Have you ever caught your cat staring at you with those piercing eyes and wondered what on earth they’re thinking? Can cats understand human language?
Cats are mysterious creatures with unique personalities, often leaving us guessing about their wants, needs, and mischievous thoughts.
If only they could talk, imagine the stories they would tell, the secrets they’d reveal, and the cheeky demands they’d make! From their love of lazy lounging to their constant curiosity about what’s happening outside the window, cats have a lot to communicate.
So, what if your feline friend could actually speak? What would they say? Here are five things your cat would probably tell you if they could talk
“Even though I look like I’m fine on my own, I’m often lonely“
Cats have a tendency to be self-reliant. This goes back to their wild nature as predatory animals.
The thing is, cats also crave social situations at other times. They have this dual set of desires just like humans. But they have a hard time telling us of this fact due to different ways of thinking and behaving.
So if you’re walking down the hallway and your cat looks preoccupied, don’t take it as not wanting your attention. Call out his name, just to check in and see if he really wants to be left alone. Body language can be a false sign on its own without this check.
“I’m not mad at you, I just have aches and pains“
You would think that all that scurrying about, running, jumping up and down objects many times their own height, would lead to some heavy wear and tear on your cat’s ligaments and tendons.
And you’d be right. Though they are masters of the soft landing, simple physics dictates that things need to be repaired on the inside over time.
If your cat is acting out, screeching at you, or acting erratic in general, you really should know that you may not be the issue at all.
Cats are emotional beings just like we are. If someone bumped into roughly at the grocery store without apologizing, wouldn’t you be somewhat upset?
Well, cats feel the same way when they take a harder than usual landing with the human parent in the vicinity, standing by without saying anything. They tend to snap out a bit, like an angry child. So know that you may not be the problem, it could just be a rough landing.
“Where I spend my time really shows off my interests”
Again going back to their nature as territorial, predatory animals, where your cat spends her time really tell you about what she likes to be around, environmentally speaking.
Is the TV room? Maybe your cat longs to be around more noise, sights and sounds. Especially for female cats, this could be a signal that they deeply desire to have a mate around for the social benefits.
How about the backyard? There a a lot of cats with boundless energy, the natural fitness types in feline form. Kittens will often develop a sense of play that yearns for the outdoors.
If you find your cat lazing about in the kitchen – well you likely know what that means!
There are a lot of little things to look for too. For cats hanging around a ball all the time, even without saying anything to you, he’s probably trying to signal playtime. Which leads us to our next point:
“Sometimes I want you to lead without asking”
Your cat is not the type of animal to dictate orders. He or she would much prefer that you just know what they’d like to do…oftentimes to your own frustration from the communication gap.
Again, they have teenage brains in many ways.
The thing is, they see you as their owner, their caregiver, and indeed their leader. And in the animal hierarchy, the leader should generally know what the group desires.
“My meow’s may be a sign of affection — or I may be just confusing you for attention”
Like crying from a baby, the meow has many different interpretations. A high pitch could indicate pain – or is it love?
Sometimes cats even use their meows to trick you into paying extra attention to them. If you have multiple cats in the household, we’ve even observed them using an inside joke to “fool master.”
Needless to say, the simple sounds our cats make, mean far more than meets the eye. Their sense of verbal communication is deeper and more complex than previously thought, and only now are we understanding that cats have a language of their own.
Thankfully, there’s no need to guess at what your cat may be thinking
Human to cat communication research is now to the point where we largely understand both verbal and nonverbal behaviors from felines.
- Just imagine if you could understand why your cat was sulking in the corner. How much better would you be able to provide the love and care to ease his concerns and bring him into a happy mood once again?
- Have you ever lazed about on the couch with your cat nearby, showing your affection with your closeness and perhaps even wanting to actually tell her that you loved her?
- Imagine what it would be like to actually speak to your cat. As simple and rudimentary as it may be, it’s still 1,000 times better than what many cat owners do: using some animal form of baby speak that doesn’t mean anything to felines.
Yes, all of this is possible when you actually understand your cat. As it turns out, those meows you’re used to hearing form about 20 different sounds. When combined with body language, they open up a wide array of actual words that can be thought of as “cat language”.
