Most of us at some point in our early lives have been asked the question, “if you were a superhero, what would your superpower be?”
Mine personally would be telekinesis (controlling things with your mind), not to be confused with telepathy (being able to read and communicate with other minds) that’s a whole different ball park I don’t want to be in. I bet that if you answered this question, being fluent in cat was not even an option that you considered, right?
But why would we need to consider something we already have? Remember that day, the day when you were giving your cat every drop of your attention, and like any other day you are engaged in a one way conversation with your cat, and like any other day they are watching and listening attentively. But this day, unlike any other day, he chirps at you, ON CUE. And with every passing day, it seems more frequent, not an isolated incident.
Each day, you feel more and more sure as the language barrier between you two crumbles ever more, to the point where you’re both in sync, words are not needed. And on this day, is a special day, the day you realise that you are evolved, you are one with the cat…the cat whisperer is born.
“Bow down to the cat whisperer!” you cry, intoxicated by your new power. Though before you start to go mad and try to shoot lighting from your fingers you must know that the incredible thing is that you have not developed this gift. Instead, it has been bestowed upon you by your own cat. All this time they have been training you to speak to them, understand them. Turning you over to the Cat Side.
A cat only meows to humans and each cat’s meow is specific to a person. No two cats meow the same – I find this awesome!
The cat goes through a stage of trail and error. They test out their demands by trying out different meows on different occasions. Once they observe that a particular meow triggers the human response they want, they stick to that meow and we will associate it their demand. The beautiful part is that both pet and owner work and train each other to help facilitate communication between species.
Try to watch what your cat is doing next time they meow to you; this will help you to associate what their request is and get you ever closer to being the cat whisperer.
Just in case you have a new kitten or you still quite can’t understand your cat, this is how cats speak: MEOW MEOW OW ME ME MEOW…just kidding.
Cat language is complex, their whole communication spectrum is separated into vocalisation, body language, tail position and behaviours.
To understand your cat you need to tune into all these channels at once. It can be tricky but try to be aware of what’s going on around you when the cat (with their body or mouth) communicates. Below are pointers to help you out:
Vocalisation:
Like we mentioned earlier each meow is unique. Though Mary Molloy, CPDT-KA at Nirvana Tails in New York City explains they can be identified depending on their pitch, volume and length.
In addition to meows, you have chirps. Chirps are a cross between a meow and a purr with rising inflection.
You will tend to hear it when you cat is looking at a bird through the window. This type of chirp is accompanied by a flickering of your cat’s mouth. The first time we all saw this I am sure we thought it was a glitch in the matrix. Scientists believe that this is movement of the mouth is their anticipation on the hunting bite.
A more PG reason for hearing the chirp is a happy greeting, interestingly this sound is often made by the mother cat to call to her kittens – awwwwwwwww, my baby sees me as her baby!
Finally, you have the hiss. If you hear a hiss this means the cat is angry, the gloves are on and you better back up unless you want to see that the kitty has claws.
The tail tells the tale:
The cat’s tail is very expressive and something to look out for when you are trying to understand how your cat feels and what they are trying to communicate. Check out the table below.
Body language
Cat's are so expressive, that if they speak with their mouth and their tail then naturally their body is going to follow suit. Below are some things cat's do with their body and what it means:
Behaviours:
Similar to a cat’s body language, when cats are in certain situations, they carry out a certain behaviour. Cats are great to read because they are consistent with their reactions so in time you will be able to understand your cat like the cat whisperer you are.
Biting believe it or not, this is a form of communication for cats. They can obviously bite out of fear and aggression. However, they can also give you little bites and nips as a display of affection, hence the term ‘love bites.’
If your sweet bites too hard you should never hit them, it generates more fear and aggression. In order to get your cat to understand you, a warm, positive environment is needed. Always use single words and most importantly non-verbal cues. Cat's pick up on your tone of voice and it makes them happy when you call them a "wuvvy boi".
Finally, you have to be consistent with it, use positive reinforcement. It takes time with cats.
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