• HonorableScythe@lemm.ee
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    2 days ago

    It goes both ways. I just leaned over and said “mrrow” to my cat, which she immediately responded to with her own “mrrrrow”.

  • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    I’ve noticed that sometimes my cat will meow from the other room so I’ll answer asking what’s up, making sure to say his name, and he’s usually content with that unless he approaches me. 🤷‍♂️

    • Chetzemoka@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Yeah object permanence is not strong with mine either. She’ll go into another room, forget I exist, scream, I respond, she’s like, “Oh hey, you’re right where I left you!”

      Tiny fuzzy airhead.

      • ellabee@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        my cat loses it if she wakes up and can’t see me. I live in a studio. there aren’t a lot of “out of sight” options. at one point, there was just a screen between me, in my computer chair, and her, on the bed. we still did the whole call and response.

        she doesn’t look for me, she just starts yelling until I respond.

    • kamenLady.@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Then you’re all like:

      “You are approaching meee?”

      Cue to the Stands appearing behind you two.

    • k110111@feddit.de
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      3 days ago

      That cat is actually an assassin, when he lays out his plan, he has to check if it worked or not. Beware!

  • call_me_xale@lemmy.zip
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    3 days ago

    Yeah, I’d like to see a source for this. There have been many proposed theories for why cats vocalize to humans, especially because “meowing” is not common between cats except for kittens. How do we know that it isn’t a request for food or attention?

    • kayel@lemm.ee
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      2 days ago

      As a cat person, I find most explanations of cat behaviour generalised and ingomplete; scientific or not. My Siamese cat yells at me when I have not met my side of our obligations.

      Consistency is important for children and animals.

      • We get up at sunrise, so he will nuzzle or meow to be let in if he’s locked out of my room.
      • We get wet food at 7am, and if I’m late he will not be impressed and yell until we are in the kitchen. However, if I’m on time, he will sit on the counter and say a quick meow to let me know he’s ready and a good boy.
      • He will bring his toys to me when it’s time to play, if I don’t notice he’ll let me know.
      • When there’s something outside and I come watch he’ll look at me and do a little chirp, approving my presence and proud of what he’s found
      • And when we get home he greets us with the back and forward calling and a nuzzle.

      There’s much more nonverbal communication than verbal. Everyone knows when their cat is scared or excited, but with a good relationship you can tell when they’re anxious or in pain. Cat’s know human non-verbal communicotion; they know when you’re sad, it just depends on the cat if they’ll cuddle or knock you’re nick-nacks off a shelf.

    • radicalautonomy@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Meowing is very common among cats. Go look up videos on YouTube where people attach GoPros to their outdoor cats and see them interact with other cats in the neighborhood.

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      It can be both. I think it really depends on the specific cat and person. My cat “barks” for needs, “whines” when he loses us, and meows for attention or to get vocalization back. I think attentive cat owners probably know their cat and because it’s adaptive behavior it’s not the same across the board.

  • LANIK2000@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Why does this keep appearing? Cats most definitely do communicate by meowing too. I’d really love it if our village cats didn’t chose the street out my widow a midnight as their debate grounds, shit’s loud af and I always have to climb out the window to break up the fight.

    • Stalinwolf@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Yeah, you’re gonna wanna eat some catfood, chug a beer and huff some glue. It’ll make you feel really sick and then put you right out.

      • MrShankles@reddthat.com
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        3 days ago

        We always joke, wondering, “Is it cats or kids” when hearing screaming (like kids playing, or cats fighting). Sometimes, it really is hard to discern

        • LANIK2000@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          The why do they immediately run away upon realizing a human is near by? Like I’m talking about strays here, they only gather outside my widow when there’s no one around and I’m quite in my room.

    • jubilationtcornpone@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      I used to have a semi-outdoor cat. She could come and go from the basement through a cat door. That little shit knew where my bedroom was and every morning she would climb up on the shelf as high as possible and meow loudly as if to say, “Hey! Hey Dumbass! Are you gonna feed me or what!? Heeeeyyyy!”

    • pyre@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      yeah that’s because the little ones mean “hii” and the big ones mean “HELLO???!!”

      • AlbertSpangler@lemmings.world
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        2 days ago

        “HEY! HEY HEY HEY HEY HEY!! I CAN SEE THE BOTTOM OF MY FOOD BOWL! HEY!! YOU HEARING THIS?? THE BOTTOM OF MY BOWL!! I CAN SEE IT!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THIS???”

    • Klear@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      And the “I don’t like being in a car and I don’t want to be put in the MRI machine” meow.

      Heard a lot of those yesterday =/

    • flicker@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I had to explain to my boyfriend that my cat absolutely has a “name” for him. My cat has specific meows for all his favorite humans.

      • GingaNinga@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        aww. ya I have complete conversations with my ragdoll, I’ll say you have a nice nap?! and he’ll go YA!!! and he’ll sit by his treat box and do a really hi pitched beg like PLEASE!!! they’re really entertaining animals

  • OR3X@lemm.ee
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    3 days ago

    I love it. My cat routinely walks through the room I’m in every 20-30mins giving me little chips along the way.

  • Vinny_93@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Don’t think so. When my cat says meow she means “bring on the food pronto”

  • pearsaltchocolatebar@discuss.online
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    3 days ago

    Iirc, interpersonal communication between cats is done at a frequency that humans can’t hear, which is part of why they yell at us.

    We have one cat with likely brain damage (he got super sick as a kitten) who tries to communicate with us on that frequency, so it looks like he’s silently meowing.

  • sheepishly@fedia.io
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    3 days ago

    Whenever my cats meow at me it usually means “I love you I love you!! (Please give tummy rubs (but not too many tummy rubs because then I will kill you))”

  • general_kitten@sopuli.xyz
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    3 days ago

    My cat is very nonvocal, i hear her meow maybe once a week and that is usually a fallback way to get my attention when nonverbal ways dont work.