Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search
 

packman

(16,296 posts)
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 12:11 PM Nov 2020

Meow-MEOW- meeeooww- (why do cats meow)



Every day your cat walks into your office, looks at you indignantly and utters a despondent "meooow." You may not speak cat, but her meaning is clear: "You haven't fed me yet, you monster!"

House cats are unique in the way they use their voices to communicate with their human companions — they rarely meow at one another. So what makes our feline friends so chatty with us?


....
Because these ancestral cats rarely encountered other members of their own species, they didn’t need to use their voices to communicate. Instead, these wild cats communicated through their sense of smell, or by rubbing against or urinating on objects like trees. That way, cats didn't have to come face-to-face with other feisty felines in order to send a message. That's still largely the way cats communicate with one another...
... humans don't have nearly as fine-turned a sense of smell as felines. (And we're unlikely to appreciate a cat spraying urine all over a new sofa.) So, cats communicate with their humans in the way that is most likely to get them what they want: by meowing. "They're manipulative," Wright said. "Vocal communication becomes a tool."

The answer has to do with domestication, experts told Live Science.










https://www.livescience.com/why-cats-meow.html
6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Meow-MEOW- meeeooww- (why do cats meow) (Original Post) packman Nov 2020 OP
Cats also understand the concept of being conspicuous. House of Roberts Nov 2020 #1
Or for house cats wryter2000 Nov 2020 #3
I'm no expert wryter2000 Nov 2020 #2
My two cats are the exact opposites. procon Nov 2020 #4
I think it has something to do with the fact that... 2naSalit Nov 2020 #5
Some do just like to talk - my boy and I will go Kashkakat v.2.0 Nov 2020 #6

House of Roberts

(5,122 posts)
1. Cats also understand the concept of being conspicuous.
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 12:18 PM
Nov 2020

They know you'll notice them if they're in your lap, especially purring. Once noticed, they will do whatever works to get that meal or treat. I respond well to a gentle foot touching my nose. I can't resist that.

wryter2000

(46,016 posts)
3. Or for house cats
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 01:19 PM
Nov 2020

Walking on your face in the morning when they want to be fed. My husband and I learned how to sleep, sort of, with our faces off the side of the bed.

wryter2000

(46,016 posts)
2. I'm no expert
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 01:17 PM
Nov 2020

But it seems to me kittens do meow at their mothers. Once you've fed a cat, you become its food source, or to a certain degree, its mother. I have two ferals. One is very friendly and will jump into my lap at every opportunity. The other is much shyer. I knew when the shy one started meowing at me it was becoming friendly. It will now come to my hand to be petted if I'm sitting down. It won't come near me if I'm standing up.

procon

(15,805 posts)
4. My two cats are the exact opposites.
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 01:44 PM
Nov 2020

My littlest cat has this loud, high pitched, ear splitting shriek that she directs at me whenever she wants canned cat food, which is about every hour throughout the day. For some blessed reason she mostly clocks out of screeching for food after sunset.

Me other kitty is a big chonker at over twice the size of his housemate. He hardly ever makes a sound and when he does it's a faint, breathy hum. He gets my attention by sitting in front of me and giving me intense, big eyed stares that make him look so sad and needy.

I live to serve my feline overlords.

2naSalit

(86,061 posts)
5. I think it has something to do with the fact that...
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 01:55 PM
Nov 2020

Humans communicate with vocalizations, they see this and learn to adapt according to what they recognize about their humans.

Kashkakat v.2.0

(1,752 posts)
6. Some do just like to talk - my boy and I will go
Mon Nov 30, 2020, 02:45 PM
Nov 2020

back and forth for a really long time - I get tired of it long before he does>

He says "mrup," I say "mrup," he says "mrup," and it goes on and on like that. Its like two old friends who dont have anything new to say but just babble on and on repeating themselves about things they'e talked about twenty times before.... just because they enjoy each other's company.

Latest Discussions»The DU Lounge»Meow-MEOW- meeeooww- (why...