Human to Cat Communication

It is easy for us humans to congratulate ourselves for being the world's best communicators because of our ability to talk. Some people speak several languages. Others wow us by delivering motivational speeches. But here's a reality check: our cats "speak" much more clearly than we do.

Cats are straight talkers. They never deceive or pretend. If they feel threatened or angered, they hiss. If they are content, they purr. In cat-to-cat chat, there is rarely a communication miscue. The message is delivered clearly through body postures and a variety of vocalizations.

But between humans and cats, breakdowns in communication occur often. What we may see as an act of defiance, like using the bathroom rug as a litter box, could be a call for help with a medical problem. We can't understand why cats flee from our hugs but often seem to seek out visitors with allergies. We don't always know the difference between "mew" and "meow."

We can communicate better with our cats by learning some feline "language." Along the way, we may commit a feline faux "paw" or two, but that's all right.


*This information was gathered from "The cat behavior answer book" by Arden Moore