Perspectives A Newsletter for Cat Fanciers On Cats From The Cornell Feline Health Cente Spring 1995 The Cat's M eow :A Lesson in For centuries man has pondered the ability of cats to inspired by passion and repeated under similar recur­ communicate with people and the ability of people to rent circumstances, become the abiding expressions understand the nuances of cat language. This type of of the passions that gave rise to them.” study is called zoosemiotics. Zoosemioticians study the form, content and context of animal communica­ It was Dupont de Nemours research into animal language that caught the interest of Chateaubriand. tions. Historically, it could be said that Montaigne (1533-1592), Dupont de Nemours (1739-1817) and According to Chateaubriand, “The cat has the same Chateaubriand (1768-1848) were the forefathers of vowels as pronounced by the dog, and with the zoosemiotics. addition of six consonants— m, n, g, h, v, and f. Consequently, the cat has a greater number of words Montaigne stated that, “It is manifestly evident than the dog.” Alphonse Leon Grimaldi, a nine­ that there is among cats a full and entire communica­ teenth century French professor, concurred with tion, and that they understand each other.” Chateaubriand’s observation, since he claimed that cats had a language that contained about 600 words. Dupont de Nemours tried to penetrate the myster­ Even Darwin stated that some animals have the ies of animal language. He commented that, “Those power of language, even if only rudimentary when who utter sounds attach significance to them; their compared to human language. fellows do the same, and those sounds originally These historical accounts are intriguing, but what does the modem literature say about cat language? Inside this issue... Do we know anything about cat communication, or are we merely imposing anthropomorphologic quali­ ties on cats? The Cat’s Meow page 1 M-E-I-O-U Pet Ownership and AIDS page 4 Extensive observations of feline vocalization pat­ Mail Bag page 5 terns were made by Moelk in the 1940s. Moelk described three different vocal patterns based on how Honor Roll page 6 the sound was produced: murmur patterns, vowel Animal Instincts on the Air page 8 patterns, and strained intensity patterns. Within each category, various distinctive sounds can occur. Typi­ Book Bits—Zoonotic Diseases page 8 cally the vowels used are a, e, o, and u. 7Tie conso­ nants are g, h, m, n, r, t, and s. Table 1 provides a phonetic listing of cat vocalizations. Perspectives O n C a t s 2 Murmur Patterns and increased bursts of pressure across this area for These vocalizations are produced when the mouth is in the 20- to 30-milliseconds. The increased buildup of closed position. pressure creates the vibrations associated with the purr. Grunt: If you have owned a kitten, you are probably familiar with this unique sound. Usually, The hemodynamic theory suggests that the vibra­ the vocalization is lost by maturity, however, the tion is caused when the vena cava (primary vein) is grunt may be emitted by an adult cat if it is particu­ constricted by the contraction of the diaphragm. This larly baffled. constriction causes turbulence in the blood that is resonated and amplified through the bronchial tubes Purr: This sound is the most endearing and and the trachea to the sinus cavities in the head. magical of all the sounds created by the cat. Over the centuries many theories, from mythical to scientific, The purr is usually considered a contented com­ have been purported to explain this unique sound. munication and occurs in the presence of other cats Currently, the theories used to explain the purring and humans. The purr is also used to help in feline phenomenon are based on aerodynamic or hemody­ social bonding. A queen w ill purr during parturition; namic concepts. the sound guides the newly born kittens to stay close to the queen. Kittens begin to purr within two days of The aerodynamic theory is based on the activa­ birth. A kitten will purr loudly during nursing. It is tion of the laryngeal muscles by partial closure of the thought that the loud purring is a stimulus for its glottis (the elongated space between the vocal cords) littermates to also partake of nourishment. When adult cats cross paths, it is not unusual to hear the more submissive cat purr in the presence of Perspectives the more dominant cat. The sound pattern changes A Newsletter for Cat Fanciers from the characteristic ‘“ hrn-rhn” to a “mhrn” and is O n C a t s From The Cornell Feline Health Center considered a friendly feline greeting. Female cats are known to purr during courtship and mating. There are The ultimate purpose of the Cornell Feline Health Center is to reports that some cats purr when in pain or before improve the health of cats everywhere, by developing methods to prevent or cure feline diseases, and by providing continuing dying. education to veterinarians and cat owners. All contributions are tax-deductible. Call: This is a low throaty sound usually emitted Director: Fred W. Scott, D.V.M., Ph .D by a cat when it is trying to coax another cat to come Assistant Director: James R. Richards, D.V.M. Editor: June E. Tuttle closer, such as in the case of a female cat signaling its Secretaries: G w e n Frost Marsha J. Leonard readiness to mate. The call can be intensified from a Sheryl A. Thomas coax to a command, as used by male cats to invite young males to fight. ©1995 by Cornell University on behalf of the Cornell Feline Health Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY 14853. Acknowledgment: This form of communication Phone: (607) 253-3414 Fax: (607) 253-3419 All rights reserved. Permission to reprint se­ is a short murmur with a rapidly falling intonation. In lected portions must be obtained in writing. most instances, the sound occurs when a cat antici­ Cornell University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action educator and employer. pates receiving a treat from its owner. Kittens are about 12 weeks old before they can vocalize this murmur pattern. Printed on recycled paper. 3 Vowel Patterns Table 1. Phonetics of Feline Vocalizations These sounds are produced Categories: Phonetics: when the mouth is first opened Murmur Patterns and then gradually closed. Grunt Demand: Thi s voc ali zation Purr 'hm-rhn-'hm-rhn... varies in inflection and tone, a. Greeting 'mhm indicating the mood of the cat. C all b mhm The most intense and loudest is Acknowledgment 'mhr/z properly named the “ begging Vowel Patterns demand.” This can be reduced Demand 'mrhn-a' :oii in intensity and have a drawn a. Whisper 'mrhn-e out sound. Many owners are b. Begging Demand 'mhm-aou:? familiar with this vocalization Bewilderment 'maoii:? when their cat is making a re­ a. Worry 'ma oii:? quest (i.e. access to another Complaint 'mhn-a:oii room). Queens use this vocal Mating Cry (mild) 'mhm-a:oii pattern to call their kittens after Anger W ail a:oii she has caught prey. Another Strained Intensity Patterns variation is the chirping sound Growl grr... accompanied by tail-flicking Snarl 'a:o when a cat is wistfully eyeing H iss 'ssss... prey. The least intense is known a. Spit fft! as the silent meow, in which Caterwaul 'oe-ce' :a there is mouth movement with Scream a! little or no sound accompany­ N N ing it. P* Refusal P Bewilderment: Kittens are Key: Vowels: Consonants: capable of this vocal pattern af­ a as in father, f as in /an; ter 79 days of age. The vowel a as in cot; h as in Aunt; 3 as in banana; m as in mouse; pattern varies from the demand o as in go; n as in kitten; and typifies the “ meow” sound ceas in French eux; n as in sung; most associated with cats. Worry ii as in pool; r as in rat; is denoted by extending the be­ t as in bat; ginning syllable. s as in make Other: C om plaint: This pattern : indicates prolongation of sound; ~ indicates nasalization; varies substantially in the be­ / indicates strcss-accent; 1 indicates inhalation; ginning vowel sounds from the ? indicates rising inflection; z indicates discontinuity; bewilderment sound. Cats ex­ ! indicates abrupt, stress-accent ending pressing a vocal complaint usu­ Adapted from Moelk M: Am J Psych 57:184-205, (1944 )and Beaver ally are quieted simply by their BV:Feline Behavior: A Guide for Veterinarians, p. 267, WB Saunders Co., owners’ verbal response to their Philadelphia PA, (1992). vocalizations. Perspectives O n C a t s 4 Mating Crx: This is a distinctive two-syllable Refusal: This is a very low, almost rasping sound sound made by an intact female cat when it is in estrus that is discontinuous. The cat voices the refusal when (heat). it is trying to withdraw from a situation that it has been forced into. A n ger Wail: This is a common form of commu­ nication in adult cats and kittens. Adult cats utilize it Summary when playing rough or fighting. Kittens can vocalize If you have owned cats for several years you are this distress call as early as one day old. Kittens will probably familiar with each of the above patterns. wail during the queen’s absence or littermate’s ab­ Certainly, some cats are known to be much more sence. vocal, such as the Siamese breed, and others are less vocal. If your cat suddenly becomes vocal and it is not Strained Intensity Patterns associated with mating, fighting or requesting, it These vocalizations indicate extreme emotional states, could be a signal to a health problem.