WE'RE TOLD...
AND TO THE LION
CUBS' MUCH
SMALLER COUSIN
--
OWNING A CAT
MEANS
SPEAKING ITS
LANGUAGE
FOR A
BREAKDOWN ON
WHAT THEIR
QUIET SOUNDS
MEAN
HERE'S THE
NEBRASKA
HUMANE
SOCIETY'S PAM
WIESE
WHEN OUR CAT
CAREGIVERS
COME INTO THE
CATTERY IN THE
MORNING THEY
ARE GREETED
WITH A CHORUS
OF MEOWS. BUT
DID YOU KNOW
THAT ADULT CATS
MEOW TO
PEOPLE AND NOT
OTHER CATS?
TRULY--MEOWING
IS A LANGUAGE
CATS
DEVELOPED TO
COMMUNICATE
WITH US.
THE ONLY
MEOWING IN CAT
LANGUAGE IS
DONE BETWEEN
MOM CAT AND
HER YOUNG
KITTENS. A
KITTEN'S TINY
"MEW" IS A
SPECIFICALLY
ENDEARING
SOUND USED TO
SOLICIT
ATTENTION AND
CARE FROM
MOM. ONCE
KITTENS ARE
GROWN, THOSE
SOUNDS STOP
UNLESS THEY'RE
USING THEM ON
US.
ADULT CATS
COMMUNICATE
LARGELY WITH
SCENT, FACIAL
EXPRESSION,
BODY LANGUAGE
AND TOUCH.
THEY DO SOUND
TO
COMMUNICATE
BUT MEOWING IS
RESERVED FOR
PEOPLE: SEE IF
YOU RECOGNIZE
THE CHATTER -
EXPRESSES
PEOPLE: SEE IF
YOU RECOGNIZE
THE CHATTER -
EXPRESSES
EXCITEMENT OR
FRUSTRATION,
OFTEN SEEN
WHEN THEY ARE
LOOKING AT
BIRDS THROUGH
A WINDOW AND
CAN
'T GET AT THEM.
.
THE GROWL -
WARNS OTHERS
TO STAY AWAY.
THE HISS - IS
USED AS A
THREAT TO
OTHER CATS
USUALLY, CAN
ALSO BE A SIGN
OF FEAR.
THE CATERWAUL
- USED WHEN
LOOKING FOR A
MATE.
THE PURR - A
SIGN OF
CONTENTMENT
AND RELAXATION,
BUT ALSO USED
TO COMFORT
ITSELF IF IN PAIN.
THE SCREAM -
USED WHEN IN
PAIN OR
DISTRESSED,
DON'T STEP ON
MY TAIL!
THE CHIRRUP -
THIS IS A
FRIENDLY
SOUND, OFTEN
USED TO GREET
OTHER CATS.
CATS ALSO VARY
THEIR MEOWS
FOR US--A SHORT
HIGH PITCHED
MEOW IS A
STANDARD
"HELLO"
--SEVERAL OF
THOSE STRUNG
TOGETHER IS
"YAY, YOU'RE
HOME HOME!" A
PLEADING MEOW
CAN BE
INTERPRETED AS
PLEASE FEED
ME, PET ME, OR
LET ME OUT.
AND HOW MANY
OF US HAVE
BEEN SCOLDED
BY OUR CATS
FOR LETTING THE
DOG IN,
STEPPING ON A
TAIL OR PUTTING
THEM IN THE
CAR?
PAM ON CAM
CLOSE
SO WHY DO CATS
MEOW TO US?
PROBABLY
BECAUSE IT
WORKS -- YOU
CAT IS
DEPENDENT ON
YOU AND
QUICKLY LEARNS
THAT YOU'RE
NOT PICKING UP
ON THE SCENT
MESSAGES OR
THE BODY
LANGUAGE.
RIGHT APOLLO---
FOR THE
NEBRASKA
HUMANE
SOCIETY, I'M PAM
WIESE.
THE NEBRASKA
HUMANE
SOCIETY IS AT
89-29 FORT
STREET.
TODAY -AND-
TOMORROW --
IT'S OPEN FROM
-TEN- UNTIL -
FIVE-.
MONDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY
-- FROM -NINE- -
UNTIL- -SEVEN-.
REMEMBER YOU
CAN ALWAYS
LOOK UP
ANIMALS AND
FIND
INFORMATION AT
N-E-HUMANE-
SOCIETY-DOT-
ORG.
COMING UP --
THE ST.
OVER AN HOUR
AWAY
JENNA JAYNES
HAS ALL THE
ROUTE AND
