Cats communicate in many ways. They vocalize, use body language, act out, and release odors.
1. The Vocal Cat
Cats make three types of sounds.
a. whispers
– which includes purrs, trills and chirps
B. meows
– which includes the basic “meows”, meows and calls
C. Aggressive sounds
– which includes growling, grunting, hissing, yelping, screeching, and spitting.
whispers
Purring is a soft continuous vibrating sound that indicates a positive state in the cat. However, cats are also known to purr in stressful situations, such as when they are seriously injured, in pain, sick, or stressed. Cats are thought to purr when they are happy, need a friend, or thank you for your care, such as when the vet treats an injured or sick cat and gets a purr for it.
Kittens learn the trill from their mothers, as she will use it to tell her babies to follow her. Adult cats chirp when greeting, usually to another feline. A trill sounds like a short purr and a meow combined.
Squeaks are meowing sounds that come from the tongue. Mother cats use chirps to call their young from the nest. It is also used by friendly felines when approaching a human or another cat. Cats chirp and chatter excitedly when watching or stalking their prey.
meows
The most well-known sound that cats make is the “meow”. Kittens meow primarily for humans and can be whiny, assertive, welcoming, bold, friendly, attention-seeking, whiny, or demanding. Sometimes the meow is silent with the feline opening her mouth but nothing comes out.
Meows are soft, early sounds that kittens make and are used to get the attention of the mother.
The calls are made by females in heat and are known as “meows.” Males also make calls when fighting, especially over females during mating.
aggressive sounds
Growling, hissing, growling, and spitting are vocalizations cats make when they are in defensive or offensive mode. These sounds of danger are often combined with body postures to pose a threat, for example when a cat puffs up its fur and hisses at a dog that gets too close. When it growls, the cat is giving a “back off before you get your claws” warning.
Cats hiss when they are angry, frightened, frightened, or hurt. A cat that invades another’s territory will be picked up and growled, and if it doesn’t go away, it can be attacked.
2. Body language
Cats use body language to express a wide range of emotions. To communicate fear or aggression, the cat will arch its back, puff out its fur, and take a sideways stance. And to signal relaxation, the cat’s eyes will blink slowly or have slightly closed eyes.
This body language is communicated through the feline’s facial expressions, tail posture, body, and fur.
postures
When cats become aggressive, their rear end is raised with stiff hind legs, tail hair standing up, nose pointed forward, and ears flat. Such a posture indicates danger and the cat will attack. This form of feline communication is meant to scare an aggressor and prevent an attack. it is a warning
A frightened, defensive feline will shrink, lowering its body to the ground as it arches its back and backs away from the threat.
Cats may show comfort or confidence when they lie on their backs and expose their bellies. However, this can also indicate that the cat is about to defend itself with sharp claws and teeth.
Joy is indicated by an open mouth with no exposed teeth.
Ears
A cat’s ears can reveal various moods. With its ears erect, the feline is focused and alert. Relaxed ears show that the cat is calm. Flattened ears occur when the feline is extremely aggressive or defensive.
eyes
Staring communicates a threat or challenge and is an indicator of hierarchy with lower-ranking cats retreating from the gaze of a higher-ranking feline. This look is often used for territorial or predatory reasons.
Tail
A cat’s tail is a great communicator. For example, a tail that wags back and forth slowly and lazily shows that the cat is relaxed. Tail wagging occurs during hunting or when the cat is irritated or upset and can occur before an attack, playful or not.
When playing, kittens and younger cats raise the base of the tail and stiffen it except for an inverted U-shape, indicating excitement and even hyperactivity. This tail position can also be seen when they are chasing other cats or running alone.
Surprised or frightened, a cat may ruffle the fur on its tail and back.
3. Physical
Grooming and other forms of affection
Cats show affection with other cats and with some humans by grooming, licking and kneading. When a feline purrs and kneads at the same time, it is communicating affection and joy.
A friendly greeting between cats occurs when they touch noses and sniff each other. Butting heads and rubbing cheeks between kittens shows dominance towards a subservient cat.
A friendly greeting with a human is shown by rubbing the face. The feline pushes its face toward the person expressing affection. The “head bump” is another way that cats reveal positive feelings for a human. Leg rubbing is another form of affection.
When cats rub and push against another cat or human, they are spreading their scent, which is a form of territory marking.
biting
Strong bites accompanied by growling, hissing, or posturing show aggression. Light bites show playfulness and affection, especially when combined with purring and kneading.
Another way cats use bites to communicate is through mating. The male will bite the back of the female’s neck, and she will go into lordosis, revealing that she is ready to mate.
4. Smells
Cats use their own scent to communicate with other cats. By rubbing and banging their heads, kitties wear scented puffs on their faces, tails, paws, and lower backs to spread their scent. Additionally, they use feces, urine, and spray to leave a message for other cats.
The spray marks the cat’s territory, both indoors and outdoors. Leaving urine and feces is also used to mark a cat’s dominance. Also, rubbing their scent on objects, such as a fence post, marks territory.
Sprinkler males mark territory more frequently. Tomcats spray not only to mark their dominance but also to let other toms know that nearby females are theirs for mating.
Tomcat spray is a strong scent marker. Sometimes the females will also spray.
And this is how cats communicate.