Yep, Your Cat Really is a Drama Queen

Have you ever become agitated by your cats meow or purr? Well guess what, you aren’t alone!

Cats have many, many forms of communication. Their ears, eyes, tail, body and vocalizations are all saying something.

It’s fairly well known these days that cats typically only make that distinct “meow” sound to humans. But you might not know why. The meow or mew, is a sound kittens make for mother cats to communicate their wants. As the kitten grows and becomes more self able the need for the “mother meow” fades. Unless you have a hairless ape as a mother cat who babies you. (Uh, that’s us!!!) And that agitation you as the Cat Mom or Cat Dad are experiencing is because you have become finely attuned to your cats meow or purr and it’s different rhythms and frequencies. And they are 100% WHINING! Yep! Drama with a capital D, whining!!! And because this is your cat baby only you can pick up on it and just like any parent can become annoyed by the whining!

Wild, right??

Researchers at the University of Sussex dubbed this “Irresistible Purr”. It’s a combination of purring and meowing softly over and over. This specific vocalization possesses similar frequencies to infant humans distress cries. And if this couldn’t be anymore crazier, it’s almost always reserved only for the human the cat feels is “their person”. WHAT?!? It’s like super sweet while also so annoying!

Cats are such funny creatures. Their personalities, of course, range from feline to feline just like humans. They can be serious introverts, like my Lucy or serious extroverts, like my Handsome -who does this whine to me! And they can also be real wild childs like my little dude, Carl, who as a teenager still meows to every animal in the house, two legged or four legged, because we all spoil him.

The bond that’s formed between cats and humans is quite a unique one and it’s only now that studies are breaking the surface of their unique worlds!