expert why cats behave the way they do, and today we're finding out about 'Cat Sounds'

Well, of course all cats have their own personalities and I know with my

cats it's the sounds they make, which really helps define them from each other.

Well, I think the most vocal one of all of my cats has to be big fluffy

Teddy, he's such a loving cat that when he comes into the room

he lets you know the great big chirp, his tail's in the air, he's happy and he loves

to purr and puggle and he will meow all all the time for food!

In contrast to Teddy, I have Maisy, big Maisy, and she was a

rescue cat, so when she was a tiny kitten, she spent the first eight months on the

streets, so she didn't really learn to meow, because she was living with other cats

and as a consequence, she doesn't really meow, so she's very quiet and she'll go

make a little tiny noise, instead of a meow but she's a very affectionate cat

she purrs for England, so she makes up for not having a voice by purring as

[Meoooooooow]

Meowing is not actually a natural behaviour for cats, out in the wild they wouldn't be

communicating with one another through vocal communication, and it's the same

for feral colonies, when cats are communicating with each other they

actually prefer to use scent communication primarily, but they'll also

rely on facial expression and body language as well. But, with our pet cats

they tend to be quite chatty. What's really interesting is that this is a

communication form that builds up over time with owners and their cats. The cat

will develop specific meows depending on how their owner responds.

So if a cat does meow for example, to say open the door and the owner does this, then that

cat will learn that that's going to get the response it wants, and it's more likely

to do that particular type of meow next time. This is very much a learnt behaviour

with people, so if you're a chatty owner you may well find you have a chatty cat.

When a cat growls at you it's usually because they feel threatened in some way.

Essentially what the cat is saying is stay back, because I will strike or

attack if you come any closer. Growling is quite a distinct sound and

other animals that are much larger use low-pitched sounds, when they're being

threatening. So cats may be using the growl, to be more intimidating to other

cats in order to get them to back off. Cats are often heard growling around

food, either to tell humans or other cats to stay away, this is a

perfectly natural behaviour because out in the wild, they're solitary animals

and they wouldn't be sharing their food with others.

A cat may hiss for a variety of reasons, whether it's because they're

poorly socialised or they've learned a negative association with something

that we are unaware of. Cats that are hissing or spitting are very likely to scratch

or bite and that's why it's very wise to leave them alone when they're showing

these behaviours. If it's uncharacteristic for your cat to hiss, then certainly the

first thing we recommend, is getting the health checked by the vet, because it may

be they have an underlying medical problems such as being in pain for

example and it's crucial to get this ruled out first.

Purring is one of those sounds that we're all familiar, with generally

speaking it's when cats are being nice and content, this is a behaviour that

kittens can show just after they've been born, it's a form of communication with

their mother that all as well. The mother will also purr back say that all is well

her end too. Cats will generally purr when they're stretched out in the sun

or lying on your lap. But there are other types of purr, there is another type of

purr called the solicitation purr, this sounds more urgent to the owner and they

often asking for food or attention. Scientists have discovered that it has

an embedded frequency that sounds like a human cry, although purring is

usually a sign that a cat is content, they can also purr when they're in pain.

Now, if you're concerned look at the context of the cat, are they asleep

and feeling nice and relaxed? Or could there be other medical signs that

there's an underlying medical problem?

When I had finished my very first Simon's cat film, I started to think about the cat noises

he would make, I had a silent film, the cat was acting but he had no voice. First

of all I thought about putting real-life cat noises on top of the cartoon.

But I soon found out this didn't really work, they weren't really gelling

together. So then I thought, well...l I've kept cats all my life I know the noises they

would make him and how his mind is working and what noises he would make in

that situation. So then I thought I'd give it a go.

Meow

Meow

And, it works...

So ever since then, I've recorded all the cat noises myself!