Feline Communication

Lecture Notes

There are three types of vocalizations that we are going to look at: murmur patterns, vowel patterns, and strained intensity sounds. The most common murmur pattern is the purr. This occurs when kittens are only a few days old, and cats can also purr when they are severely injured. Another type of murmur is the feline trill. This is an acknowledgement pattern usually directed towards humans or another cat in their social group.

A vowel pattern is the meow. Usually this is when the cat's mouth is open and then closed. This can also be used as a greeting, anger wail, request for food or going outside. Cats rarely meow to each other, actually. The meow is typically directed towards human caretakers.

In terms of strained intensity sounds, this is usually a hiss, which is fear or anxiety related, or a shriek, which is when the cat is especially upset, possibly combined with a hiss and a spit.