Are we saying that in "cat"?

Did you know cats tend to be verbal with humans, but not with each other?

As kittens, our cats let their mother know what they needed with loud mews. But as they get older, their communication with each other becomes a matter of body language.

If we learn what our cats are saying to us with their ears, tail, and even their expressions, we have a tremendous advantage in training, and caring for, our cat. Once we learn how cats tell us they are confused, for instance, we know a lot more about what is going on with them.

Learning what our cat's body language means will let us know what our cat is asking for. Once we provide it; our friendship is renewed!

But we do not have long flexible tails... and we cannot wiggle our ears. So how can we communicate with our cat?


  • Talk to them. We should chat with our cat about things that have something to do with them, like their dinner arrangements or while we are cleaning the litterbox. Then our cat will start learning our verbal language by watching our body language. It's a little like picking up another human language by watching a movie with subtitles.
  • Listen to them. Our cat continually reaches out and tries to let us know what they are thinking. But if we don't pay attention, we will miss this chance at cooperation and love. Take moments throughout the day to check on our cat and give them our attention.
  • Respond to them. When our cat is "bothering us" it is because they are asking for something. Make them happy by figuring this out. Don't fall into the foolish trap of thinking, "They just want attention." Well duh! Give them some.

More than any other kind of pet, our relationship with our cat is dependent on mutual regard and cooperation.

So unless we know what each other are saying... we won't know what each other, means.


Explore more about my views on speaking the cat's language.

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