# Why does Piper Cat trill and chirp instead of purring and meowing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-piper-cat-trill-and-chirp-instead-of-purring-and-meowing/808146 "2018-02-04T02:56:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-piper-cat-trill-and-chirp-instead-of-purring-and-meowing/808146/21 "2018-02-05T16:23:15Z")
No answer, but my daughter just got a cat of her own a couple of months ago and we all love her dearly…but her meower is broken. She chirps and trills, but when she wants to meow she opens her mouth and nothing but a stifled squeak comes out. It’s like when you were a child and tried to call for your mom in the middle of a nightmare and no words would come out. She doesn’t like people picking her up, and when one of us does she “meows” hear head off in vain. Any other cat would be making an annoying racket, but when she does it, we all laugh. Poor thing. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-piper-cat-trill-and-chirp-instead-of-purring-and-meowing/808146/22 "2018-02-05T21:00:24Z")
We have three rescue cats. (all about 4 years old now, siblings) #1 does tiny little kitten meows/cheeps, purrs quietly #2 Does chirps and trills, purrs loudly #3 never vocalizes at all, except small grunts and half a purr when really getting into having his head & ears scritched. Cats are weird. Was yours a rescue? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-piper-cat-trill-and-chirp-instead-of-purring-and-meowing/808146/23 "2018-02-05T22:11:09Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > When she’s in the cat carrier on the way to the vet, she can meow like a normal cat She meows like a normal cat then? Mine meows like a normal cat at normal times, and sounds like she is being tortured by demons in the carrier on the way to the vet. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-piper-cat-trill-and-chirp-instead-of-purring-and-meowing/808146/24 "2018-02-05T22:48:31Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > She meows like a normal cat then? Mine meows like a normal cat at normal times, and sounds like she is being tortured by demons in the carrier on the way to the vet. She’s indignant about it, but she’s not a howler. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-piper-cat-trill-and-chirp-instead-of-purring-and-meowing/808146/25 "2018-02-05T23:00:56Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You have a defective cat. > … Unfortunately, the warranty period is only about 15 minutes. Sorry. > [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > One theory I’ve heard is that most meowing between cats happens between mothers and kittens, so a kitten who didn’t spend much time with their mother may not meow as an adult. I’ve also heard that some cats just aren’t that chatty, just like some people aren’t. My own experience lines up with the both theories. > … My two cats were both rescued as teeny babies. Neither of them meows. The calico doesn’t really make any noise (but she does purr). The black one that I bottle-fed from one week old doesn’t meow, but has recently (now age 5) begun making squeaky ack-ack noises when she wants me to pick her up. I adore them both with every molecule of my being. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-piper-cat-trill-and-chirp-instead-of-purring-and-meowing/808146/26 "2018-02-05T23:10:03Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > On a more serious note, chirping and trilling are instinctive noises for cats, but most cats generally only make those sounds when they are hunting. Your typical house cat will often make those noises when they are staring out the window at a bird that they want to catch. The sounds aren’t particularly useful for hunting, leading many people to believe that they are just sounds of excitement, or possibly frustration. I would have thought that a cat looking for a pigeon dinner would have learned to keep absolutely silent, or go hungry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-piper-cat-trill-and-chirp-instead-of-purring-and-meowing/808146.md?page=1)