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thefilmforgeuk t1_j5d2yc8 wrote

Many years ago I watched my then girlfriend , now wife’s cat make a weird chittering noise at the window because there were some birds outside. It sounded like something from Jurassic park. As soon as the cat realised I was there it went meow. I mean it just turned it’s head and when it saw me the sound changed mid chittter, but prior to the next chatter . I’m convinced meows are cat noises for humans. They have their own grown up cat language, and they don’t want us to know.

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Randvek t1_j5dr5ub wrote

> I’m convinced meows are cat noises for humans.

Hidden cameras of cats shows that this isn’t the case, but cats know that humans care way more about meows than other cats, so they are more likely to meow at us than another cat. They still do, though.

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Perfide01 t1_j5dm1l8 wrote

>I’m convinced meows are cat noises for humans.

Yes. Cats usually meow when they are kittens, or when they are dealing with kittens. Cats consider humans kittens/children.

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CK2Noob t1_j5em6m2 wrote

No cats don’t consider humans to be children. They literally treat adult and Child humans differently. Closest comparison is that they see us as family members

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double_positive t1_j5eqqil wrote

I've heard the exact opposite. Domesticated cats are in a state of arrested development and retain kitten-like behavior far longer than feral cats.

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deathpony43 t1_j5exti8 wrote

I think this makes the most sense. Kitten meows elicit attention from their parents, like a cry from a human baby. As cats grow up around humans, they learn that meows get attention from their owners. Thus, a kitten-like trait is retained when it wouldn't if not being raised around humans.

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Nexus_Crawler_159 t1_j5fagar wrote

Exactly they do t co wider is children they consider us like their momma who fed them when they complained

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Kadinnui t1_j5e6jdt wrote

Wtf, I am the one feeding them, how do they deduce it that way? Strange creatures but I love them

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shaneh445 t1_j5fcs5e wrote

Cats can definitely tell if a human is a child-adult or elder. Some may not care or show that they know. But they do know.

Trust me i've done studies with my heart and feelings. Pinky swear.

Kittens meow because babies make sounds/cry

Cats meow because they realized long long ago that humans don't communicate the same way with blinks and stares (while we can and do its different than how animals do) They got tired of staring and quickly learned we are a quite loud/vocal species and will definitely respond to MeOwSsSsSs :)

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CTFred t1_j5g2f2d wrote

I think you might have that backwards.

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FUTURE10S t1_j5dlwde wrote

My cat definitely talks to me in the cat language, but that's because he knows I can actually hear him and will pay attention if he says something. Usually, when he really wants something, he meows though.

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[deleted] t1_j5ee6i0 wrote

[removed]

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Nauin t1_j5fccaw wrote

Feral domestics, too. That's how you know if one has ever had human contact before, otherwise they're all hiss and claws.

I'm rehabbing one now and it took him two months to learn how to meow from my other cats.

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throwawayfghtyu t1_j5dvlig wrote

My 3 cats do this whenever they see a bird, or reflection of light, or laser pointer. The chattering and weird meows. But they don't stop when they see me

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mukkalukka22 t1_j5e2f4e wrote

I read somewhere that they do that when they see something they can’t have 🤷🏻‍♀️

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LogMeInCoach t1_j5e9nva wrote

Meowing is the language of the slaves to cats. That's how they communicate with us.

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dodgyhashbrown t1_j5eofqy wrote

I think it's more like humans aren't very good at reading the rest of the expressions cats typically use with one another. We are much more responsive to meowing than most anything else in their lexicon, so it becomes their way of communicating with us.

I do think when I'm paying attention to my cat, I can read her other signs better. She usually meows to get my attention when she wants it.

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Alarmed_Nectarine t1_j5ef2kk wrote

Mine makes a noise sort of halfway between a chitter and a meow when she really wants either attention or food.

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DuploJamaal t1_j5exemn wrote

Cats adapt their language.

When they talk with other cats it's like prrr prrr, but when they talk with birds they try to imitate them by making those chittering noises and to imitate humans they meow.

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monkeypox_69 t1_j5e220z wrote

Toxoplasmosis. They are playing the long game. 😸

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