Can I teach them to Meow!!??

Question

I'd love my kittens to meow more...at the moment they are very vocal they Prrrttt loudly and chunter away to them selves and each other and they give out these little pathetic cries when they want food..but thats it..

they dont really MEEOW!..is this becuase they are just learning to use their voices? they are still only 7/8 months.

is the fact the Prrrtt so much a sign they will meow later in life?

I know they aren't shy!
so last night I was sat watching t.v quietly, they were playing making lots of little noises as they do.. then one of them went to the door to get out..but it was silence, he just stares at me,
I was meowing at him to try and encourage him to meow back..but he just stares at me untill i open the door for him...
then I might get a little Prrrt by way of a thankyou.

Answer 1

Kittens learn a great deal from imitating their mother, and cats retain the ability to learn and adapt into their adult life. Though cats mainly communicate with each other through scent and body language, they soon discover that humans use sounds in order to communicate and most cats react to this by developing different sounds for certain circumstances.

You could take it as a compliment that your cats don't feel the need to be very vocal with you, because you understand their body language. You obviously understand that when he sits by the door that he wants to go out, but if you were to play dumb and ignore this request, he would eventually resort to being vocal to draw your attention to the fact he wants you to open the door. However, be aware that one a cat realises that being vocal is the most effective method of gaining your attention, they will use this technique whenever they want something, no matter what time of day or night. Owners who talk to their cats a lot often have more talkative pets.

Of course, a lot will depend upon your cats' personalities too. Just like humans, some cats are naturally very quiet, whilst others don't know when to stop talking. Our female cat never made a sound for the first year that we had her, but when she was six months old we adopted a male kitten who is a real chatterbox. Gradually our female cat has begun to meow, but she is still quiet most of the time.

You might enjoy reading the articles below about feline vocalisation and body language as they contain lots of interesting information.

http://www.messybeast.com/cat_talk.htm
http://www.messybeast.com/cat_talk2.htm

Answer 2

I own three cats and none of them really 'meow' per say..... The oldest 'reeeeers' when she's begging for food, she's gets closer to 'meow' when she's being held and she doesn't want to be - it's more of like a 'meeeeeeeuuuuuu'. My second oldest sort of makes a half purr half 'the grudge' sounding 'ehhhhhhh'. He'll meow more if he's wandered off to another room and feels like hearing the echo or something. My youngest never-ever meows unless you've held him for too long - and it's very quiet and you'd think it'd be louder for as wide as he opens his mouth for it.

So - it's not uncommon. It's very annoying if they do it all the time anyways. I guess the best way I can get at least one of them to 'meow' is to get out treats and talk to them and be like 'you want this?!' in a high pitches voice. And not give it until they meow or attempt to meow. Encourage from there....

Answer 3

Is the kitty hard of hearing? Sometimes if a kitty is deaf it will meow extremely loudly or not at all..they are still babies so that could just be the way they "talk"..You can meow at them all day long but if they dont want to meow they wont. Cats can purr, meow, squeak and make throat sounds(almost like growl but not-gutteral sounds). Some kitties are just not meow-ers.

Answer 4

Right now, they are just "talking"--"chattering", but if you REALLY want to see just how loud they can get---put one of them in the cat carrier. Almost all cats HATE the carrier we have to use to take them to the vet, and believe me, you'll hear noises like you never knew they could make. My great big (18 - 20 lbs.) Turkish Angora is all but silent. He talks to me, but doesn't really "meow" like most cats do. But--when we have to put him in that cat carrier for a trip to the groomer, the noises that come out of this guy are LOUD, yowling, howling, waling--(sounds like he's getting slowly killed) to the point that it's actually hysterical. Also, it depends a lot on whether you have males or females (or both). Females tend to be much more vocal than males.

With that being said, I'll ask you, are any of your cats pure WHITE? It is quite common for white cats to be deaf. Mine is pure white, and NOT deaf--he can hear me washing his food dish from 50 feet away, or farther. At 7 & 8 months old, these are almost adult cats, and I'm sure there is nothing wrong with their vocal cords. They are simply "talking" to each other. I honestly think this is sooo cute!

You didn't say how many kittens you have, but, if you really want to hear just how loud they can really get---do the cat carrier thing--one-at-a-time, and take the kitten out to your car (with windows open so you can hear) and wait a few minutes. After you hear what they can REALLY sound like, you'll be perfectly happy with the "prrrt" and the "chirping", etc. Have a happy life with these little ones--it's nice to respond to someone who's got a group who gets along so well. And, FYI: Cats only "Meow" at US--to get our attention for something they want. Cats do NOT "meow" at each other.
And, finally---NO, YOU cannot teach a cat to meow any more than you can teach a fish to swim.

Answer 5

They will meow when they're ready. be thankful they're still quiet. Mine is 2 & he will sit in the middle of the room meowing. he will run threw the house meowing. He won't shut up. Be thankful. Some are just not very vocal

Answer 6

Be careful what you wish for...

In my experience, some cats meeow, some don't. And there's nothing you can really do about it, it's just how they are. Enjoy the peace and quiet!

Answer 7

Don't worry about it, Morky! Your kitty is talking to you, after all! They'll meow in their own good time, and you may eventually wish they wouldn't.

Answer 8

No, you can not teach them to meow, but, you can teach them to talk. LOL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgUxtXqR1YU

Answer 9

I'm sorry, but I'm laughing as I write this.

They've trained you well :o)

Enjoy your cats

Answer 10

Most people I know don't want their p u s s y to noisy. As long as it doesn't smell, I guess its okay.