# Felinese--translating kitty talk



## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

My latest Paw Nation article--do your cats agree/disagree with these translations? C'mon, all cats have an opinion. 

http://www.pawnation.com/2011/02/25/cat-behavior-understanding-felinese/


kitten meowing by amyshojai, on Flickr


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I am like a metal to magnet when it comes to a cat thread  

Seems like my cats love to leave a lot of scented "post it notes", they rub and rub and rub  

My older cat has different meows and I can tell exactly what he wants or needs. My hubby just shakes his head. He things they want to be petted each time and he happily obliges  . 

I never had kids for a reason, but my 2 cats I swear are just like children, demanding and exhausting sometimes. Love every minute of them of course. But I sure ended up with 2 cats from opposite spectrums, one is sweet, loving if a bit spoiled and grouchy, and the other is a bad bad kitty.

I mean really bad. He gets into trash, he eats tortillas, he steels ham off my sandwich while I am holding it  . Bad bad boy. 

I love that pic you posted, how cute. Kitty has a goatee


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Well, of course NapCat has to have a say in this conversation !!

Actually, I have a small herd of semi-ferrel ranch cats and have had the opportunity to watch "personalities" pass down through many generations. What has been fascinating is watching older generations train new kittens. As coyotes are a hazard here, the cats actually perform "Fire Drills" where for no apparent reason, someone calls an alarm and the kittens are taught where to run, jump, climb and hide. And yes, there are various purrs, growls, hisses and "songs" among them...particularly between mother and kittens.

The most incredible behavior I have noticed has to do with catnip mice. Some years ago I threw some mini mice out on the deck, and they were very popular for a couple of weeks, then disappeared....I figured lost in the brush or blown away. Months later, when a new batch of kittens came along.....the mice were back !! I have experimented with various colored mice and apparently they are "stored" somewhere and brought out by the adults for the kittens.....incredible !!


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## metal134 (Sep 2, 2010)

Here's how I talk with my cats.  They wrestle, get loud and I yell, "shut the hell up!" and send them scattering off like bats out of hell.


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## D.A. Boulter (Jun 11, 2010)

I've found that my cats can't be so easily classified. Each had its own personality and ways of communicating. Two of my cats (including the present resident) practically whipped me with their tails while I held and petted them. Just WHAP, WHAP, WHAP. And it wasn't as if they were at all upset.  They were free to jump down at any time.  They just lay on my arm and purred while whapping me.  Others didn't do that. One, when entering the kitchen to check out her food bowl would have her ears forward until she saw it was empty then came the ears back look of disgust.  Others, upon seeing their dish empty would sit, look up at me, or engage in different behaviors.

I volunteer at a shelter and one cat would growl at me, but no threat was implied.  It took me a while to get used to it.  He was the only cat I've ever met who would engage in that sort of behavior.  It was like a greeting-growl.

A couple of cats I've had didn't 'chatter' like in the video but would make a k k k k sound.  One made that sound when the across-the-street neighbour cat came into view.  Occasionally, I would see the neighbour cat and make the k k k k sound and she'd immediately jump up on the couch, look out the window, spot the nasty thing and k k k k with me.

Duke would never carry his tail high, no matter his mood, others would.

In general, I'd say your list is pretty accurate, but in particular, you have to learn the language of each cat.


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## coffeetx (Feb 12, 2011)

Great article   I have 2 cats and they could not be more different.  They remind me of Garfield and Odie.  My older cat who is also overweight in spite of the diet we put her on is like Garfield.  My little one who is under a year old is like Odie.  The little one loves to give the older one a hard time.  She wants to play with her.  She jumps on her and swats at her.  Sometimes the older one ignores her but eventually when she's had enoughs he swats back.  As time has gone on, the older one has actually decided to engage in the playing more.  They wrestle.  Sometimes I am not sure if they are fighting or just playing.  I think they are mostly just playing though.  It is very cute to watch especially to see my older kitty finally moving around.  She has started enjoying chasing the other one.  The little can run fast but the older one is bigger so they both have something on the other one!! They are a hoot to watch when they get going.


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

I agree with D.A. Boulter -- Felinese is a very individual thing.  If you compared the "language" of my two cats, the only reasonable conclusion would be that they come from two entirely different cultures/ethnic groups.  Maybe even from two different planets.  

As far as purring -- While it's true that cats purr when they're happy, I've read quite a bit of research that says purring can also be a self-comforting measure, since most cats will purr when they're sick.


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## D.A. Boulter (Jun 11, 2010)

Pawz4me said:


> As far as purring -- While it's true that cats purr when they're happy, I've read quite a bit of research that says purring can also be a self-comforting measure, since most cats will purr when they're sick.


The frequency of the purr can actually help heal broken bones. But the purring I was talking about, was happy purring. I stop petting and the tail stops whapping and the cat looks back at me, asking what's the matter. When he wants to leave, he leaves and while I'm petting him, he doesn't want to leave.


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## Holly A Hook (Sep 19, 2010)

My cats definitely have different meows that mean different things.  A quieter one (from both my cats) usually comes when they want my affection.  Then Andy (my black cat) has a very loud, very obnoxious meow when he wants to be fed, which is impossible to ignore.


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## Keith Blenman (May 31, 2009)

I read once that when a cat squints and otherwise seems content, it's the feline version of smiling. I guess that article sort of confirmed it.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

The ultimate cat translation !!


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

I miss having an indoor kitty. I have to content myself with "Maru" videos (above) and visiting my herd that lives in/out of the garage. I have found several of these videos on Youtube and am in love with this kitty. Maru looks like Fireball, my indoor kitty that crossed the rainbow bridge back in 2002.


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

The conversations between me and my cat are simple.  He yowls and walks all over me at 6am and I feed him.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

So true.

I pretty much do whatever they tell me, whenever they tell me, how ever many times they tell me   

They just let me live here, some's gotta open the can of food after all.   

And I think I am in love with Maru


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

Atunah said:


> So true.
> 
> I pretty much do whatever they tell me, whenever they tell me, how ever many times they tell me
> 
> ...


I saw a bumper sticker once that said: Dogs have masters, cats have staff.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Whew, crazy weekend and I forgot to "subscribe" to this link--glad everyone enjoyed the article!  

The picture (kitten with a goatee, love that!) is from my kitten book, I "borrowed" two litters of kittens from a friend many years ago and took picture after picture. Fun stuff! 

TL, re: the vet's cat that swipes stuff. I had a friend with a trio of cat burglars who broke into the frig, pulled out the thawing turkey, ate one raw drumstick and played hockey-puck all over the kitchen floor with the frozen bird. She served the "lame" bird anyway--and later put a bungee cord around the frig to keep the cats out.

NapCat, love the note about the disappearing toy mice! At my house it'd be the dog swiping them, LOL!

DA, that "k-k-k-k" I call a "lion cough" and my Seren does it when she's frustrated or intrigued. She'll do the ack-ack-ack cough when she's preparing to jump on the TV (off limits and she knows that!), giving herself away. Her tail always moves, too--except when she sleeps. 

Purring does mean many things, most universally I think it means "I am no threat." Yep, it speeds healing of bones, cats purr when happy, to calm themselves, when in pain, and when dying. Lots of reasons. Think of the many circumstances people smile...the purr is the feline equivalent.

Oh, and I love those Maru videos, too! Well, back to work...(yesterday my PawNation article on dog language posted, tool *s*)


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

> The ultimate cat translation !!


OMG NapCat... that is a hilarious video! The other night I couldn't get the video to run so I didn't know what was in it. Can't wait to forward this to my other cat-loving friends


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Loved the video, too...pretty amazing what the cats actually were saying via body language. If you turn off the sound, you'll still get the message!


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## caseyf6 (Mar 28, 2010)

We've had two cats who cuss like sailors.  They have particular meows that are short, abrupt, loud, and sound like "meow" versions of four-letter words.


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## Cliff Ball (Apr 10, 2010)

I had one particular cat in my family, one that lived with my family its entire life(for about 12 years) before disappearing one day and never came back, who would go to the door and meow, reach up to the door knob, and motion that he wanted out.  Sometimes, it was because he hated using the litter box, so he went outside to do his business. Other times, he saw some birds outside, and wanted to catch them. This cat also managed scare off dogs that were way bigger than him. But, he was also a very dumb cat at times. He came home once with cactus thorns in his neck, we thought he might've been fighting another cat. Another time, with oil all over him (we lived in the country part of that time, so it was probably from a tractor). Once he sat on your lap, he would get really irritated if you got up to do something else before he had given his permission.


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## Ciareader (Feb 3, 2011)

This thread is so funny.  One of my cats has a wide-ranging vocabulary.  He seems to talk all of the time.  The other one mostly chirps.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Cliff Ball said:


> I had one particular cat in my family, one that lived with my family its entire life(for about 12 years) before disappearing one day and never came back, who would go to the door and meow, reach up to the door knob, and motion that he wanted out. Sometimes, it was because he hated using the litter box, so he went outside to do his business. Other times, he saw some birds outside, and wanted to catch them. This cat also managed scare off dogs that were way bigger than him. But, he was also a very dumb cat at times. He came home once with cactus thorns in his neck, we thought he might've been fighting another cat. Another time, with oil all over him (we lived in the country part of that time, so it was probably from a tractor). Once he sat on your lap, he would get really irritated if you got up to do something else before he had given his permission.


My cat learned to open doors. She jumps and hangs on the lever-handle, unlatches it, and then paws it open. She'll also open and then "explore" the kitchen cupboards. *s*


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## lisarusczyk (Jan 16, 2011)

All six of my cats have their own ways of telling me what they are thinking. I especially love the trill-meow when they want snuggles. My cat Cloud will go back and forth in a conversation. I say, "ma?" and he says, "ma." Over and over again. My Siamese is especially vocal, and sometimes his meows remind me of singing.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Yes! Seren continues the conversation as long as we keep responding--she has to have the last word. *s*


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Our Kimi (an Abyssinian) was very vocal. When we got home of an evening, he'd meow solidly for several minutes, obviously telling us all the news of the day. 

He had distinct meows for different moods/situations, and we learned to tell them apart. Annoyed, outraged, cheerful, bored, worried, hungry, etc, etc. We always said he was a cat with an opinion on every subject - and always ready to give us the benefit of his opinion.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Did you notice? the "Dog-People" are trying to copy the "Cat People" ?

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,55172.0.html

Doggerel ??


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## Iwritelotsofbooks (Nov 17, 2010)

NapCat said:


> Did you notice? the "Dog-People" are trying to copy the "Cat People" ?
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,55172.0.html
> 
> Doggerel ??


I love both cats and dogs, but cats are consistently cuter.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

NapCat said:


> Did you notice? the "Dog-People" are trying to copy the "Cat People" ?
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,55172.0.html
> 
> Doggerel ??


Well...I started both threads. *s* And I'm a behavior consultant for both dogs AND cats. And I love puns. *eg*


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## billie hinton (Jan 30, 2011)

My favorite cat story thus far (we have five cats now so they are all working on new ones for me to tell!) happened back in the 80s when I moved to TX to go to graduate school. My two beloved cats went with me, and after 6 months at a dream apartment I had to move due to a problem with the electric meter - to a tiny, but very nice apartment that was probably the smallest space these cats had ever lived. And I was not really able to let them outside at all. They had to get very creative to stay sane during the time we lived there.

I worked in addition to school and one night I got home late and the green light on my answering machine was blinking. The GREEN light was the one that indicated that the external voice message system had been used by someone - i.e. you could use it to leave messages for other folks in the house, basically just a tape recorder that was built into the phone. So the green light was blinking. But I lived alone!

Scenes from every murder movie and book I'd ever seen/read went through my mind. I looked around the apartment to make sure everything was okay and finally got the courage up to hit the play button. 

It was my cat, doing that chirp sound they do sometimes when they are in big game play mode! He went on and on until the tape ended. 

I was so relieved someone hadn't broken into my apartment and left one of those scary movie messages!


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Amyshojai said:


> "...Well...I started both threads..."


And all of our pawed friends Thank You for it !!


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

T.L. Haddix said:


> Pffft, dogs.  Dogs are okay, but I like cats. You don't have to take them outside at 3 a.m. when it's ten below zero to watch them poo!


True--or make you stand in the rain (if the Magical-dawg gets wet, he thinks EVERYBODY should get wet!)

NapCat...thanks! *s*

Currently preparing some more Paw Nation articles--first one on what owners do that HISSES off the cat! LOL! (dog one to come later...) If'n ya'll have suggestions, please let me know.


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## lisarusczyk (Jan 16, 2011)

I have a blog I edit dedicated to cat fiction, cat art and cat poetry. It's on Amazon, but you can read for free here:

http://hazardcat.blogspot.com/

I post three days a week. There are some great cat pics too.

I just adore all things cat. I woke up with my Siamese on one side and my long-haired pregnant tortie on the other. They both greeted me with big yawns and love eyes. So nice to wake up to the furry ones every morning.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Love the blog--some lovely kitty material posted, from quirky and fun to touching. By the way, those who publish cat-stuff might be interested in the Cat Writers Association...I'm a founder.  http://www.catwriters.org


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## lisarusczyk (Jan 16, 2011)

Amyshojai said:


> Love the blog--some lovely kitty material posted, from quirky and fun to touching. By the way, those who publish cat-stuff might be interested in the Cat Writers Association...I'm a founder.  http://www.catwriters.org


How cool! I'll check it out. Thanks for the kind words about the Web zine.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

lisarusczyk said:


> I have a blog I edit dedicated to cat fiction, cat art and cat poetry. It's on Amazon, but you can read for free here:
> 
> http://hazardcat.blogspot.com/
> 
> ...


'da NapCat really approves of your lifestyle !!


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## lisarusczyk (Jan 16, 2011)

NapCat said:


> 'da NapCat really approves of your lifestyle !!


Thanks!


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