Ask A Scientist© Veterinary Topics Archive

 
name        Dylan
status       student
grade        K-3
location     AZ

Question -   Do cats talk?
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Hi Dylan!
It all depends...
upon what we call talking. We from the human
species (all animals are classified into different
species, we are also animals from the species
called "homo sapiens" (all the species have their
names spelled in latin, an old old language.
Homo sapiens means "intelligent man" or "man that can
learn".
Now we, the men can talk. We have  special organs in
the body
that allows  us to talk. Since there are different
cultures, there are also different languages: english,
french, spanish,german and so on. 
Another thing is understanding. Men can talk and can
understand each other. They have very special
brain properties that allows understanding, thinking,
reasoning... Men (and women of course) are very
special animals, unique actually. If 2 persons that
speak different languages met, at the beginning
they dont understand each other, but with gestures
and things like that,
they begun to learn each other words and finally
they will learn each other language.
So there are 2 different things: talking and 
understanding. In a way both are needed to
communicate.
Now the other animals, like the cat that you asked.
Think about the parrot, it talks? Maybe we can say
yes, if we teach a parrot (or similar bird) he will
say
words and even phrases. Does it understand the meaning
of the words he "talks" or we talk to it?
People that lives with them, or study them say that
it understands simple things related to its life.
As far as  talking in a similar way to men, parrots
and similar birds are the only ones that can imitate
the pronounciation of some words.
Other birds sing and some sing very beautifully. Many
learn different melodies.
And communication?
Surely the animals can communicate and do so in
different ways. Some bees, or ants and other insects
communicate by odors or scents.
Almost every kind of animal expels sounds to
communicate with others. Even the dolphins and whales.
And the cat? Or the dog?
They dont have voices the way we have, still they
communicate between themselves and between us.
Barking and meowing have many different sounds
that differ following if dogs or cats wish to transmit
joy, sadness, fear, angry and other emotions.
These (and other) animals are still poorly studied,
but we know that the sounds (or voices)
mostly communicate emotions. They do that with sounds
and some gesture of its bodies. For example for the
cat i can
give you a "vocabulary" (common to all cats born
any place):
moving the tail: depending the speed, means fear or/
anger;
licking the lips with the tongue: i am hungry!
spanking a little one (kitty) with a paw: go away!
closing the eyes very slowly in front of you: i
love you! (you can answer the same way)
purring: it the universal way of happiness and love
(mostly the times)
and so on... 

Thanks to ask for NEWTON!
Mabel
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As a owner of four cats and with nine in our family totally, 
I can say beyond a shadow of any doubt that cats communicate 
very well with one another.  They do not talk like humans, but
their body posture, ear position and facial expressions are easy
to read, even by humans.
Cats learn to communicate with humans and often use vocal sounds as part
of that communication.  My siamese and burman breeds "talk" with humans by
using cat meows to express food wants and to show affection.  If I call their name, 
they both respond with a vocal answer as if they were human. However, I study 
their facial expressions to determine if they are under stress or are in
a playful mood.
Cats, like all species, have different intelligent abilities so some of
our cats do not communicate well with humans well.  They do well enought with other
cats, however.

Study your cat's behavior and have fun learning to communicate with it.  Keep in
mind, cats will learn tricks just like dogs and will copy human behaviors, so
pay attention!

Steve Sample
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Hello Dylan!!


You are asking a very interesting and complex question.
 The most basic answer is yes, cats do talk, but not like
we think of talking.  Let me explain.  


First, it is important to understand that cats don't talk
like we do (as you know) but rather, they meow and use body
language to talk to eachother and to us.  It is also
important to understand that the way a cat will "talk" or
communicate to a human is different than the way he or she
will talk to another cat.  Lets first talk about how cats
can communicate with each other.


When a cat wants to talk to another cat, it will rarely
meow, which is not what you would think, right?  Rather,
cats talk to each other using body language, and other
methods of communcation.  For example, if a cat feels
scared, he or she will puff up its tail, and the hairs on
the cats back will stand up straight.  If a cat wants to
say hello to another cat (in a friendly way) he or she will
slowly walk up to the other cat and they will touch noses.
 If a cat wants to let another cat know that he is
submissive to the other cat, he or she will lower his or
her head.  There are lots and lots of different ways that
cats talk to each other, and there are many books that you
can get from a library that will show pictures of what
different positions or signals mean.

So what about all this meowing?  Well, cats tend to meow
when they want to communcate with a human.  Usually, they
meow when they want to get your attention, to show you
something or to let you know they are hungry, upset, etc.
 Cats also communicate with people like they communicate
with other cats.  For instance, if your kitty roles onto
its back and stretches out, it probably it trying to tell
you that he wants a belly rub.  Sometimes they growl, hiss
or tell you they want to be left alone.

So in summary, the answer again is that cats can talk, just
not like you and I talk.  They are very smart animals!!
 There are lots of books out there that you should look
into that will tell you all about what your cat's behavior
is telling you!!!

Good luck, and again, that is a great question.

Susie Sample, BS
Biomedical Engineer
Veterinary Student
University of Wisconsin, Madison
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