Meow
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A meow or miaow is a cat vocalization. Meows may have a large range of sounds. Adult cats rarely meow to each other, and so adult meowing to human beings is generally considered a post-domestication extension of meowing by kittens: a call for attention.
Pre-domesticated felines are believed to have communicated with each other mainly via their sense of smell and marking behaviors which provide a superior means of communication with other cats, but as they were domesticated they learned to vocalize to humans. Their vocalizations can signal hunger, desire to go outside, or simple greetings.
Types
- A "now meow" is a meow mainly produced by cats when they want or need something, for example food.
- Cats make a "low pitched meow" when they're unhappy or as a warning before they last out.
- A "short meow" it usually means that they're just greeting you, for example after you come back from work.
- A "long meow" is made by cats when they're demanding something and want it as soon as possible.
- A "mew" is a high-pitched meow often produced by kittens. It is apparently used to solicit attention from the kitten's mother, and adult cats may use it during periods of distress or sadness, or to signal submission.
Background and biological details
Meowing fundamentally evolves as a learned behavior. Feral cats meow much less often than cats with owners. Over time, cats may learn to meow in response to human vocalizations, so that a back and forth resembling a conversation in all but content may take place.
Etymology
The words used to represent meow globally are similar because cats meow the same way globally.[citation needed] However, differences between words emerge with time.
See also
- Mammal sounds
- List of animal sounds
External links
- The dictionary definition ofmeowat Wiktionary
- Quotations related toMeowat Wikiquote
- Media related toCats meowingat Wikimedia Commons