Does anybody have a word for this cat sound?
fsn...@ttmath.ttu.edu
I haven't heard the noise that he makes before. It's sort of
like cooing, or meowing, but not really. Kind of a little rolling
sound in his throat. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
He uses it to express a surprising range of emotions, and in each case
he makes a different intonation with it. The closest
human analog I can think of is the sound "hm." Such as,
"Hm, there are no more cookies left."
"Hm? Did you call me?"
"Hmmm, I wonder what's in there."
"Hm! That shelf was higher than I thought!"
He also uses it to respond when he's told no, and I know it means
"I know Mom, I was just testing you. I'm getting down right now,
see?"
Does anybody have a good word, in English or any other language, to
describe this behavior? I suspect this might be what I've read in rpc
as "chirping" but I don't think that really fits because the noise
isn't at all birdlike.
Thanks, and Happy New Year!
Christine
fear loathing miami
help us!
i took bugsy in to be neutered last weekend. and while the operation
itself seems to have gone well, bugsy hasn't... shall we say... licked
the problem yet
he keeps licking and washing the area of the operation until it bleeds.
i've never seen any of my other cats do this. my gut reaction is either
that a) the area's infected and he's trying to clean it, or b) he is
licking it for no good reason, but it's hampering the healing process.
has anyone else had a cat that's done this? if so, what did you do about it?
thank you!
--barbara
Noisette
It's one of my Maine Coon's favorite sounds to make.
Audrey Rosen
wrote:
> Trilling, churring, mrrrrrrrr.......those are some of the words I use.
> It's one of my Maine Coon's favorite sounds to make.
My DLH, Lucky (who is reportedly a Maine Coon, though this doesn't matter
a great deal to me) also makes this noise when she spots birds, squirrels,
etc. through my third-floor window. (I call it her "hunting cry;" it's
often accompanied by "stalking"-type behavior, tail twitching, etc.)
Audrey Rosen
Audrey Rosen a-r...@nwu.edu
Academic Computing and Network Services
Northwestern University Evanston, IL
Teri Olmen
wrote:
> My kitten is very chatty, but not in the usual sense. At least,
> I haven't heard the noise that he makes before. It's sort of
> like cooing, or meowing, but not really. Kind of a little rolling
> sound in his throat. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
>
Christine,
Our Molly does this very often. And you're right it's not the "chirp" they
do when they are looking at a bird outside. It's actually more like a
combination between a pur and a meow, only she doesn't open her mouth to do
it. Sometimes she starts this noise and it ends up in a meow if she's very
emphatic about what she's trying to "tell" me. Molly is my little talker -
though it's hard to tell the meaning, you can actually carry on a
"conversation" with her!! I think it's really cute - we call this sound a
"murf".
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
Teri Olmen
tol...@qualcomm.com
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
To err is human ^..^ ^..^
To purr feline. >< ><
-- Robert Byrne Molly Misty
Molly: DM Bs+W Y 2.7 X L- W+ C+ I++ T++ A E++ H+ S+ V++ F++ Q- P+ B PA PL-
Misty: DM Bs+W G 2.7 X L- W- C+ I++ T+ A+ E H+ S++ V+ F Q--- P B PA- PL-
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><
da...@garnet.berkeley.edu
Audrey Rosen <a-r...@nwu.edu> wrote:
>In article <3eerb8$7...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, nois...@aol.com (Noisette)
>wrote:
>
>> Trilling, churring, mrrrrrrrr.......those are some of the words I use.
>> It's one of my Maine Coon's favorite sounds to make.
>
>
meow, she squeaks! She has a lot of characteristics of the Maine Coon,
and she does have the silent meow (I think), but the sound she makes seems
closer to a mouse squeaking than a bird chirping... But sometimes it's
hard to tell. She's totally silent otherwise. Does anyone else's cat make
this squeaking sound??
Delaina
Johanna L Botari
: While we're on the subject of cat sounds, my 8 month old kitten doesn't
: meow, she squeaks! She has a lot of characteristics of the Maine Coon,
: and she does have the silent meow (I think), but the sound she makes seems
: closer to a mouse squeaking than a bird chirping... But sometimes it's
: hard to tell. She's totally silent otherwise. Does anyone else's cat make
: this squeaking sound??
I had a little girl-cat when I was growing up who had no meow for her
first 6 months (she'd try, but no noise) and then one day surprised
everyone, including herself, by making a very emphatic
"Grrrrrrr....MEEEE!" sound. That's all she said for the rest of her
life. Grrr-ME! We even wound up _calling_ her that. I've met a
squeaker or two in my life, too.
J, L&L.
--
.. my other sig is a ... well, its a sig too.
Siona
: >
: While we're on the subject of cat sounds, my 8 month old kitten doesn't
: meow, she squeaks! She has a lot of characteristics of the Maine Coon,
: and she does have the silent meow (I think), but the sound she makes seems
: closer to a mouse squeaking than a bird chirping... But sometimes it's
: hard to tell. She's totally silent otherwise. Does anyone else's cat make
: this squeaking sound??
: Delaina
I have a squeaker also. She also tells me "uh-uh" when she's displeased
with something I do.
Christine Nagy
>While we're on the subject of cat sounds, my 8 month old kitten doesn't
>meow, she squeaks! She has a lot of characteristics of the Maine Coon,
>and she does have the silent meow (I think), but the sound she makes seems
>closer to a mouse squeaking than a bird chirping... But sometimes it's
>hard to tell. She's totally silent otherwise. Does anyone else's cat make
>this squeaking sound??
>
>Delaina
Yes, actually, I did have a cat that makes that noise. She lives with
my sister and brother-in-law now. The only time I ever heard her make
a real meow was when we took her on a car trip and she wanted us to
make the world stop moving! Even then it was a rather soft and plaintive
mew. Most of the time, though, she really does sound like a mouse.
I think she's mastered the silent meow, too.
Christine
Christine Nagy
>Christine,
>
>Our Molly does this very often. And you're right it's not the "chirp" they
>do when they are looking at a bird outside. It's actually more like a
>combination between a pur and a meow, only she doesn't open her mouth to do
>it. Sometimes she starts this noise and it ends up in a meow if she's very
>emphatic about what she's trying to "tell" me. Molly is my little talker -
>though it's hard to tell the meaning, you can actually carry on a
>"conversation" with her!! I think it's really cute - we call this sound a
>"murf".
Teri, I think that's the best word I've heard for it yet. It's the
closest to what the noise actually sounds like. Onomotopoeia and all
that. (I hope I spelled that right.)
It really *is* cute! And boy, does he use it to his advantage. We're
having a war right now over the bathroom counter. He really, really
wants to be allowed to jump up there so he can play with all my stuff
and look at himself in the mirror. He jumps up when I'm preoccupied
with my hair or something and makes that
really cute murfing sound and looks at me sideways to see if he can
get away with it.
BTW, could somebody send a copy of the catcodes to me at
fsn...@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov before COB today? (5 pm EST)
Actually, I think the catcodes need to be updated a little bit.
Marshall doesn't really fit into some of the choices. For
example, he almost never sits in my lap, but almost always
snuggles up against my thigh, which is just as cosy but allows
us both more freedom. He also crawls into the little "tent"
under my legs when I'm reading in bed!
Happy Thursday everyone,
Christine, proud mom of Marshall the Tarzan kitty
ajz...@ibm.net
>
>help us!
>i took bugsy in to be neutered last weekend. and while the operation
>itself seems to have gone well, bugsy hasn't... shall we say... licked
>the problem yet
>
of those lampshade elizabethan(?) collars. After about a week, his "area" was
healed up and never bothered him again.
Hope this helps,
allyn
gl...@ov.com
sound. We have concluded that she must be part dog :->. She does however,
make the Prrrt sound described above. She uses this sound when she wants
something, or when she is about to play/attack Cat-rina.
Cat-rina: "NF" Bd+W G+Y 5 X W+ C-- I++ V+ F- P+ B- PA- PL-
Tabby-tha: "SO" (B+O)t+W H+Y 0.8 X L- W- C+ I+++ T+/--- A+ E+ S++ V++ Q+ B- PA+ PL++
Lori Bianchi
>Hope this helps,
>allyn
You could also cut a paper plate and make something similar. It won't be
as heavy feeling on the cat, which would mean he might dislike it less than
the contraption you'll get from the vet.
C Reed,,,
life (~1 yr, 3 mo.) other than squeaking and even those sound like
open-mouth squeaks! it's weird! oh, she's a long hair sort of tabby-ish,
calico-ish looking thing. she was a wild stray kitty (two of
them were) so i don't know her heritage.
Bonnie Forman
>>> It's one of my Maine Coon's favorite sounds to make.
>>
>>
>While we're on the subject of cat sounds, my 8 month old kitten doesn't
>meow, she squeaks! She has a lot of characteristics of the Maine Coon,
>and she does have the silent meow (I think), but the sound she makes seems
>closer to a mouse squeaking than a bird chirping... But sometimes it's
>hard to tell. She's totally silent otherwise. Does anyone else's cat make
>this squeaking sound??
>
>Delaina
>
a lot of silent meowing their first few months. Now Kayla,
the little girl kitty (a tortie) is a constant chatterer -
making lots of those trilling, churring, mrrrr... sounds -
even answering me when I talk to her.
Ender, the little boy kitty (all-black) is generally very
silent - except in the morning when I'm getting their breakfast.
Then he squeaks. I always figured he is silent most of the
time because he's embarrassed about his squeak.
Once or twice, when he's seen a bird out the window - he's
chirped a couple of times. But mostly, he's silent.
BTW, I've been under the impression they have a Siamese
background, due to the thin fur area above and to the outside
of their eyes. I don't know much about cat breed characteristics,
but someone did mention that to me.
Bonnie
blf...@pacbell.com
stacey bronstein, FumPeR
>
>My kitten is very chatty, but not in the usual sense. At least,
>I haven't heard the noise that he makes before. It's sort of
>like cooing, or meowing, but not really. Kind of a little rolling
>sound in his throat. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
We refer to it as a 'chirp.' Our kitten, Eeyore does this when she wants
attention. She will do it when we are sleeping and doesn't know we are
still in the room, she does it when she wants to let us know she is
going to use the litter box (it's cute--we know when the stink is
coming! =)) and when she wants to cuddle with us in bed. It's adorable.
But, our older, two year old cat Beaker (Eeyore is about 7 months),
rarely makes it; however, when she does, she wants to cuddle. =)
--Stace
Kathy Gomez
>Our Molly does this very often. And you're right it's not >the "chirp" they
>do when they are looking at a bird outside. It's actually >more like a
>combination between a pur and a meow, only she doesn't open >her mouth to do
>it. Sometimes she starts this noise and it ends up in a >meow if she's very
>emphatic about what she's trying to "tell" me. Molly is my >little talker -
>though it's hard to tell the meaning, you can actually carry >on a
>"conversation" with her!! I think it's really cute - we >call this sound a
>"murf".
My cats Harley and Shasta both do what I call their
"stalking" sounds, when they see and bird, bug, or other
beast they'd like to pounce on. To me it sounds like a
clacking noise "etketketketk".
Harley also chirps "brrrrruuuupt, brrrrruuuupt" when he's
greeting us, or if he's going to jump up to a higher spot -
the bed, his kitty jungle-gym perch, etc.
Harley's also a whiner. Instead of meowing for attention,
he just whines all the time. Unfortunately he usually wants
attention between 2 and 4 am.
-Kathy Gomez
Mom to Harley(1yr) and Shasta(3yrs)
Cesky rozhlas
Johanna L Botari <jbo...@uoguelph.ca> wrote:
>da...@garnet.berkeley.edu wrote:
>: While we're on the subject of cat sounds, my 8 month old kitten doesn't
>: meow, she squeaks!
<...>
><edited>I had a little girl-cat when I was growing up who had no meow
>for her first 6 months and then one day surprised everyone by making
>a very emphatic "Grrrrrrr....MEEEE!" sound.
igor did the same thing when we first brought her home from the coal
cellar where we'd found her. but hers was more of a "meep" sound. it
has since mutated into "mrrrrp," and she has learned to meow as well.
>We even wound up _calling_ her that.
actually, igor's full name is: Igor "Meep" Gondor Mikes. for that
reason, and a few others.
ciao
nora mikes
czech radio
Mrs Judith A Edwards
>My kitten is very chatty, but not in the usual sense. At least,
>I haven't heard the noise that he makes before. It's sort of
>like cooing, or meowing, but not really. Kind of a little rolling
>sound in his throat. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
>
called Cody - is the first I've heard to make this sound.
>He uses it to express a surprising range of emotions, and in each case
>he makes a different intonation with it. The closest
>human analog I can think of is the sound "hm." Such as,
>
Yes, that's it!
>Does anybody have a good word, in English or any other language, to
>describe this behavior? I suspect this might be what I've read in rpc
>as "chirping" but I don't think that really fits because the noise
>isn't at all birdlike.
>
No, it's _not_ the same as "chirping". They tend to make that sound
at birds :-)
>Thanks, and Happy New Year!
>
>Christine
and the same to all out there!
Judith
Mary H-S
Pixel always said "Blert". I've always thought that was apropos to the
noise you mentioned, which my boys make a lot but my girls don't say it much.
fsn...@ttmath.ttu.edu wrote:
: My kitten is very chatty, but not in the usual sense. At least,
Laura Zurawski
>>My kitten is very chatty, but not in the usual sense. At least,
>>I haven't heard the noise that he makes before. It's sort of
>>like cooing, or meowing, but not really. Kind of a little rolling
>>sound in his throat. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
My Daja, who's half Siamese and incredibly chatty, makes that sound ALL the
time, and especially when she's jumping onto something or startled in
some way. But she makes that sound at other times too... in fact, it's
rare to hear her actually "meow" but boy does she sure make use of the
chirruping sound you described. We like to call it a "burble" and think
it's just the cutest thing to hear.
The funny thing is, our other cat, Vector, never used to make that sound,
but since he's been hanging around Daja for a while, he's starting to
pick it up from her. Though Vector's "burble" only sounds like a cheap
imitation (but it's still cute). :)
--L.
--
============================================================================
Obligatory sig with gratuitous personal info --> (l)Laura Zurawski
jun...@uiuc.edu --> http://ux1.cso.uiuc.edu/~zurawski --> Univ. of Illinois
Disclaimer: My opinions do not represent those of CCSO, blah blah blah.
cper...@kean.ucs.mun.ca
> Mary H-S (cow...@cuix.pscu.com) wrote:
> : In "The Cat who Walked through Walls", Robert Heinlein's cat character
> : noise you mentioned, which my boys make a lot but my girls don't say it much.
>
>
> That's what Ankle Biter, the baby Blargosaurus says, too. The question
> mark is DEFINITELY there. It's like "Can I come up on the bed?" or "Oh,
> are YOU here?" I interpret it as a kind of greeting, or polite "ahem!"
>
> Blarg is half Siamese, so I thought her chattiness must come from the
> Siamese part of her. Before she came, The'au never said anything, now he
> screams and hollers with the best of them!
>
> Smiles,
>
> Natalie A. Sera, proud mother of Josh
Or `Mrp?'. The sound produced by Betsy just before she jumps on the bed.
She has never been forbidden access to the bed, but she always asks `Mrp'
first.
Cheryl
Joshua I. Sera
: In "The Cat who Walked through Walls", Robert Heinlein's cat character
: noise you mentioned, which my boys make a lot but my girls don't say it much.
Actually, Pixel said, "Blert?" (Notice the question mark?)
vicki gustafson
: In "The Cat who Walked through Walls", Robert Heinlein's cat character
: noise you mentioned, which my boys make a lot but my girls don't say it much.
My brother had a fat siamese mix cat who said, "blert!" Sam would lean up
against the wall with his paws crossed over his huge belly (like a little
black Buddah) and "blert" at us when we walked by. The blert was reserved
for those special occasions, when he was crabby. (He meowed quite loudly
otherwise.)
-Vicki
--
Folds, thrusts, and overturned beds are
all common in zones of orogeny.
Richard JC McCarthy
Chirping describes it best, I think... Our 3 cats use it as an interrogative:
ie,"When's lunch?" "How are you?"
"How about letting me outside?"
These are a few of the questions our cats ask via this chirping noise...
[
Jennifer J McGee
Joshua I. Sera <js...@scs.unr.edu> wrote:
>Mary H-S (cow...@cuix.pscu.com) wrote:
>: In "The Cat who Walked through Walls", Robert Heinlein's cat character
>: Pixel always said "Blert". I've always thought that was apropos to the
>: noise you mentioned, which my boys make a lot but my girls don't say it much.
>
>Actually, Pixel said, "Blert?" (Notice the question mark?)
>
>That's what Ankle Biter, the baby Blargosaurus says, too. The question
>mark is DEFINITELY there. It's like "Can I come up on the bed?" or "Oh,
>are YOU here?" I interpret it as a kind of greeting, or polite "ahem!"
>
noise when he wants to jump up and lie next to his cranky foster mom,
Delilah. Since Delilah is likely to bap him if pounced without warning,
he'll make that noise as he approaches the bed, sometimes three or four
times. A polite "ahem" is a good analogy.
My husband and I always have called that "chirping." It doesn't
sound anything like a bird, really, but "chirp" is the only word I know
of that expresses that somewhat abrupt yet pleasant sound. We also call
it "prrrt"ing, since that's closer to its real sound.
Malcolm is also known for his desolate crying noise that he makes
when he finds himself in a room alone, which he will continue without
break until someone calls to him and reminds him that he's not REALLY
alone. He makes the same heartrending cries when the water in the toilet
bowl stops running while he was watching it. "flush it AGAIN!" Weird cat.
--Jen
--
Jennifer McGee mcge...@gold.tc.umn.edu
"If you have two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one
and a lily with the other." --Chinese proverb
DKos
however; my Burmese and Siamese don't, but my Russian Blue and Ocicat do.
Huntress
BY: vicki gustafson to ALL on Wed Jan 11 1995 01:28 am
> : In "The Cat who Walked through Walls", Robert Heinlein's cat character
> : Pixel always said "Blert". I've always thought that was apropos to the
makes all sorts of interesting cat noises which, after listening to my kittens
"converse", are quite appropriate! Anyone who hasn't read this book, might
want to consider it, if only to meet Pete!
Lynn <--Hunt...@cos.org
Treble <--RKE (Rotten Kitten Extraordinaire)
Bob <--In for the old "snip snip" on Thursday! Wish him luck
Mark <--Car Accident Victim, but ok now.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message originally from Canadian Online Systems in Ontario, Canada (cos.org)
Susan M. Kopplin
(Kimberly Coleman Healy) wrote:
> My cats used to have two different sounds. The staccato one that
> they made at birds or insects that were out of reach I called
> "chittering;" the mellow one used for greetings and general conversation
> I called the "prrrt" sound. Kliban spells it "prt?" in his comics.
>
> Kim Coleman Healy
I have two cats, Iris and Lily. Iris has one sound, which is a normal
"meow" and that's it. On the other hand, Lily is quite vocal and has made
at least four different sounds. She has a regular meow (more babyish
sounding than Iris's) which she uses when the food bowl is empty and she
can't wait any longer; she uses several shortened meows in succession when
she has been accidentally locked up in a closet or cabinet and wants to
tell me that she was really frustrated; she uses a higher pitched meow
when she is hunting insects (roaches etc.) which are high up near the
ceiling and out of her reach; and then she uses the "prrrt" sound (I've
always called it a "trill" for lack of a better word) when she's walking
around the house looking a little bored. If I talk in a high pitched voice
to her, she'll hold a "conversation" with me for a while. Cats are fun,
aren't they?
Susan Kopplin
Bob Manich
LF...@UTXDP.DP.UTEXAS.EDU (Susan M. Kopplin) wrote:
> ... Stuff Deleted...
> Cats are fun, aren't they?
>
> Susan Kopplin
Yea Susan, cats are fun. Over the past few weeks I've been spending
lots of time on the computer. Dutchess has taken to my lap and
"makes" me rub her tummy while she stares at me with the
most appreciative eyes I've ever seen.
What a sweetheart!
Bob & the Girls
Dutchess DS B Y 2.6 X L- W- C+ I+++ T+ A+ E H S++ V F- Q++ P+ B+ P A P L
Snickers DS B Y 2.65 X L- W- C+ I+++ T+++ A++ E-H S V++ F Q P- B- P A P L
Kellie Salter
>I have two cats, Iris and Lily. Iris has one sound, which is a normal
>"meow" and that's it. On the other hand, Lily is quite vocal and has made
>at least four different sounds.
[snip]
Our one cat, Hook, makes many sounds too:
"mrrr-rowa" -> Where is everyone? What's going on?
"maow" -> Give me some! Where's my food?!
"noooooo" -> no, nope, no way, not a chance...etc
"prrrt" -> hiya...what's kickin?
The other cat, Sparky, has just one "meowa" sound. Of course, she's young
(8mo.) so maybe just can't "talk" as much yet.
--
Kellie Salter....Malkavian !
Well it's been a bad month my friend
And last month was not so hot either
The wind got knocked out of my life
And I don't want to fight
I just want I just want a breather.
---Rainmakers
Laura Zurawski
>Our one cat, Hook, makes many sounds too:
> "mrrr-rowa" -> Where is everyone? What's going on?
> "maow" -> Give me some! Where's my food?!
> "noooooo" -> no, nope, no way, not a chance...etc
> "prrrt" -> hiya...what's kickin?
My mother's cat Domino has similar sounds:
"Mow-woah" = I'm lonely... wake up!
"Mow-woah-woah" = Hey guys, I mean it, I'm lonely!
"Mow-woah-woah-wooooooooaaaaaah!!" = HEY! I'm LONELY!!!!! OPEN YOUR &!%#$
DOORS ALREADY!
Domino has a really weird meow in that he always sounds like he's
talking on the back of his throat. When he's hungry, he makes this
"mrrrah" sound that sounds like he's swallowing his tongue.
My own cat, Daja, has a wide variety of noises:
"Brrrrrbt" = I'm bored/I'm startled/Who the hell are you?/Don't stop stroking
me yet! I'm enjoying this!/Anything else... she's always making
this noise.
"Brrrrbrbrbbrrr-maaaaow!" = Attention? Like, now? Please?
"Meeeeeeeraaaah!" = ATTENTION. Like, NOW.
"Mrow! mrrrrroo! Meeeroooah-mow!" = Who;s that cat in the window that looks
surprisingly like me? -or- God I'm bored and I need
some ATTENTION! Or SOMETHING!
and my favorite, "miew!" = Wake up. Feed me. Or I will walk all over your
bed and step on you and nudge you and meow my head
off until you do.
Vector, thankfully, is more subtle in his plights for attention. He
knows all he has to do is plop down by my head on the pillow and knead my
hair with his paws, purring his louder-than-heck purr, to get anything from
me.