Understanding Cat Language

Cats have their very own language: with sounds, their behavior and their body language , they tell you how they feel. Do you also have a velvet paw that sends you messages? In addition to their ear or tail position, their posture and their eyes, your four-legged friend also communicates with you through a concise purr or meow. Find out how to interpret!

Cat sounds and their meaning: How do cats speak?

Wild cats use their body language and scents rather than sounds, for example to mark or communicate their territory – presumably to avoid sounds being perceived by their enemies. It's different with domestic cats: Domesticated cats have different sounds – each individual sound has its own meaning:

• Meowing: Did you know that cats hardly communicate with each other via cat sounds? They meow almost exclusively at people. There are different situations in which they meow to communicate with you. As a general rule of emotion for cats, if the call duration is long and the frequency is high, you can assume that your cat has negative feelings or feels arousal.
• Purring: Everyone knows and loves the typical purring of a cat! First and foremost, your velvet paw tells you that it is doing well. They also express their well-being among themselves with purrs and make it clear to their fellow cats that they have no bad intentions.
• Cooing: This cat sound is a combination of purring and meowing and is reminiscent of the typical sound of pigeons. Your kitty is signaling to you that she feels comfortable.
• Hissing: The hissing of a cat makes it clear to its counterpart not to come closer. When your kitty makes this cat noise, she feels threatened. The hissing is often accompanied by a cat's hump, bared teeth and bristling hair.
• Crying and whining: With a howl, your velvet paw wants to attract attention. Physical complaints such as hunger, pain or malaise can be behind the whining. But behavioral whining can also occur when your four-legged friend is frustrated, scared or stressed.
• Chattering and growling: Do you know that unusual sound your cat makes when it sees a bird in the sky, for example, and moves its tail back and forth? Some owners would also describe the sound as cackling, babbling or chirping. This cat noise almost always happens when cats spot a prey animal but can't reach it.

A single signal such as meowing does not always give you information about the mood of your velvet paw. Kitties also communicate with people or other animals with their facial expressions and posture, their paws, eyes or their cat tail.

How much do cats understand?

Do you often have the feeling that your house cat understands you when you call for him? You can be right with this feeling: Researchers from Japan have discovered that cats can hear their own name from other words.

• In one test, cats were played different words on a tape.

• The scientists observed that the cats' attention decreased during this time.

• However, when their own name appeared on the tape, many cats responded by moving their heads or ears.

So cats do react to their own name. It is assumed that they associate the word with positive attention – cats are often fed or petted according to the call of their name. These rewards are remembered by the clever velvet paws!

Our cat dictionary: How to understand your cat better