Read time: 1 min
Every man and their dog knows that cats meow, but it’s only the true cat people of the world that know of the cat chirp. A distinct, high-pitched yet adorable sound, much different to the meow and about 10 times cuter. So why is it that they have developed these different sounds to have a natter?
How do cats communicate?
It may come as a surprise to learn that even meows have been learnt by cats over the years of domestication, as a way to communicate with their human pals. Cats naturally don’t tend to chatter amongst themselves, and use more visual cues and body language rather than vocals. And it is apparently a similar story for the chirp. Often used as a greeting and a way to say a small hello to their humans, adorable. Chirps can also come from pure fascination during their scheduled birdwatching hour. Chirping can kick in as a sort of hunting instinct, when they become extremely focussed and excited by the birds on the other side of the glass, they almost begin to mimic their birdsong and chatter.
Cat body language
But chirping at people and chirping at birds in the cat world are altogether different. Body language is the giveaway. When they are simply saying ciao to their favourite human, they’ll be gentle, with blinky eyes and a bushy tail, whereas when fending off the big scary birds, your cat will become more crouched, and stalk with wide eye focus and alert ears.
Can my cat chirp?
If your cat is yet to chirp and you wanna test their vocab, get hold of a feathery toy or wand and get to playing, it may just bring out that hunting instinct and the chirps may just start flowing. Not to worry if not though, all cats are different yet perfect in every way whether they chirp or not!
