Cat Talk - The Meaning of Mew, Meow and Yeow

By Amy Yang

This is for all you cat owners out there! As cat owners, we all know that cats have a vocabulary all their own and they are good at getting their points across. How many of us have given in to the pleas of a hungry cat demanding to be fed? Or how many of us are greeted with a meow from our kitty pal when we get home? Have you noticed how different those calls are?

I have two cats of my own and they certainly do make sure that they get what they want. I have noticed that they use different calls for different reasons.

The Soft Little Mew

This is my favorite sound. It is just so cute! One of my cats uses this sound to ask a question very nicely. He will bring a toy over to me and set it down right next to me and sit and just give a little 'mew'. It is the cutest thing! Who could resist such a nice and polite request? So I end up tossing the toy a few times.

The Loud MEOW

The loud MEOW when accompanied with a direct stare is a demand. Usually it is around mealtime when they are hungry and they want to be fed NOW!

The Meow-Purr

This sound is characteristic of Maine Coons and is a sound they make when they are feeling good. They are essentially saying, 'Hey, I like you too." It is a meow followed by a purr. It sounds like meowprr. One of my cats is a Maine Coon mix and when I first heard him, I thought something was wrong with his voice and then I thought he just has a raspy voice. But then I did some research and found that the sound is made by all Maine Coons.

The Yeow

Yeow means 'Get off my property!' Or if it is a shrieked Yeow it mean 'OUCH!' In both instances, the cat is under stress.

Cats have a vast vocabulary that extends far beyond these sounds. Once we understand what each sound means, we are in a better position to understand our cats and also to communicate back to them.

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