I love purring, Our Ragdoll just slowly builds up until its so loud. We also have a Feral that we feed (we live on a farm) who after a few years will now approach us and makes the most horrible sound for food. I now find that horrible noise cute as it means that she is OK and just hungry. When last year we trapped her so we could get her neutered now that was a horrific sound, but it was for the best.

When we took Oscar to the vets for his checkup he backed into the corner of his box, claws and teeth on show, and hissing loudly at the vet, who likened it to a scene from "Aliens" . . . .

Aww, that's so sad

My tom Marley is really vocal, meow's for food, meow's to be let out, meow's for attention... and they're really long meow's, sometimes sounds like he's saying 'muuuuum' It's so cute though.

My old girl, Cassie, NEVER meow's, not heard her meow in years now. When she wants fed, she'll paw at my leg. When she wants out, she'll reach up and jangle the keys in the back door. However, her purr is something else, I can't hear the telly for her when she's in full swing... and she drools really bad when she purrs too.

She'll be 15 this year... can cats begin to lose their meow/voice when they get older does anyone know?

I love the noise my cat makes when sitting in the garden looking at the birds on the roof. Quite a silly miaow with a "wah" sound!

It's quiet little miaow just as I'm about to feed her is borderline pathetic though, as if she's saying "I'm starving...FEED ME!!"

I've not heard of cats losing their meow as they get older, but i do know that in the wild they use smell/body language to communicate rather than sound. They only use sound as they realise that's how we mainly communicate. Cats don't like to make a noise outside as it can alert predators and/or warn prey. Maybe your cat feels a little more vulnerable now she's older??

I've never heard of a cat losing its meow with age, if anything then tend to get noisier - my mother's geriatric cats were always chatting away! Maybe that's because she was always talking to them so it was a two way conversation

That's so sad

I don't know much about Arwyn's past. We found him in our wheelie bin a couple of years ago seriously underweight, filthy and injured so of course we took him in ("just until we find him a home") and ended up keeping him. I've always thought that maybe because he had such a bad start in life, he just didn't have any reason to purr so forgot how to do it. Maybe that children's story isn't so far from the truth after all.

I love the chirrup she makes when i flash a light on the wall or the sun is reflecting etc.

No, my cats make this sort of chirruping 'mrppp' sound when they are rubbing around my ankles, usually when they want affection/food/play.

Oh no! I really hope that's not the case. She's very rarely outside, out for the loo and straight back in again, so no new cats in the area to contend with (that I'm aware of anyway). She gets loads of attention, does what she wants and gets spoilt rotten... her life's been pretty much consistent and unchanging for years.


I just find it so strange that she never meow's anymore I was at the vets recently with her and she was given a clean bill of health. I blether away to her as well, she loves it. My son says I give her more attention than I give him She seems happy enough, quite content, but just silent. It's really strange.

one of mine positively yells at me when he arrives for his food and so often it sounds like MUM! I love it. One of the others does a purrup kind of noise or meows very girlishly when she sees me.

I love it when they purr - it's soooo calming.

For the lady who's never heard her cat purr - perhaps he does but it's so low you can't hear it, one of mine has a really low purr - the only way I can tell she's purring is because I can feel her sides vibrating.

Yes, sometimes when I aren't sure if the cat is purring or not, I feel the cats sides to see if she is or not. This is either because it's so low or because of a noisy environment.

I THINK that the volume of the purr is connected to how happy the cat is, as sometimes mine does it quietly and when I stroke her the volume increases. Do any other animals purr??

I thought all cats could purr, including the big species? Big domestic cats purr loudly, we have 2 Maine coons, though one is still tiny. The big one purrs when you talk to him, let alone when you cuddle him. Coons also 'croon' to get your attention, and communicate with each other, which is a pleasant sound. Both ours make a wide variety of meowing sounds. My favourite is the series of meows the big one makes when he's just burst through the catflap, to announce he's home.

Mine makes a noise like she is really peed off and basically teling you to get off if I go to pet her when she isnt expecting it or just doesnt want me to.

Its like she is sighing and saying not now! lol

lol! If she's happy and has been given a clean bill of health there's nothing to worry about - maybe one day she will start chatting again... or maybe she's just said all she's got to say

WOW...I'd never heard of Maine Coons before. Aren't they gorgeous (just googled a pic of one)? Are they as big as they look? I take it that they are pedigrees, are they expensive to buy/keep?

Yes!! I know that sound too, my friend has a cat that does that. If he is not in the mood to be petted he does the sighing noise and sort of grumbles.

15 months ago we were in the same position as you. My dson wanted a kitten, he was 15 at the time. While looking for a suitable kitten, we came across Maine Coon, and thinking it was another species, googled it. The rest is, as they say, history. Leo cost £250 to buy, too young, no jabs, but all turned out well, he's fantastic. He's about 7kg atm, and big, bvut not extraordinary. Yet. He's got another 2-3 years of growing to do. He's only a baby, as I tease OH with. She was very anti, but Leo has won her over totally, she's besotted with him. Lily came last week, £375, but ready to go, 13 weeks old and fully jabbed. They are both here at my desk, up to mischief. Leo's a white/red smoke, Lily is a brown tabby with white. They do eat quite a lot, as you might expect, and can sh*t for England as a result. Can't think of another drawback, they are not fussy eaters, will eat scraps as well as cheap cat food. Very very good natured to their owners, though Leo faces up to delivery drivers and such, and caught and killed a rat last week. Any typing errors above are due to Lily hunting my fingers.

Hmmm, I love all the funny noises they make tbh. Obviously not ones that mean they're in pain but haven't had any of those yet *touch wood*

I do especially love the noise Lyra makes when she lands after a jump though. She's not very good at jumping, and everytime she lands, makes a funny little uff/squeak noise which I can't describe really! She also tells me off sometimes which makes me laugh, which makes her do it more. It's a chattery noise, similar to bird watching noise but not exactly.

Daisy just meows to show off her toys she's got, (which sounds a bit like "muuummm?) and also does a little pppprrrp! noise when she enters a room.

Ahhh I love them

I am currently staying with a friend above a town centre pub. Last night (well this morning really ) about 3.30am I awoke to what sounded like a drunken female outside. After a bit it got louder and sounded like a cat outside my door! I went out to investigate and it was one of my friends cats in the smoking area "arguing" with a big ginger tom. My point is, how can such a small creature make such a loud noise from outside downstairs that it sounded like it was outside my door!!

My cat gives this little 'chirrup' noise, first thing in the morning when I wake up, or if I've been out for a while and just come back. It's so cute it always makes me smile.
It's not a feeding call, that one is more of a proper miaow.

Mine does that as well. She also will always be waiting for me at the top of my stairs when i've been at work all day, and it is the only time she will ever let me rub her tummy; she rolls over every single time to let me do it but only for about 20 seconds

Thats it, its definitely a grumble Its not a nasty sound, she doesnt go to bite or anything, she will just move a bit quicker past me lol.

My cat has also become a lot more aloof since I had her at 3 months old, she is now 2, not aggresively so just a lot more single minded I guess you could say.

When I first had her she would get into my bed under the duvet when I was sleeping, which was cute, no chance now. Although she does sleep on top of the bed practically every night.

I love all your descriptions of cat noises...sadly I can't have a cat..I'm horribly allergic...but I adore Siamese and Bengals and love to watch them on Youtube...this is my favourite noise...had me in hysterics first time I watched it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTPrwWPeHOU

You mean like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ID14...eature=related