Do You Understand Your Cat’s Meow?

As any cat owner will tell you, our moggies can be vocal creatures and often it does feel like they’re talking to us when they meow. Writing a guest blog for Psychology Today, Ibrahim Raidhan, creator of catsloverhere.com, offered some insight into what your cat is trying to tell you when it meows. Firstly, he noted that cats predominantly meow at humans, rather than other cats. This is because they communicate differently with other felines and have realised that we can’t understand them in the same way. He went on to explore the subtly different meows your cat might make during a day, and unpicked what they (generally) mean. So, a short meow is often a hello greeting, while a meow at a mid-pitch is usually a plea for something, such as food or attention. A high-pitched meow, meanwhile, will usually signal anger or pain. Mr Raidhan also pointed out that cats tend to meow much more when they’re stressed than when they’re content, so this could be a useful trigger to watch out for. Of course, you’ll learn to interpret your cat’s meows the more time you spend together and there will be other ways in which your moggie communicates too. An article for Insider last month explained that if a cat shows you its tummy, headbuts you, or twitches its tail at the tip it typically means it likes and trusts you.