# My cat doesn't talk **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285 "2005-10-21T17:01:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285/21 "2005-10-23T19:32:20Z")
wow! and I thought Smokey was manipulative! She’s demanding, alright, in a cat way, but wow. =^.^= ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285/22 "2005-10-24T03:26:48Z")
While the Kittenator is very vocal, another cat I knew was totally voiceless. He’d open his mouth, but the soundtrack was shut off. Sorry to hear of you losing your kitty **TwoTrouts**. :sad: ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285/23 "2005-10-24T04:05:07Z")
My cat only meows when it sees the neighbor’s cat in the window. I think the cat disturbs him (it’s one-eyed and HUGE). He doesn’t really purr either. But he’s still a friendly cat. My old cat meowed constantly and purred like a beltsander. I think there is very much a wide spectrum of behavior when it comes to cats. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285/24 "2005-10-24T04:20:48Z")
My cat previous - a 24 lb tom cat used to meow all the time to chat. I talked about him here [Thumper](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=189280&highlight=Poysyn) and how hard it was to out him to sleep. He used to just pad along behind me, talking. I never realized it was so bad until we had a friend cat-sit for us when we were out of town, she phoned me - “Is something wrong with your cat, he won’t stop crying?” The cat we have now didn’t make a lot of noise for a while (he’s about 1 1/2 years old) but he is starting to now - I have high hoped for his verbal skills. My MIL has a huge maine coon - tiny little meow. I swear you expect this huge MEOW and he makes this big face, opens his mouth and… “meow” ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285/25 "2005-10-24T12:49:32Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > My cat previous - a 24 lb tom cat used to meow all the time to chat. I talked about him here [Thumper](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=189280&highlight=Poysyn) and how hard it was to out him to sleep. He used to just pad along behind me, talking. I never realized it was so bad until we had a friend cat-sit for us when we were out of town, she phoned me - “Is something wrong with your cat, he won’t stop crying?” > > The cat we have now didn’t make a lot of noise for a while (he’s about 1 1/2 years old) but he is starting to now - I have high hoped for his verbal skills. > > My MIL has a huge maine coon - tiny little meow. I swear you expect this huge MEOW and he makes this big face, opens his mouth and… > > “meow” We had a Maine Coon before - Ernie The Best Cat Ever. Sucker had a set of lungs. I guess different strokes, huh? Anyway, last night, while watching the Sox squeak out a win, I was on the floor playing with Cuervo. I sropped what I was doing to watch the game and felt a paw on my leg and heard this garggly little voice. Then he jumped away. I think he scared himself! ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285/26 "2005-10-24T12:52:00Z")
> [@](#): > > My cat only meows when it sees the neighbor’s cat in the window. I think the cat disturbs him (it’s one-eyed and HUGE). Do you live near me **davenportavenger**? You wouldn’t think so, but you’re uncannily accurate in describing Clarence. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285/27 "2005-10-24T16:27:50Z")
I have one of each. [Doesn’t miaow](http://home.arcor.de/bananas02/big.JPG) [Does miaow](http://home.arcor.de/bananas02/little.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![iluvurmom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iluvurmom/32/7276_2.png) [@iluvurmom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iluvurmom)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285/28 "2005-10-24T17:15:15Z")
> [@mr bus guy](#): > > A little over a month ago, I “rescued” [Cuervo](http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/keylimepie630/cat%20pictures/314d0d38.jpg). I mentioned it [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=335117&highlight=kitty). He’s doing magnificently now, thanks for asking. When I got him at about 3 weeks old, he weighed 1/2 pound. A week and a half ago at his last Vet visit, he was 2 1/2 lbs, his congestion is clearing, but still there a bit. No fleas anymore, no mites and no worms. [A healthy little booger even if he does play in strange places.](http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a39/keylimepie630/cat%20pictures/thisiswhyhesdirty.jpg) > > But, he doesn’t talk. No meowing at all. When he purrs, which is a LOT, he makes kind of a vocalization, but I think that’s a remnant of the congestion more than anything. He has a voice, I know because I accidently twisted his foot one day trying to catch him to give him his medicine and he made a healthy yelp. > > He opens his mouth and seems like he wants to meow, but makes no noise. > > I’m guessing that vocalization is a learned thing, and we think he had little or no contact with his mother before being abandoned. But my other two talk all the time, and he’s around them enough to see and hear it. In fact, he and Marty are getting along some, and when they play, Marty talks to him. When he’s not pinning him down and licking Cuervo’s balls that is. > > So, should I be concerned by this? I know, I know, ask the vet. I did. She’s even a bit baffled. We thought maybe he damaged something when he was sick, but since then I heard the very loud meow, so something is working. There isn’t any inflammation that might make meowing painful that she could see. > > Is he gonna talk? > > He’s got such an expressive face, we pretty much know what he’s thinking all the time. Basically it’s either “attack!”, “eat!”, “poop!” or “run from Scarlett, she’s mean to me!” > > But I’d like to hear his voice, ya know? I once had the same problem. Then my cat suddenly got very outgoing and began to “talk” contastantly…i mean to the point that I was going crazy…he WOULD NOT shut-up. It was like years worth of stuff was flying out of his mouth. Be careful what u wish for…if you want to hear his voice maybe you should just grab his leg again and leave it at that??? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-cat-doesnt-talk/327285.md?page=1)