"Meow!"

topic of the day 048 & video of the day 044

Why do cats meow?

If you've been around me even for a minute, you'll know of my strong affinity to cat, stronger than any normal person would like to admit but I will heartily. My love for animals has been strong since I was little but just like my father (even though he doesn't show it as much as I do), I am mostly attracted to cats and I tend to show it every time that I can. I mean, anywhere, anytime, anyone. Whether caring for the house cats (that I don't actually adopted officially but when they came and went, I just treated them as my own), or the random cats that I meet around here whether they were lingering around shops or just those random cats I ran into during my occasional jog. I do not mind the grime or dirt on my palms after I pet them, I was just happy to make a little moment of these felines a bit brighter with my attention. I even have cat food at the ready in a Tupperware in my bike's basket just in case I found ones who were hungry. Every cat gotta eat!

With that being said, it is safe to say this topic is clearly really close and dear to my heart, and learning why they meow to us but not with other cats certainly enlightening and makes me appreciate my relationship with them even more. I hope it does to you too ... or at least you're educated by it at the end of the day!

What, who, when, where, why? Then, so?

Our basic observation would surmise that cats would only meow to us human to communicate with us but the won't do the same to communicate with their own kinds. Going back to the beginning, biologist Doctor John Bradshaw tell us that "meow" starts as a kitten's vocalization that is used to call attention of its mother and they continue to do so since it has been proven effective but as it grows up, its meowing gradually decreases in conjunction with the mother's less attentiveness towards its children that is now bigger and deemed to be able to take care of itself. Domesticated cat use 'meow' in the same way to call our attention to them and cater to their needs and since we always do responds to their 'calling' immediately almost without fail, he assumed that they independently of the effectiveness of this trait hence the constant use of it. Since every cat have their own distinct range of meows that they can make, they even have different types of meows that they will use against us in certain situation, whether in distress, in comfort or in need of immediate food.

I hear the last two quite often thankfully and not the first one, God forbid!

source: BBC Earth