Can Cats Speak English? - Cats That Mimic The Human Language

Much of a cat's communication is through sound. These animals have a wide range of sounds that they emit to communicate different things such as intentions, needs, moods and more. These vary from soft purrs to low growls. Cats also communicate through body language and smell. For example, male cats mark their territory by urinating on certain places. This communicates dominance. Another example is when cats are angry and put their ears back and move slowly to attack. This communicates their anger and their threat to defend themselves or their territory.

Many people wonder if their behavior is instinctive. The truth is that much of a cat's communication has an innate origin, latent within each feline. For this reason all cats express their anger, joy, etc. in a similar way. However, it's also important to point out that a lot of their communication is also learned through us. This is why you may see some cats communicating in a different way, they have probably learned it from their pet companion or family.

We can often see this when we observe how a cat communicates with another cat or animal, also called interspecies communication, and how they communicate with us. When our cat communicates with another cat they hardly meow as much as they do with us. They only meow a lot when they are kittens asking their mother for milk and attention and when they're mating. However, because we speak to our cats through sound they do the same with us. With other cats, they will mainly communicate through scent in urine, feces, and chemicals or pheromones from glands located around the mouth, chin, forehead, cheeks, lower back, tail and paws. Interestingly enough, cats can even communicate with other cats through their whiskers.

As you may have already guessed, your cat communicates with you similarly as they would with their mother. They meow to communicate certain needs. They also come to you for security and affection. You can often tell when they feel safe and relaxed in your presence by how they cuddle up with you and purr. Sometimes they may meow and purr to demonstrate that they are hungry or thirsty.

It's safe to say that cats mainly communicate through sounds and body language when communicating with humans. When they communicate with other cats, they mainly communicate through scent. Learn more on our article how do cats communicate, where we go deeper into the subject of their body language when communicating with humans.