My Kitten is 7 Months Old Now, But Still Can't "Miaow" Properly. Is This Normal?

Question

It's a pathetic little squeak that sound more like a mouse. Our older cat could "miaow" at 7 months. I don't think it's a problem but is it normal and at what age should a cat start to "miaow"?

Thanks guys. To be perfectly honest, I have no problem with it. Would prefer it if it was mute. However my daughter was banging on so much about it, I let her post the question and as most of you have come up with the same answer I've been giving her i.e. No problem, I think we've just about convinced her.

Answer 1

Our female cat never meowed until she was a year old. When she was 6 months old, we adopted a male kitten who is very vocal. Gradually, our female cat has begun to meow, but it's a high pitched sound, more like a kitten mewing.

Cats generally communicate with each through body language and smell. Humans don't understand those messages, and cats soon learn that we communicate through sound, so they meow to us when they need our attention. They can also develop a vocabulary of different meows, for specific things such as "feed me" or "I want to go out".

Like humans, cats have different voices, and some speak louder than others. Some are very quiet, with little to say, whilst others never know when to stop talking.

There is a very interesting article called "Cat Chat" that you might enjoy reading. See the link below.

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

Answer 2

Cats make many sounds, a particular cat in a particular situation will use a sound, different cat in the same situation will use a different sound;
No sound "It's a pathetic little squeak ", it will have a meaning, others cats will get the message...
Some cats are more vocal than others and also use other means of communication. I'm no Dr. on the matter, this are my observations during the 30+ years that I've had Cats in my life, but be aware that there are certain medical conditions that will stop a cat using it's ability to communicate with sounds. For peace of mind , take him to the vet.

Have a happy life.
100%

Answer 3

My cat does the same thing...he's 3 years old and we adopted him from the Humane Society but he's never been able to fully meow. While I have not taken him to a vet, he seems to be perfectly healthy so I wouldn't worry to much. Some cats just can't or don't meow :)

Answer 4

My 7 year old cat very rarely miaows but will grumble at you if she is in a bad mood. Also she will growl at the door when someone knocks on it. I think it depends on the cat.

Answer 5

My 15 yr old cat makes the mouth shape but no sound comes out at all.
He cries when he's upset - like in the car on the way to the vet, and that sounds exactly like a baby's cry.

Answer 6

One of my cats' doesn't meow, the vet told me not all cats are able to. There is a very rare condition that causes a tumor to grow in the cat's throat preventing it from meowing. The tumor begins growing when the cat is born.
I would ask the vet just to make sure.

Answer 7

My three year old cat, who is a big girl sizewise sounds like a squeeking mouse. She always has. She'll open her mouth big and wide and this tiny little meeeeww will come out. It's actually adorable.
It's not as if she needs to develop speech skills. Don't worry!

Answer 8

I wouldn't worry about it. Every cat has it's own way of "meowing". My 4 year old male cat meows with his mouth closed half the time so it sounds more like "merrr" but sometimes he'll do a loud, mouth wide open meow.

Answer 9

Some cats never develop any further than a pathetic squeak so its nothing to worry about.

Answer 10

Some cats never miaow very loudly at all. Think it all depends on their mothers