Increasingly Vocal Cats

[meep]

I've had my boys 5 weeks now. Darcy has always been quite vocal, and often has conversations, where everytime he meows I say "what?" and he meows back. He has quite a high-pitched mewo and often goes "meo--oo---" and echos out in a whisper of a meow (quite pathetic really!)

Stravinsky, on the other hand, was always much more quiet, rarely meowing or purring. Darcy always was more dominant over him but I think in the past two weeks Minsky won a few play fights and Darcy completely receeded for a while, but now they're at even stevens. For this reason, Minsky is now much more outgoing, playful, cuddly and VOCAL.

I need to get this filmed, but it seriously sounds like he's being put through extreme pain sometimes! I've been eating my tea, heard a strangled "MRRROOOWWWLLLLARRRROOWLLLL" and I've rushed through to see him sitting happy as Larry watching the birds. So I've come to accept he has a very loud, very interesting meow! Unlike Darcy, who meows normally when he has someone to meow too, Minsky meows either when I've been playing with him and stopped, and most rcently, everytime he's finished with the litter tray. It's in the back room, so again I'll be watching tv, here the MRRAWWWLLAAAOOOWLL run through and find him sitting by a little present in the litter tray, looking at me as if to say "well, clean it up then!"

So he now lets us know everytime he's been to the toilet, bless him :roll:

I just wanted to share my experience, as I sometimes forget it's not been that long sine I got my boys, and just when I think they've settled in and really become themselves, they do something new to surprise me! (which is wonderful!)

Anyone else have experience of very vocal cats?

[angieh]

Merlin has certainly become more vocal as he has aged. He used to give me the silent miaow a lot and had a little quack too. WAAA-OW usually meant "feed me". As he is probably a bit senile now, he wails a lot. It is usually because he seems to get disorientated and doesn't know where we are - we are never far away, but he sits or stands in our fairly echoey hallway and wails. It is heartrending and anyone who didn't know would think he was in pain, but he really isn't. As soon as he sees someone, he stops. He generally has become more vocal and has stopped "quacking".

The most amusing vocalisations were usually when he was watching the birds from inside the window. Then there would be a lot of what I can only call "monkey talk"!

Love to hear about how your boys are coming on meep - always entertaining!

[meep]

Awwh bless wee Merlin! I've got such a cute image in my head of a disorientated cat wailing in the hall, waiting for his pet to come and rescue him :lol: Your right, their meows can be heartrending, and I'm sure our neighbours must think we're some kind of loons what with the front door occasionaly shaking quite violently (that's when they scratch at it) and the sudden bursts of load MROWARing. I'd love to see a video of wee Merlin meowing away.

Cats never cease to amaze me. You think they just go 'meow' but I've found Darcy goes:

"maoooww"
"ah-ah-ahrgh"
"meooOOWWW" (that means feed me!)
and i love "prr-prr-rr-rr" the noise they make when the jump off something, or run through whilst meowing / purring.

As Minsky is a late starter, I've yet to work out his. Like I said, his is mainly the "MRRAOOWWRRARRLLL" :lol:

[babycakes]

Denis has a range of calls that all mean diffferent things and I can tell the difference between them. He has a very high pitched screetchy cry when he wants me. A low moody mew (his mouth stays open when hes done) which means pleeeeaaase can I go out now,(when he isn't getting his own way) a long drawn out cry when he gets excited such as running to the fridge door....
He has the usual prrups and general cries but there are more distinct ones that always mean the same thing

[dandysmom]

Unlike my Siamese, who could talk the back leg off a monkey, Leia's a quiet cat. She does a lot of silent miaows, usually accompanied by a "small starving cat" face when she thinks it's past time to be fed. And sort of a little prrrp noise when I can't find her and go thru the house calling "Where's Leia?". And a dreadful vocabulary when she's on the porch and sees another cat on her territory...hard to transcribe, sort of a combination growl and screech!

Patches wailed dreadfully when she got really senile . a sort of heartrending MMRRROOOOOO? But was fine when you comforted her.....

Sultan and Dandy were the strong silent types. Rarely had anything to say; Dandy had sort of a rusty little meow as if he hadn't used it much!

[meep]

[QUOTE=dandysmom;500484] She does a lot of silent miaows, usually accompanied by a "small starving cat" face when she thinks it's past time to be fed. QUOTE]

:lol: I love that description! Darcy does the same thing. Makes the action of meowing, a small little 'eh' noise comes out ever so quitely or no noise at all, and they look so pitiful. And it's always to do when they feel hard done by with lack of food! Bless!

[meep]

Denis has a range of calls that all mean diffferent things and I can tell the difference between them. He has a very high pitched screetchy cry when he wants me. A low moody mew (his mouth stays open when hes done) which means pleeeeaaase can I go out now,(when he isn't getting his own way) a long drawn out cry when he gets excited such as running to the fridge door....
He has the usual prrups and general cries but there are more distinct ones that always mean the same thing

I love the fact that you can distinguish all of Denis' meows! I've now worked out one of Minsks; his "I've been for the toilet, please clean it up now!" meow. Charming :roll: He meows continually and quite distressed-sounding once he's been for a number 2 and won't stop till I've come through to find him and cleaned him up. Vain creature!

Hopefully I'll work out the rest soon, will make things a bit easier I'm sure!

[Phoenix]

Beauty purrs, but apart from that the only time she makes a noise if if either there's something wrong or she's in pain.

[Moli]

All 5 of my cats are very vocal. If they want something will keep on till they get it!!!

[charlilou]

Meeko is pretty vocal when he gets called up to bed.
We shout tohim and usually he'll run up and into my room making little grumpy meows.
You can tell he's a old man lol.
He'll also do a little cry in the morning if he can hear people moving around and i havn't opened my bedroom door to let him out.

Minnie will squeal at the back door for no reason, holding her paw up like shes hurt. As soon as the bck doors are opened she runs in and straight to the front door where she expects to be let straight out.

Tigger will meow at you to greet you and when she wants food but not much else.

Tinkerbell meows whilst she runs around with her pompom in her mouth (she'll only play with the sparkly pompoms you can get for crafts) and is she loses one, she comes to find me and cries untill i go with her and find it.

[babycakes]

I love the fact that you can distinguish all of Denis' meows! I've now worked out one of Minsks; his "I've been for the toilet, please clean it up now!" meow. Charming :roll: He meows continually and quite distressed-sounding once he's been for a number 2 and won't stop till I've come through to find him and cleaned him up. Vain creature!
Hopefully I'll work out the rest soon, will make things a bit easier I'm sure!


Thats dead cute very clean boy

[meep]

Thats dead cute very clean boy

It is cute but also a total pain, as to be quite frank, I'd rather wait an hour to two to scoop his poop than tackle it whilst it's fresh :roll: But Minsky's meows sometimes make it hard to concentrate on anything else!

[calismum]

How sweet. I love the fact you can differentiate between what they all want.

Alfie is quite a quiet boy. I can't hear him purr which is a first for me. You have to put a finger against his throat to feel him purr. Then he gets so loved up with you he driblles!! All my other cats have had purrs you could hear quite easily. Misty, my last cat you could hear from another room.

We made the mistake of buying some cat treats for alfie and put the box behind a photo frame in the living room. How long do you think it took for him to realise that if he sits right in front of the TV, meows as if he's being murdered and looks pathetically at the photo (which, of course, is of him) he gets a treat pdq!! He asks to get in and out of doors with the same cry - guaranteed the attention unless we bought earplugs.
CM

[meep]

We made the mistake of buying some cat treats for alfie and put the box behind a photo frame in the living room. How long do you think it took for him to realise that if he sits right in front of the TV, meows as if he's being murdered and looks pathetically at the photo (which, of course, is of him) he gets a treat pdq!! He asks to get in and out of doors with the same cry - guaranteed the attention unless we bought earplugs.


That is simply adorable!! What a cute wee picture you've painted of him, and I love the fact the treats are behind a picture of him :lol:

Minsky is much the same with purring, you can rarely hear him and generally have to touch him to feel his purr vibrating. There was only one day I've come home and he was purring like a motor! Very loud and persistent, it was so sweet; but haven't heard it since :roll:

[dandysmom]

Leia has a very quiet purr also; you can barely hear it. My Dandy purred very loudly for such a small cat; people could hear him on the phone when he was on my lap!

[meep]

I am now quite a grumpy bunny this morning due to be woken up again; Darcy has abondoned the scratching at the door idea, and just bombarded us with affection on the bed. Very cute, but not at 6am *grr*

Really need to invest in one of these automatic feeders. I couldn't use the water pistol on him when he's being affectionate with us in bed! But it's just that the 'affection' includes walking on top of us, eating our hair, and sniifing into our ears (very tickly, but guaranteed to wake us up!)

[angieh]

So sorry you're feeling (understandably) grumpy this morning meep! It's so hard to be cross with them when they have such winning ways! But you do need your sleep.

[calismum]

poor you - happy cat!!!!

[meep]

poor you - happy cat!!!!

Exactly!

I'm feeling a bit more awake now, at 2pm after my fourth cup of tea of the day :)

I am a huge softie, and even in my sleepy stupour, still gave Darcy a good head scratch when he climbed onto my chest, and cooed at him as he purred. And I couldn't help but laugh out loud when he put his little, whiskered kitty nose actually in my ear and continued to purr (I'm not sure if he's intelligent enough to have worked out it was my ear and it was sure to wake me up!)

I then laughed even more when he moved onto my OH and began to eat his hair at the root (he's never done it to him before), only to be swiftly knocked off the bed by a less tolerant and extrememly tired OH. He just jumped back on the bed straight after and cuddled up beside me.

I do find it hard to discipline them, and I can't imagine actually telling them off when they jump on the bed purring like that. I guess just repeatedly pushing them off and ignoring them is all I can do.

I was also woken up around 6.30 (after dozing off again) to Minsky's very loud meows infomring us he'd used his litter tray and would like it cleaned please - these are two very pampered puss' I tell you! (And, no, I didn't actually get up to clean his litter tray; I could just tell by his meow what was up, and my suspcions were confimed when I did finally get up for breakfast).

[calismum]

Aren't they adorable. I've come to bed with the laptop and a hot chocolate. Alfie is lying in the space between the laptop and my chest, kneading away and touching my hands with his paws. He is assisting me to drink by rubbing his head against the mug every time I try to have a drink.

Do I push him away - not a chance, and we wonder why they think they rule the roost??

CM

[Steph]

Doesn`t each cat have their own range? Cleo is fairly quiet but the late Conker could talk for England-including tearing off a bandage and clearing off with a meow that said "fcuk this I`m going hunting"

[dandysmom]

Exactly!

I'm feeling a bit more awake now, at 2pm after my fourth cup of tea of the day :)

I am a huge softie, and even in my sleepy stupour, still gave Darcy a good head scratch when he climbed onto my chest, and cooed at him as he purred. And I couldn't help but laugh out loud when he put his little, whiskered kitty nose actually in my ear and continued to purr (I'm not sure if he's intelligent enough to have worked out it was my ear and it was sure to wake me up!)

I then laughed even more when he moved onto my OH and began to eat his hair at the root (he's never done it to him before), only to be swiftly knocked off the bed by a less tolerant and extrememly tired OH. He just jumped back on the bed straight after and cuddled up beside me.

I do find it hard to discipline them, and I can't imagine actually telling them off when they jump on the bed purring like that. I guess just repeatedly pushing them off and ignoring them is all I can do.

I was also woken up around 6.30 (after dozing off again) to Minsky's very loud meows infomring us he'd used his litter tray and would like it cleaned please - these are two very pampered puss' I tell you! (And, no, I didn't actually get up to clean his litter tray; I could just tell by his meow what was up, and my suspcions were confimed when I did finally get up for breakfast).

Pushing off doesn't work in my experience. They think it's another fun game Mom has thought up. Dandy was awful at that, bouncing and poking me with a paw ..only thing that worked was pulling the sheet over my head and ignoring him (difficult :-D). it did eventually work but took ages!

[angieh]

I know you got your two lovely boys from a rescue meep - did you ever find out why they were there in the first place?

[meep]

Angie - they were put into the CP by their owner, as she was moving abroad to be with her boyfriend and couldn't take them with her. As far as I'm aware, they were with her since they were kittens and had been well looked after and loved.

But the story doesn't end there.

When they were first put into CP, they were adopted a first time by a 19 year old girl. She'd had cats all her life, and her mother had passed away recently, so she took them on to keep her company and for comfort (partly, anyway).

The CP lady heard nothing from her for 2 weeks, and got in touch by email and voicemail to ask how they were settling in, and to arrange a routine check. She heard nothing. A few days later the girls grandmother was in touch (who had been looking after her after the girl's mother passed away) and said the cats really weren't settling in well.

Apparently, since the day she took them on, they'd been hissing at her, clawing at her, snarling, scratching furiously at doors and windows to get out, and Minsky (or Georgie as he as known then) wasn't using the litter tray and instead going in the bath every time. And in the two weeks she'd had them, they hadn't calmed down before.

Unable to cope with their behaviour any longer, they were taken back into care by the CP. The glasgow branch as no cattery so all cats are kept in foster homes. The fosterer said, when she got them back, that they were not like the cats she'd known the first time she took them on. And they didn't settle with her the whole week they were with her; Minsky / Georgie was still using the bath and they were still desperately scratching at windows and doors to get out.

So I was told all this before I took them on. I was prepared to give them plenty of time, care and the space they needed to settle, as I thought to myself that no cat could live a full life of scratching, hissing and snarling - they'd have to settle eventually.

The day the CP lady brough them round to ours, she opened the doors to their carriers and out they wandered, tails held high and whiskers cocked forward. They sniffed around everywhere, explored the place, and walked under our legs in the couch. They allowed us to stroke them. Half an hour after she'd gone, Minsky used the litter box!

The second night they were sleeping on our bed. We've never had one hiss, scratch or snarl out of them. They've been nothing but affectionate and loving since we got them; friends who came to visit said they were amazed they were so laid back and friendly after having them only a few days.

Minsky has never used the bath, or anywhere but his litter tray, since we got him. Darcy scratches at the front door, but that's for attention, and they've never scratched at windows.

I and the CP lady don't know why they were so unhappy with their first adoptive home; but I can't imagine them ever being angry or unfriendly and it breaks my heart to think of them like that.

Apparently their first owner was very doting and brought them up from kittens with all doors opened and allowing them in everywhere, so on nights we've tried to shut them out the bedroom it's really not worked as they're so used to being allowed where ever they want.

----

So that's a brief history of my two boys before we got them! :) Slightly traumatic, and confusing. But now I think they're two very happy content cats :)

[angieh]

That's a truly remarkable story meep. I wonder what went wrong with their first placement. Who's to say - wrong atmosphere perhaps? It really is quite amazing how well and how quickly they settled in with you - I believe cats are extremely "tuned in" and you and your OH must just be on the same wavelength!

Any luck with finding a stockist for the timed feed bowls - I'm sure I found some yesterday when I was looking for something else!

[meep]

I do have a theory Angie, but it's not well-founded and I by no means want to bad mouth their previous, temporary owner.

A few days after getting them, I noticed Darcy's whiskers looked singed at the end. They were slightly darker in colour, looked thinner and a bit curly, and kind of fizzled out. Not all of them, but some. As were his longer eyebrow hairs. Minsky had some too, although not as many as Darcy.

So there is a possibility they accidentally came into contact with fire? They had no other markings and were not physically harmed by this if it happened, but putting their face into candle or lit gas grill could be enough to give them a huge fright!

It is just a theory and it is a bit shaky, so who knows! But I'm just so happy they've chosen to settle with us :)

Zooplus had the feeder I was after but it's currently out of stock until next week! Will order one then, fingers crossed!