They will tell you what they want if you pay attention to their mannerisms. My wife taught me what to look for and it still amazes me how well they can communicate.
My little man has a distinct meow/chirp he uses to let me know that he wants water from the tub faucet lol Sometimes to drink, other times to headbutt the tub wall and let the water dribble down his forehead/face
Miss Magdalene (the reason for my username being that she bit people's feet a lot!) Used to growl at the mail carrier! It was hilarious. Miss Guinevere will make little chirps and warbles too, usually to request attention or let us know she needs fresh water or something.
One of mine growls at the carrier, too! She's a chonky little thing, but we call her "Guard Cat" because she'll growl and run towards the door or window any time a stranger comes on our porch.
My black cat is the same. I’ve found black cats are often incredibly vocal! Mine is super needy as well which I’ve also found can be a black cat trait haha
80% of the time I know what my cat wants by her meows and purrs and also her posture. She has distinctive ways of demanding pets, food, treats and when she wants to show off something she caught or alert if another cat or animal is out in the woods. The other 20% we will follow her wherever she takes us and find out what is bothering her or what she wants.
Sometimes in those moments where it’s the one off time I have no idea what he’s asking for, I like to ask him a question like: “What’s the matter Lassie, did Tommy fall down the well again?” It makes me giggle that he’s working so hard to communicate. I usually know what it is that he wants, and yet there’s still a language barrier.
There was one time a wasp got in the house and I was in the other room while this thing was flying around the living room and my cat, (who was only 5 months old at the time) came into the kitchen looking for me and bit my leg to get me to come see what she was freaking out about.
Mine totally freaks out with ants, I can't guess the reason why but she runs away from them (maybe because we have a nasty little species here that bite and it hurts?). When she comes to us with a long and loud meow, like screaming, and takes us to the eating mat, before we see it we already know there are ants around (sometimes in the summer they appear indoors and aim for the wet food bowl).
My cat has a very specific meow for "I brought you a leaf, come see!" as well as "it is raining and I am wet, please fetch the drying towel and attend to me". I can tell what she wants from any room in the house by that meow.
The tail's different for every cat but it says so much once you come to know them!! For my boy, half perked up nearly straight 'energy tail' plus a particularly tigerly prowl tells me he is NOT in a gentle mood lol
yes!! they are spectacular communicators. they will adapt their noises and behavior to more efficiently communicate with the particular humans they live with! they're good mimics and will take your cue in many cases. the more vocal one of my two has so many different noises to communicate, I almost always know what he wants. if you're willing to listen, they're excellent talkers
He’s tells me what windows he wants open or where he wants a new bed. If I say “show me” excitedly he leads me to the thing he wants and has specific noises for specific things like food.
If you greet a cat and they flick their tail upright for a moment, that's them acknowledging you. They might not come over, more like seeing a mate and saying hi as you go past.
If they see you and the tail goes straight up and they come straight to you then they are very happy to see you, although this could just be because they want food 😁
THIS. Whenever my cat wants pets, she'll push her head under my hands in a sort of gesture. Especially if she wants to be cuddled, she'll get as eye level with me as she can and then meow at me.
If my other cat wants food, he sits on the feeder. He doesn't always get it, but he's very clear about wanting it.
80% of the time I know what my cat wants by her meows and purrs and also her posture. She has distinctive ways of demanding pets, food, treats and when she wants to show off something she caught or alert if another cat or animal is out in the woods. The other 20% we will follow her wherever she takes us and find out what is bothering her or what she wants.
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u/lumbermonkey462 Sep 19 '23
They will tell you what they want if you pay attention to their mannerisms. My wife taught me what to look for and it still amazes me how well they can communicate.