8 Sounds Cats Make and What They Mean

In this video, we’ll talk about the top 8 common sounds cats make and explain the meaning behind them.

When cats make sounds, they’re trying to communicate an emotion or desire. Some cat noises indicate contentment and happiness, while others reflect fear, worry, or even anger.
Hissing
Contrary to popular belief, hissing is a normal way that cats express fear, not aggression or hostility. It is a cat’s clear way of saying, “Back off or I’ll be forced to attack.”
Cats characteristically want to avoid confrontation at all costs, so think of hissing as a warning. You may see cats make this sound when they feel threatened, if a mother cat has kittens to protect, or if the vet is trying to examine your feline.
The hissing sound is usually paired with other feline body language signs like bared teeth, flattened ears, and an arched back.
And remember, cats may also hiss at you when they’re in pain, and you touch them on a particularly sensitive part of their body.
Chattering
Cat chattering almost always happens when a cat is fascinated by a visual stimulus such as a bird or rodent outside a window.
If you watch your cat’s body language when they chatter, you’ll often notice that their eyes widen with excitement, their ears tilt forward, and they are fixated on their target. This is because chattering is often a reaction to prey.
Theories suggest that cats chatter in a response to the excitement of seeing their hunt, and the frustration of not being able to catch it. A prey being near but untouchable is so provocative that it causes a feline to express themselves physically.
Meowing
Meowing is an interesting vocalization because adult cats don't meow at each other.
Kittens meow to draw the attention of their mothers– like when they are cold or hungry. But once the kittens are grown, the meowing stops. This means that meowing is often not part of adult cat-to-cat communication—it is used almost exclusively with humans.
In general, cats meow at people when they want something—like attention, food, warmth, or perhaps access to a closed room.
Keep in mind that meowing comes in several variations, and we can interpret what our pet is trying to say by paying attention to the intensity and tone of the meow as well as observing their body language. In general, the more intense a cat’s meow, the more important or urgent the message.
Purring
Cats purr when they are happy and content.
Cats also purr as a way to soothe or comfort themselves when they’re sick or anxious. Studies have shown that the low frequency of a cat purring causes a series of vibrations inside their body that can relieve pains, heal injuries, and repair tendons. Research has shown that the vibrations caused by purring can promote bone growth. In fact, purr-like vibration devices have been proposed for potential use in space flights to retain astronauts’ bone density. Purring also acts as a relaxing internal massage for felines.
Chirping or Trilling
Trilling is a chirpy, high-pitched sound that is mostly used by female cats. This is because when kittens are young, the mother cat will trill at them as a cue to encourage her kittens to follow her, or as a strategy to capture her kittens’ attention.
If your cat is trilling at you, there’s a good chance they’re requesting the same—they want to get your attention! Cats also trill to greet their humans. It’s a cat’s way of saying, “Hello, I’m here!”.
All in all, the trilling sound is almost always a sign of a positive emotion or a welcoming vibe.
Caterwauling
Caterwauling is a cat vocalization that sounds like a cross between a yowl, a howl, and a whine.
More often than not, an unspayed female cat in heat will produce this disturbing sound to attract prospective mates.
Growling
The growl is another sound that cats make when they are angry or want to scare off a potential threat. It is a very clear warning to step back and may be the last step before attacking.
But remember, if your cat growls frequently, it may be a sign of pain or health issue.
Yowling
Yowling sounds like a long, drawn-out moan that comes from a cat’s throat. Unlike meowing, yowling is not only a cat-to-human communication. Adult cats also yowl at one another, usually during their breeding season.
A yowl may indicate that the cat is not feeling well or is in distress or pain. Yowling may also occur when the cat has some sort of territorial concern – like when something in her environment (such as a new cat in her area) isn’t to her liking.
All in all, yowling is a cat’s way of saying “Stay out of my territory”, or “I want to mate”.
Cats often scream after a mating session or when they are in the middle of a cat fight.
Screaming may also indicate that your cat is very sick or in serious pain.
Breed Talk
As a rule of thumb, longhaired cats tend to be less talkative and outgoing than shorthaired felines. If you prefer a less vocal cat, consider a Russian Blue, Persian, Chartreux, Maine Coon, or Norwegian Forest Cat.

[grimcyber]

1) CHATTERING 0:27
2) PURRING 1:08
3) CATERWAULING 2:30
4) HISSING 3:02
5) CHIRPING (TRILLING) 4:02
6) MEOWING 4:53
7) YOWLING 6:00
8) GROWLING 6:58

[eddiel]

My cat trills at me all the time, for attention, I love it.

[Pythonaria]

Cats also use their healing purr on us humans. If ever I've felt ill or had something sore, my cats will curl up with me and use their healing purr. When my son came home after having a major operation his cat wouldn't sit or lie on him like he usually did but instead curled up close to the operation site and purred his head off. My son recovered very quickly (he'd had a kidney transplant). I have no doubt his cat's purr helped. Cats are truly amazing animals.

[cjtheevilghost]

I love when my cat talks to me.

I'll meow back occasionally, and he'll look at me like I'm crazy.

[waynemorris]

I was looking at my cat when I was listening to this and she responded clearly. she lifted her head up and listened to every sound she heard

[SickOfIt]

My male cat trills whenever he sees me. I would be in the same room with him and he forgets I am there because he is busy killing his toys. And when he turns around and sees me he trills like I was gone for 2 weeks :))

[stuffwelike]

I recently learned that cats that live in the same house hold actually for specific sounds they make for communication. Kinda like people from different areas pick up a different Dialect.

[burningsinner]

"Stay out of my territory" "I want to mate"
Now that's a bad case of mixed messages, innit?

[shredct]

My cat communicates with me better than most humans I know. Honestly I truly believe that she is a human.

[jackiekunovska]

You missed one cat vocal sound, quite loud, when cat calls the human's attention from a distance, when a successful hunt(bird, lizard, mouse etc is left on your doorstep

[austincarney]

my male cat trills whenever he sees me in the morning or when i get home from work lol it’s the cutest thing 😭

[artimus-maora]

My little kitty dude always trills at me- it’s a conversation starter and way to continue! He doesn’t meow, just burbles and trills c:

[corisco]

My cat does this trilling thingy every time he runs or jumps up & down to/from furniture. Has done this since he was a kitten.

[ICantThinkOfANameeeee]

My cat's life in a nutshell:
I go out.
I come back after 5 seconds.
I eat.
I go upstairs.
I'm up here!
Where is everyone.

Ok they are not upstairs.
I sleep.
Zzz.
I go out again.
I do this 10 times a day.

[proffessorX]

I have a 20 year old Ragamuffin (grey and white) and she never shuts is even called Waffle as all she does is "waffle on" about everything, it's pretty cool apart from when she does it at 3am because she can't quite find a comfy part of the bed to lay on so she wakes me up so I'll move and she gets the warm spot I've just vacated.

She decided to come and live with me 15 years ago and has never left since - I must be doing something right!

[krystinac]

This video is proof that my kitty is a very happy girl <3

[kandysmagicshop]

My cat is a male and he chirps more than he meows lol but when he chirps, it is like a “why are u staring at me” or “what”

[coltons.]

Some of my cats chatter at me when they are laying in my lap with their eyes closed and I laugh, cough, sneeze, etc. It's like they're saying "stop it, I'm trying to sleep" lol

[wifigrannyl.]

I'm 70. I wonder if I hum loudly my bones will become less brittle or become stronger? Maybe snoring counts. 😁 I know I feel like hissing at people sometimes & have been know to growl at times when I'm very aggregated. My back won't arch any longer but I do my best to stretch the other parts. My sigh after a good meal or satisfactory experience, is like their purr. I think mumbling or talking to myself in a low voice could suffice for chattering. I'm sure I could think of more but I digress. 😂
But on a serious note, these things are great to know. Can you guess, I have a cat? Thank you. Have a blessed day.

[drescopeto]

This has been very helpful, thank you! :) Now I know why our cats "talk" so much. One of those meows is a demand to be brushed, how cute!