Sorry to break it to you, but human meows mean nothing to cats. At most, you can get your cat's attention and they may even appreciate your attempts to communicate by purring or even meowing back. But to most cats, human meows sound like human language.
Meowing at cats allows one to mock them but on a level that they can appreciate. However, I have to acknowledge that all cats are different. Some will walk away once they realise it was a human meowing, others will interrupt immediately with an angry meow, while others will join in the meowing.
What does it mean? "Your cat is most likely staring at you while crying because they're trying to make sense of what they see and hear," McGowan says. Your cat might not understand human crying, but she'll gather as many clues as she can and use them to adjust her behavior.
The cat's meow is her way of communicating with people. Cats meow for many reasons—to say hello, to ask for things, and to tell us when something's wrong. Meowing is an interesting vocalization in that adult cats don't actually meow at each other, just at people.
Cats lack the cognitive skills to interpret human language, but they recognize when you talk to them. To put it another way, cats comprehend human language in the same way that we understand meowing. It's similar to how you interpret your cat's language by "reading" how they arch their back or swish their tail.
A little baby talk goes a long way ?
Want to get your cat's attention? You might want to try talking to him like a baby. New research suggests that when cat parents speak using a high-pitched, sing-song tone, their cats know they're talking to them.
Cats do often treat humans like other felines, using gestures like licking or rubbing on both feline friends and human caregivers, she says. “In a way, cats think of us as bigger cats,” Bonk says. “They might not necessarily know that we're a different species or they just don't care.”
Cats developed their language to talk to humans. They built the set of signals to tell them what they need and what they don't want their cat parents to do. However, when your cat talks back to you, especially if they do that often, they may need your attention.
Marking by rubbing
Felines have scent glands on their cheeks, paws and flanks and when they rub against something—a door, a chair, you—they put their own personal scent on that object. This leaves the message for other cats that they've been there and laid claim.
Cats may not be emotionally intelligent enough to realize that you need comfort when you're sad, but they are receptive to the concept that you're paying them attention. If your cat associates your sadness with love and attention, it's going to seek you out at your low points.
There's evidence that suggests cats tune into our moods based on our faces and how we act. Somewhere along the line cats learned that being there for humans when we're down was in their best interest. Cats learn just as much about us as we do about them! Do you think cat knows when you're sad?
Can Cats Sense Depression? It appears that cats can sense human moods as well as depression. Cats are observant and intuitive, and this allows them to understand emotional cues from humans. So when you are depressed, they can sense that too.
Can cats sense emotions? Cats can sense how people are feeling, so your cat actually can tell when you're sad. “Cats can definitely sense when you are sad because they are highly attuned to your normal behaviors and moods, and if there is a change, they sense it,” Dr. Wooten told The Dodo.
Famously independent, sometimes falsely assumed to be immune to feelings, cats are in truth super-sensitive to emotions, sound, and stress. Perhaps because felines lack the eager-to-please openness of their canine colleagues, humans overlook the big and small ways they can break a cat's spirit.
After several years, they can still remember people, places and events from the past. So maybe next time you find your cat staring blankly at a wall or closet, it may be possible that she is thinking of the past and replaying it over and over again.
Observant creatures that they are, cats sometimes feel inclined to explore outside the boundaries of their territory, especially when left idle. Your cat may think that venturing outside is a ticket to paradise, but the hazards are plentiful.
Cats can become very anxious or frightened when they're not in control and have a limited ability to escape, so don't try to hold one against its will. Some cats may feel unstable when they're held, while others may associate being picked up with being taken to the vet.
Go for the Slow Blink
You can say “I love you” to your cat by looking at them with relaxed eyes and slowly lowering your eyelids. Your cat may offer a slow blink in return, letting you know they love you, too!
The head bump. It's their way of saying hello, by using the oil glands in front of their ears to greet you as if you're a cat and leave their scent on you. They see you as one of their clan, so bump them right back.
The intention behind this noise is to actually get a cat to come over to you and purr pleasantly. As it happened with this user, “I told my cat for you and she jumped onto my lap for cuddles."
Signs of cat intelligence: Your cat quickly learns new tricks; easily differentiates between different events and/or items; rapidly solves food puzzles; and is very responsive to your emotions, gestures, or pointing cues.
Cats don't just think of their owners as food machines. They actually see us as parents. A 2019 study revealed that cats have the same attachment to their owners that babies show to their parents. Kittens in the study acted distressed when their caregivers left and happy and secure when they returned.
Color vision
A cat's vision is similar to a human who is color blind. They can see shades of blue and green, but reds and pinks can be confusing. These may appear more green, while purple can look like another shade of blue. Cats also don't see the same richness of hues and saturation of colors that we can.
Anthrozoologist John Bradshaw insists that cats really aren't terribly domesticated and think that humans are the same species as them, but oddly "non-hostile." He thinks we're stupid.