Although cats are not able to speak in the traditional sense, they do have very different ways of communicating, and their vocalization allows them to express different forms of “Meows”.
Meowing is the usual sound of a cat and the one it uses directly to get the attention of its guardians and such.
There is no single meaning for our cat’s meow, as they have a wide capacity to feel and many different desires.
However, if we pay attention to our feline, and the frequency with which it “meows”, we will be able to understand what our cat wants to tell us better.
The tone, frequency, and intensity of our cat’s meow will allow us to interpret what he wants to express so we must pay close attention to these things.
We will explain the reasons why a Cat Meows and what it is trying to tell you when it does so. Remember that the meow is really key to understanding the language of our cat.
Table of Contents
What does your cat’s meow mean, why do cats meow?
A cat can meow for many reasons but the main reasons are that it is hungry, it may be hurt, it does not want to be alone, it wants your attention, it is bored or may even be in heat.
Surely you have noticed that your cat has different types of meow sounds to communicate with you.
However, we must start by clarifying that cats not only meow in the presence of humans or their owners but to communicate with other cats.
It is possible that between them they mew less than to communicate with you, but this is because between them they have other ways of expressing what they want; such as their body language, the position of their ears, the size of their pupils or the position of their tail.
Basically, there is also “non-verbal communication” between them.
This means that the meow of a cat means that they are trying to communicate with you, or with others of their kind.(1.)
Now we will tell you about the meows of a cat when it tries to communicate with us, and the different meow meanings to know about.
If you want to really learn how to understand your cat, you should have a look at cat body language explained.
He tries to tell you that something hurts
This is one of the main causes of meowing that we must rule out. If our cat meows constantly throughout the day and for no apparent reason, we must check its physical condition and make sure our little friend is healthy.
We must check that his appearance is fine, that his behavior is not unusual, and rule out that there is no pain or illness.
This is a possible cause if our cat meows a lot.
Maybe I just wanna say “hi”
There really is a big difference between this kind of meow and when you do it because something hurts.
When our cat tries to greet us, we will notice that it does so when we get home, or when it wakes up from a nap and greets us again.
These meows are really short, and easy to identify because they will do it right the moment they see us.
It also happens when we come across our cat at some point, and he takes the opportunity to stop to greet us.
Your cat may be hungry
A meowing cat may try to say it is hungry.
It is possible that she will chase you to every part of the house meowing, and you will have to find out if her problem is due to an empty stomach.
If you have a very whimsical cat (in a good way), it may meow when you’ve served it food to eat and enjoy.
But why do cats meow after having food, and why would it do this if it already has something to eat?
You simply may not like what you see on your plate, and maybe the cat is trying to let you know it does not like the food presented to it. Yes, sometimes cats are picky about food.
If your cat looks unhappy always with the cat food, and meows with a displeased tone then you may want to try giving something else to your cat to eat.
They may go to the refrigerator and meow in front of it, or it may chase you with a meow.
This means that he wants to eat something in particular, And you may have an idea of what your cat really wants to eat already if you think hard enough about it.
This meow will also be easy to interpret, It will sound intense when the cat sees the food on its plate and not happy at all.
They want your attention
They may just want our attention and they want us to play with them.
Cats can get bored and want to get out of the routine with your games and petting.
Some cats are notorious attention seekers and must get their fair share of attention and cuddling throughout their day, and who are we to deny them that.
Make a space next to him or let him lie on you. Surely you have noticed that when your cat sees you working very concentrated in your chair or you are reading, he wishes that he was there with you in some way.
On these occasions, will stop by your side to meow until you have given her the attention she seeks.
Your she-cat is in heat
Cats that are not sterilized will meow constantly at times.
You will notice that when it passes its heat stage or you have sterilized your cat, it will stop meowing for this reason.
You will also notice that if your cat becomes pregnant and has young kittens, it will always have a classic meow. This is done to target their young.
When there is need to communicate with them, it will emit a small meow.
Then, when their young hear this meow, they will immediately wake up and start calling their mom to come feed them.
If the young leave their mother to go to another home, the cat may stay doing these meows for a few more days, trying to find her young ones at home.
Because it’s baby
Just as a cat’s mother meows to find her young one after it has left home, the kittens of a cat will also meow for their mother to find.
When we have a baby cat, we must remember that he has lost his mother and is, therefore, trying to find her.
There are two main factors that influence a baby cat’s meow, the first being that it tries to communicate with its mother, and the second is that it has come to a new and unfamiliar place.
When a cat is in a new environment, it does not know what it is doing there and somehow feels insecure.
If our cat is a baby, we must make sure to create a “safe place” and in this way we prevent the little thing from feeling insecure.
Leave a cardboard box where the cat can see it, and go when it feels like it wants to be in a safe place.
Cats are known for loving boxes, and you can read about just why cats love boxes so much here.
Your cat does not like to be alone
Your cat may not like to be alone for too long.
When this happens you will notice that your cat starts to meow a lot when he realizes that you will leave home soon or he is about to be alone.
When you only live with your cat, and you usually spend a lot of time outside, a good option would be to bring a new companion to your cat.
Remember that cats can suffer from boredom.
When your cat has someone to play with at home, it will stop meowing as frequently and will not become destructive.
Your cat can have infinite reasons to meow really, you must be attentive to its behavior and tone to interpret what it tries to communicate.
Now that we have answered the question of “why do cats meow” and what your cat is trying to tell you, you may also enjoy reading about why cats purr.
