Bet ya didn't know that cats could talk!They have a language all their own. Basically, cat language consists of murmers, vowels, and strained, high-intensity sounds. Mormurs include purring and the soft sounds used for greeting, calling attention, acknowledgment, and approval.
There are several types of vowels, or the "miaow".They are used to demand ( something my cats are very good at *laugh* ),beg, complain, and express bewilderment.By the way a cat pronounces her "miaows," an attentive cat owner can recongnize a small but impressive feline vocabulary. Pay close attention to your cats "miaows" and you will soon become familiar with such concepts as "Let me out! " "In please!" "Feed me and do it now! " "no" and "Get over here and open this tuna can for me".
High intensity or strained sounds make up a cat-to-cat vocabulary that ranges from snarls and growls to hisses and wails.These sounds usually happen when your cat is confronted by a strange animal or human, is in pain jor is mating. And if you have ever seen a cat in the window seal looking out at that nice tastey bird out there and unable to get it,you may have heard that strange tooth-rattling stutter of frustration.
Cat KissesCats also communicate by touch, very often using this sense to express interest and affection. The rubbing of noses and mutual grooming are examples of how cats use touch to communicate feelings.
Touch also provides the cat with a vital awareness of his immediate surroundings and serves to warn against injury or danger. Specialized nerve endings or receptors that respond to various sensations are found through out the cat's skin. When stimulated, these nerve endings send messages rapidly through connecting nerves and up teh spinal cord to the sensory area of the feline brain.
The whiskers comprise the most important component of the cat's sense of touch. The whiskers are coarse, stiff hairs that stick out from the body and act like antennae. They also define the placement of an object near a cat's head by gauging changes of presure created by movement. They translate the slightest contact with an object into sensory impulses. Whiskers help communicate many things to your cat, such as whether a small opening is large enough to get through without injury. The whiskers also are an important supplement to a feline's vision. If a cat is wandering around in the dark,the whiskers are great aid in preventing collisions with objects.
