake. She sat next to my bed and stared at me until I turned off my
lights turned my back to her. She jumped up right away and made her little
nest beside my head. She's a strange one, she is.

>Long hair breeds tend to be
> quieter than short hair breeds. Some kinds of cats like the Chartreaux
> cat have the reputation of not "talking."
>

Kitty is a DSH. I think she doesn't talk much because she was a stray for
so long, then stuck at the humane society. I watched a segment on a science
show about cats. They said cats in the wild rarely meow, and domestic cats
rarely meow unless they are around humans. The current thought is that
domestic cats have more developed vocal systems in order to get what they
need from humans. The researchers also noted that cats in shelters who meow
(especially plaintively) tend to attract more attention than cats that don't
meow. I'm thinking that's why Kitty was there for so long (3 long months!).
The first time I saw her she was in the top row, just staring at me and not
a sound came from her.

I think I've mentioned this here before, but the same researchers noted that
humans rely heavily on visual clues to understand cats' meows. Contrary to
what most humans believe, they can't really understand what their cats want
by listening to their meows.

rona

[Woof B]

>In the meantime, I am curious because he never meows. He's been around
>the neighborhood for several years, and no one has ever heard him
>meow. He doesn't even try. His sole vocal ability seems to be hissing
>and purring. If he lost his voice at some time, I would think he would
>still make the attempt, even if nothing came out. He doesn't growl
>either. I've never heard of a mute cat. Has anyone else?
Most books on cat behaviour seem to say that miaowing is a *learned*
behaviour for *pet* cats. Cats, left to themselves, would vocalise a lot
for sexual behaviour but not for social behaviour. I've also read that
cat vocalisations among-themselves are too high for us to hear. It's
assumed that on discovering that the Large Hairless Tin-Opener cannot
understand tail/ear talk, they learned to put their voice into a lower
register.

Our Murray (sadly missing) would miaow for feeding and in distress, but
would generally not miaow to go out (had flap, preferred to have the
door opened). He would just sit in the hall and stare at the door
intently.
--
Woof B

[Woof B]

>In the meantime, I am curious because he never meows. He's been around
>the neighborhood for several years, and no one has ever heard him
>meow. He doesn't even try. His sole vocal ability seems to be hissing
>and purring. If he lost his voice at some time, I would think he would
>still make the attempt, even if nothing came out. He doesn't growl
>either. I've never heard of a mute cat. Has anyone else?
Most books on cat behaviour seem to say that miaowing is a *learned*
behaviour for *pet* cats. Cats, left to themselves, would vocalise a lot
for sexual behaviour but not for social behaviour. I've also read that
cat vocalisations among-themselves are too high for us to hear. It's
assumed that on discovering that the Large Hairless Tin-Opener cannot
understand tail/ear talk, they learned to put their voice into a lower
register.

Our Murray (sadly missing) would miaow for feeding and in distress, but
would generally not miaow to go out (had flap, preferred to have the
door opened). He would just sit in the hall and stare at the door
intently.
--
Woof B

[IBen Getiner]

Marek Williams > wrote in message >...
> Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>
> There is a stray I am in the process of adopting. When I started with
> him he was semi-feral. He wouldn't let anyone get close enough to
> touch him. If anyone was successful in touching him he hissed at them
> and lashed out with claws and mouth.
>
> After a month of playing the cat-whisperer, I have gotten him to the
> point where he loves to have me pet him, rub his ears, and talk to
> him. He comes running, tail in the air, as soon as he sees me coming.
> He's actually starting to act just like a cat. I have a ways to go,
> and there are other worries -- like when I get him to my house will he
> understand about litter boxes and such. No way to tell yet.
>
> In the meantime, I am curious because he never meows. He's been around
> the neighborhood for several years, and no one has ever heard him
> meow. He doesn't even try. His sole vocal ability seems to be hissing
> and purring. If he lost his voice at some time, I would think he would
> still make the attempt, even if nothing came out. He doesn't growl
> either. I've never heard of a mute cat. Has anyone else?

Our cat never meows. I've never heard him do it (he did hiss once,
though). What the little boy does do is to 'argue' with either me or
my wife when he is ordered away for the nite (away to his own seperate
bedroom where his active enjoyment of the nitelife will not disturb
our sleep, that is). Anyway, when he is told "Chop-Chop!!" (he knows
this means away to bed), as he trots by, he will 'mouth' little
sounds, almost like he is back-talking us! It's so funny! Sometimes,
he goes on and on as he jumps off the bed and makes for his exile.
I've never heard of an animal back-talking before. He's so cute!



IBen

[IBen Getiner]

Marek Williams > wrote in message >...
> Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>
> There is a stray I am in the process of adopting. When I started with
> him he was semi-feral. He wouldn't let anyone get close enough to
> touch him. If anyone was successful in touching him he hissed at them
> and lashed out with claws and mouth.
>
> After a month of playing the cat-whisperer, I have gotten him to the
> point where he loves to have me pet him, rub his ears, and talk to
> him. He comes running, tail in the air, as soon as he sees me coming.
> He's actually starting to act just like a cat. I have a ways to go,
> and there are other worries -- like when I get him to my house will he
> understand about litter boxes and such. No way to tell yet.
>
> In the meantime, I am curious because he never meows. He's been around
> the neighborhood for several years, and no one has ever heard him
> meow. He doesn't even try. His sole vocal ability seems to be hissing
> and purring. If he lost his voice at some time, I would think he would
> still make the attempt, even if nothing came out. He doesn't growl
> either. I've never heard of a mute cat. Has anyone else?

Our cat never meows. I've never heard him do it (he did hiss once,
though). What the little boy does do is to 'argue' with either me or
my wife when he is ordered away for the nite (away to his own seperate
bedroom where his active enjoyment of the nitelife will not disturb
our sleep, that is). Anyway, when he is told "Chop-Chop!!" (he knows
this means away to bed), as he trots by, he will 'mouth' little
sounds, almost like he is back-talking us! It's so funny! Sometimes,
he goes on and on as he jumps off the bed and makes for his exile.
I've never heard of an animal back-talking before. He's so cute!



IBen

[bewtifulfreak]

Thank you, Rona and Woof, for that fascinating info, I don't remember ever
hearing that about cats not meowing much in the wild (though I had heard
about the higher register thing, which explains why sometimes my cats meow,
and it looks like they've got laryngitis and nothing's coming out)! Really
interesting stuff, thanks again for sharing. :)

Ann

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

[bewtifulfreak]

Thank you, Rona and Woof, for that fascinating info, I don't remember ever
hearing that about cats not meowing much in the wild (though I had heard
about the higher register thing, which explains why sometimes my cats meow,
and it looks like they've got laryngitis and nothing's coming out)! Really
interesting stuff, thanks again for sharing. :)

Ann

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

[Linda Terrell]

On Fri, 5 Sep 2003 13:40:56 UTC, "bewtifulfreak"
> wrote:

> Thank you, Rona and Woof, for that fascinating info, I don't remember ever
> hearing that about cats not meowing much in the wild (though I had heard
> about the higher register thing, which explains why sometimes my cats meow,
> and it looks like they've got laryngitis and nothing's coming out)! Really
> interesting stuff, thanks again for sharing. :)
>
> Ann
>
> http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

I recall reading once, maybe in here, that cats don't
"meow" normally. It is something they do only for us!
Mostly cats hiss and cough and purr, and "rrrrt"

LT

--

[Linda Terrell]

On Fri, 5 Sep 2003 13:40:56 UTC, "bewtifulfreak"
> wrote:

> Thank you, Rona and Woof, for that fascinating info, I don't remember ever
> hearing that about cats not meowing much in the wild (though I had heard
> about the higher register thing, which explains why sometimes my cats meow,
> and it looks like they've got laryngitis and nothing's coming out)! Really
> interesting stuff, thanks again for sharing. :)
>
> Ann
>
> http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

I recall reading once, maybe in here, that cats don't
"meow" normally. It is something they do only for us!
Mostly cats hiss and cough and purr, and "rrrrt"

LT

--

[Pete G. Wilcox]

In article >,
Marek Williams > wrote:

> Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>
> There is a stray I am in the process of adopting. When I started with
> him he was semi-feral. He wouldn't let anyone get close enough to
> touch him. If anyone was successful in touching him he hissed at them
> and lashed out with claws and mouth.
>
> After a month of playing the cat-whisperer, I have gotten him to the
> point where he loves to have me pet him, rub his ears, and talk to
> him. He comes running, tail in the air, as soon as he sees me coming.
> He's actually starting to act just like a cat. I have a ways to go,
> and there are other worries -- like when I get him to my house will he
> understand about litter boxes and such. No way to tell yet.
>
> In the meantime, I am curious because he never meows. He's been around
> the neighborhood for several years, and no one has ever heard him
> meow. He doesn't even try. His sole vocal ability seems to be hissing
> and purring. If he lost his voice at some time, I would think he would
> still make the attempt, even if nothing came out. He doesn't growl
> either. I've never heard of a mute cat. Has anyone else?
>
> --
> Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.



Our family's first cat Peanut (female) meowed rarely..aside from meowing
to let us know that it was time to eat OR if she wanted to be let
outside. Shortly after her passing we got Ted (now also gone) from the
local SPCA/animal shelter. He had a meow for everything! He reminded
me of those people that just like to hear themselves talk? LOL! Anyway
great cat..sadly missed.

PGW

[Pete G. Wilcox]

In article >,
Marek Williams > wrote:

> Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>
> There is a stray I am in the process of adopting. When I started with
> him he was semi-feral. He wouldn't let anyone get close enough to
> touch him. If anyone was successful in touching him he hissed at them
> and lashed out with claws and mouth.
>
> After a month of playing the cat-whisperer, I have gotten him to the
> point where he loves to have me pet him, rub his ears, and talk to
> him. He comes running, tail in the air, as soon as he sees me coming.
> He's actually starting to act just like a cat. I have a ways to go,
> and there are other worries -- like when I get him to my house will he
> understand about litter boxes and such. No way to tell yet.
>
> In the meantime, I am curious because he never meows. He's been around
> the neighborhood for several years, and no one has ever heard him
> meow. He doesn't even try. His sole vocal ability seems to be hissing
> and purring. If he lost his voice at some time, I would think he would
> still make the attempt, even if nothing came out. He doesn't growl
> either. I've never heard of a mute cat. Has anyone else?
>
> --
> Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.



Our family's first cat Peanut (female) meowed rarely..aside from meowing
to let us know that it was time to eat OR if she wanted to be let
outside. Shortly after her passing we got Ted (now also gone) from the
local SPCA/animal shelter. He had a meow for everything! He reminded
me of those people that just like to hear themselves talk? LOL! Anyway
great cat..sadly missed.

PGW

[susan chen]

Yes, I had a kitty that rarely mewed--and when she did it was a
hoarse croaky sound. She was just a pound pussy, Siamese mix.
very affectionate, purred loud and long

I read once, that meowing is an attempt to "talk" to humans.. . .
That cats don't meow to one another as a form of communication.

William Hamblen wrote:
> In article >, Marek Williams wrote:
>
>
>>Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>
>
> I had a cat that hardly ever mewed. He would tune up when he was in
> distress, as when he was in his carrier for a trip to the vet. Then he
> sounded like a case of cat abuse. Otherwise, not a peep. When he wanted
> something he would sit and stare at you. Long hair breeds tend to be
> quieter than short hair breeds. Some kinds of cats like the Chartreaux
> cat have the reputation of not "talking."
>

[susan chen]

Yes, I had a kitty that rarely mewed--and when she did it was a
hoarse croaky sound. She was just a pound pussy, Siamese mix.
very affectionate, purred loud and long

I read once, that meowing is an attempt to "talk" to humans.. . .
That cats don't meow to one another as a form of communication.

William Hamblen wrote:
> In article >, Marek Williams wrote:
>
>
>>Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>
>
> I had a cat that hardly ever mewed. He would tune up when he was in
> distress, as when he was in his carrier for a trip to the vet. Then he
> sounded like a case of cat abuse. Otherwise, not a peep. When he wanted
> something he would sit and stare at you. Long hair breeds tend to be
> quieter than short hair breeds. Some kinds of cats like the Chartreaux
> cat have the reputation of not "talking."
>

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 20:05:31 -0700, susan chen >
wrote:
>Yes, I had a kitty that rarely mewed--and when she did it was a
>hoarse croaky sound. She was just a pound pussy, Siamese mix.
>very affectionate, purred loud and long
>I read once, that meowing is an attempt to "talk" to humans.. . .
>That cats don't meow to one another as a form of communication.
>William Hamblen wrote:
>> In article >, Marek Williams wrote:
>>
>>>Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>>
>> I had a cat that hardly ever mewed. He would tune up when he was in
>> distress, as when he was in his carrier for a trip to the vet. Then he
>> sounded like a case of cat abuse. Otherwise, not a peep. When he wanted
>> something he would sit and stare at you. Long hair breeds tend to be
>> quieter than short hair breeds. Some kinds of cats like the Chartreaux
>> cat have the reputation of not "talking."
Mr Spock is a frequent meower. When its time for dinner its like I
haven't fed him in weeks, maybe years, and he's got to direct me at
every step of the way. On the way to the vet its meowing time
literally all the way there, quiet as a mouse while at the vet, and
then meowing again all the way home.

Missy on the other hand is a very quiet kitty who hardly ever meowed
at all. Lately she has started to meow with a heartbreaking poor
little kitty meow, sure to get a response from me. She's doing it
more now, either because of Mr. Spock's constant conversation, or more
likely from the success of her efforts in getting attention this way.

Swyck

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 20:05:31 -0700, susan chen >
wrote:
>Yes, I had a kitty that rarely mewed--and when she did it was a
>hoarse croaky sound. She was just a pound pussy, Siamese mix.
>very affectionate, purred loud and long
>I read once, that meowing is an attempt to "talk" to humans.. . .
>That cats don't meow to one another as a form of communication.
>William Hamblen wrote:
>> In article >, Marek Williams wrote:
>>
>>>Has anyone ever run into a cat that never meows?
>>
>> I had a cat that hardly ever mewed. He would tune up when he was in
>> distress, as when he was in his carrier for a trip to the vet. Then he
>> sounded like a case of cat abuse. Otherwise, not a peep. When he wanted
>> something he would sit and stare at you. Long hair breeds tend to be
>> quieter than short hair breeds. Some kinds of cats like the Chartreaux
>> cat have the reputation of not "talking."
Mr Spock is a frequent meower. When its time for dinner its like I
haven't fed him in weeks, maybe years, and he's got to direct me at
every step of the way. On the way to the vet its meowing time
literally all the way there, quiet as a mouse while at the vet, and
then meowing again all the way home.

Missy on the other hand is a very quiet kitty who hardly ever meowed
at all. Lately she has started to meow with a heartbreaking poor
little kitty meow, sure to get a response from me. She's doing it
more now, either because of Mr. Spock's constant conversation, or more
likely from the success of her efforts in getting attention this way.

Swyck