Hello, I'm Simon - welcome to Simon's Cat Logic, we'll be finding out from a cat
expert why cats behave the way they do, and today we're finding out about 'Cat Sounds'
Well, of course all cats have their own personalities and I know with my
cats it's the sounds they make, which really helps define them from each other.
Well, I think the most vocal one of all of my cats has to be big fluffy
Teddy, he's such a loving cat that when he comes into the room
he lets you know the great big chirp, his tail's in the air, he's happy and he loves
to purr and puggle and he will meow all all the time for food!
In contrast to Teddy, I have Maisie, big Maisie, and she was a
rescue cat, so when she was a tiny kitten, she spent the first eight months on the
streets, so she didn't really learn to meow, because she was living with other cats
and as a consequence, she doesn't really meow, so she's very quiet and she'll go
make a little tiny noise, instead of a meow but she's a very affectionate can
she purrs for England, so she makes up for not having a voice by purring as
loud as she can.
[Meoooooooow]
Meowing is not actually a natural behaviour for cats, out in the wild they wouldn't be
communicating with one another through vocal communication, and it's the same
for feral colonies, when cats are communicating with each other they
actually prefer to use scent communication primarily, but they'll also
rely on facial expression and body language as well. But, with our pet cats
they tend to be quite chatty. What's really interesting is that this is a
communication form that builds up over time with owners and their cats. The cat
will develop specific meows depending on how their owner responds.
So if a cat does meow for example, to say open the door and the owner does this, then that
cat will learn that that's going to get the response it wants, and it's more likely
to do that particular type of meow next time. This is very much a learnt behaviour
with people, so if you're a chatty owner you may well find you have a chatty cat.
When a cat growls at you it's usually because they feel threatened in some way.
Essentially what the cat is saying is stay back, because I will strike or
attack if you come any closer. Growling is quite a distinct sound and
other animals that are much larger use low-pitched sounds, when they're being
threatening. So cats may be using the growl, to be more intimidating to other
cats in order to get them to back off. Cats are often heard growling around
food, either to tell humans or other cats to stay away, this is a
perfectly natural behaviour because out in the wild, they're solitary animals
and they wouldn't be sharing their food with others.
A cat may hiss for a variety of reasons, whether it's because they're
poorly socialised or they've learned a negative association with something
that we are unaware of. Cats that are hissing or spitting are very likely to scratch
or bite and that's why it's very wise to leave them alone when they're showing
these behaviours. If it's uncharacteristic for your cat to hiss, then certainly the
first thing we recommend, is getting the health checked by the vet, because it may
be they have an underlying medical problems such as being in pain for
example and it's crucial to get this ruled out first.
Purring is one of those sounds that we're all familiar, with generally
speaking it's when cats are being nice and content, this is a behaviour that
kittens can show just after they've been born, it's a form of communication with
their mother that all as well. The mother will also purr back say that all is well
her end too. Cats will generally purr when they're stretched out in the sun
or lying on your lap. But there are other types of purr, there is another type of
purr called the solicitation purr, this sounds more urgent to the owner and they
often asking for food or attention. Scientists have discovered that it has
an embedded frequency that sounds like a human cry, although purring is
usually a sign that a cat is content, they can also purr when they're in pain.
Now, if you're concerned look at the context of the cat, are they asleep
and feeling nice and relaxed? Or could there be other medical signs that
there's an underlying medical problem?
When I had finished my very first Simon's cat film, I started to think about the cat noises
he would make, I had a silent film, the cat was acting but he had no voice. First
of all I thought about putting real-life cat noises on top of the cartoon.
But I soon found out this didn't really work, they weren't really gelling
together. So then I thought, well...l I've kept cats all my life I know the noises they
would make him and how his mind is working and what noises he would make in
that situation. So then I thought I'd give it a go.
Meow
And, it works...
So ever since then, I've recorded all the cat noises myself!