How your cat tries to talk to you

Can cats talk?

Every cat owner know the scene, you come home after a long day of work and you are greeted by the friendly meows of your feline best friend. Throughout the day (and night) you cat will try to communicate with you, meowing is a cats way of talking.

But we might not always understand what they are trying to say. We humans use different words to talk to each other, cats use different pitches and variations of meows to communicate.

But its not very hard to understand what your cat is trying to say, all you have to do is recognize and set apart the different meows your cat makes. To fully understand your cat, you should not only listen to a cat’s meow, but also watch a cat’s body language. We’ve set apart the different types of talk in cats and what your cat means with each meow.

Typ of cat meows

Short Meow – Saying hello, giving recognition to human

– Saying hello, giving recognition to human Meow – Indicating the desire for something



– Indicating the desire for something Long Meow – Strong desire for something (Food, Water, Attention, Playing)



– Strong desire for something (Food, Water, Attention, Playing) meeROwww – Demand for something immediately



– Demand for something immediately m’Ow – Unpleased with something



– Unpleased with something Merrrrooooww – Very unpleased with something



– Very unpleased with something Meh Meh Meh – Excited or frustrated about something

Other sounds cats make

Nih-Nih – Very excited about something

– Very excited about something Geh-Geh-Geh – Alerted and excited



– Alerted and excited Hiss – Agitated or scared



– Agitated or scared Growl – Getting very angry



– Getting very angry Purr – Very pleased

Body language of cats

Some meows or even a hiss or other sound can mean various thing. This is where the body language comes in. There are a few easy to spot signs:

Tail up – Happy and excited

– Happy and excited Tail aligned with body – Comfortable

– Comfortable Tail down – Unhappy and scared

– Unhappy and scared Whiskers forward and outward – Very happy and affectionate

– Very happy and affectionate Whisker inwards and close to face – Scared or cautious

– Scared or cautious Licking / Cleaning – Very comfortable and relaxed

– Very comfortable and relaxed Ears upright and forward – Excited and interested

– Excited and interested Ears backwards and turned downwards – Angry or scared

– Angry or scared Rubbing head – Very affectionate and claiming ownership

– Very affectionate and claiming ownership Softly scratches you – Affectionate (yes that’s right!)

Why some cats meow and others do not

Some cats meow more than others. This is often breed-related but can also differ from cat to cat. And it is also affected by the cats need. If the cat always gets what it wants without having to meow, the need to meow will decrease. If the cat has to meow before it gets what it wants, the meows will increase.

Let us know if your cat meows and if you are able to recognize the meows.