do all cats "meow"?

Question

I bought my cat when he was 5 weeks old and have had him now for a good few years. I don't know whether it sbecause he is trying to immitate my voice or what, but he doesn't meow at all, he goes "eh" - is that normal?

Answer 1

Every cat has his or her own voice, and they don't all sound like "meow". You can understand what the cat wants from the noise he makes. Small nuances distinguish his typical comments: "I'm hungry, feed me," or "I'm in the mood for love, pet me," or "Ye-ouch, you just stepped on my tail." Some cats vocalize a lot, others almost never. If they are successful in getting us to obey their orders, our cats remain happy creatures. Except if they're in a bad mood and they decide to take it out on our ankles.

Answer 2

Cats have as many voices as people. Some jibber and make clicking noises, some say "eh" or "uh", some yodel (Siamese and Siamese-crosses!!) and some meow, and the variety of meows is amazing.

You're cat might not have a lot to say. Sounds like I'm being stupid, but it's true. Some cats (like some people) just have a lot more to say. We had a Siamese who had a LOT to say every day ("yeooowelll"s) and her sister would just make a little grunting sound once in a while. We even had her to the vet to check her vocal cords and throat for a tumour or something but she was fine.

Look at AFV (America's Funniest Videos) sometime -- their animal segments have cats (and dogs) who make a huge variety of noises, including one cat that said "nooo no no no no" and another that said "ma ma".

Answer 3

When cats are taken from their mother too early (5 weeks is too early) they never "learn" how to meow. I had a cat once that didn't meow either and I had to teach him how to on my own. I sat with him and did the best I could to imitate a cat meow (I did a damn good imitation if I do say so myself). It didn't take long and he was meowing like a pro.

Answer 4

Cat's have a pretty large vocabulary.
The 'meowing' sound that our are referring to is usually heard when a cat is in heat. Tom cat's are a good example.
I have a feeling your kitty has been fixed and yes it is trying to communicate with you.
If you listen carefully he will have a different sound for different wants such as food going out being petted etc.

Answer 5

All cats are different.

My male "talks." I don't believe he's ever said anything close to "meow." It's more of a trilling sound. When he's in trouble, he makes a cackling sound and his whiskers twitch.

My older female squeaks, especially if she's protesting something we're doing.

The youngest female does "meow," but it's in the form of a question. It's sooooo darn cute! "Meow?!?!"

Answer 6

Some cats meow, some chirp and others make a variety of other little verbalizations. Since he doesn't meow, maybe he just doesn't have much to say! Lol! Seriously, tho, have you checked his hearing to make sure he hasn't got some degree of hearing loss?
Good luck! Cats rock!

Answer 7

no not all cats. I had a tom that just opened his mouth to meow but nothing ever came out. Got 3 more who all meow like mad. Thinking of cutting their vocal chords too. JOKE

Answer 8

My first kitten never made a sound for three months, then he became very vocal. Check with your vet. Your cat may have a problem. Five weeks, by the way, is far too young to leave his Mum. Eight or nine weeks is kinder.

Answer 9

i would say yes he is trying to talk your language or something. you are his mommy after all.
does he have a hearing problem?
we have a cat that must think he's a dog because he tries to bark at the other cats. of course he does meow too.
I would definitely call the vet and at least ask.

Answer 10

My cat is over a year old now and has never had a proper "meow". She squeaks a lot and make a "chirrup" noise when she is happy. She also snores quite badly!