Breaking Cat News by Georgia Dunn for November 05, 2023

From the diaphragm!I’m lovin how POOFED out Ora Z got at Elvis’ HENGHHHTTT. That is absolutely NOT an old man-cat noise! Plus, Bonus Points to Iggy for the Jazz Paws.

Sunday Fun: or good news.

What i the world was that sound that came out of Elvis’ mouth? Certainly not a mew or meow. And certainly not a proper Elvis sound.

The two regular feral cats in my yard don’t meow well. One is a known runaway (from, like, across the street, but has still been ownerless for like 8 years now) and can kind of remember how to meow, it’s just sort of uncanny valley. Her companion, a true feral, mostly hisses, but a couple of times when no other cat was around to hear, he’s attempted to meow. Emphasis on attempted.

It feels like Elvis just gave himself a hernia, trying for that perfect meow. Lupin, on the other hand, has an interesting genetic make-up, consisting of equal parts tiny horse, arctic fox, and klaxon …

Maverick’s “meow” has evolved to make him sound like a cranky old man … which, in fairness, he is a cranky old man (he was estimated to be around 2 when he hired us as his servants in 2013, so that puts him around 13).

All of my cats have different voices and they all use them ALL THE TIME. Cici screams for food. Baby screams for the sheer musical joy of it. Panda yowls her frequent displeasure. Buttercup uses her dainty little baby meow when she wants attention, and then her Big Girl Meow if you don’t do it snappy enough.

Raven makes all of those noises and more. Daily.

Willie McTell mentioned Slim Gaillard the other day. Seems prophetic.

I’m surprised the ceiling cats haven’t joined the choir.

Cass Elliot: Make Your Own Kind of Music

Nobody can tell ya

There’s only one meow worth meowing!

They may try to sell ya

But you do the best meow for you!

…….

You’ve gotta Meow your own kind of music!

Mew your own special song!

Meow your own kind of music!

Don’t let anybody tell you you’re wrong!

…….

Some times you may yodel

Or give a strong loud howl!

Or just a soft whisper

It’s all your own thing anyhow!

…….

But you’ve gotta

Make your own kind of music!

Mew your own special song!

Make your own kind of music!

Don’t let anybody tell you you’re wrong!

…….

So if you do your own meow

However it may sound

It’s your best right now

…….

You’ve gotta

Make your own kind of music!

Mew your own special song!

Make your own kind of music!

Don’t let anybody tell you you’re wrong!

Not sure if Ora Zella is doing Jazz Paws too, or just throwing elbows! My money is on elbows!

And have you all read about the recent study done on cat facial expressions: 276 distinct facial expressions. Reported on CNN and Live Science and, I’m sure, lots of other places.

I was expecting Ora Z. to be a lot louder. She seems rather reserved.

I wonder if this is the first time we’ve seen her poof.

I can’t tell if Elvis or Lupin is louder. Either way, I feel bad for the Woman and the Man having to listen to that.

And then the human children join in…

I love that OZ seems to have a tiny little voice.

I love how cats have their own voices! Blossom had a “mah” sound, or a “mrp”. Zelda, on the other paw, is more like “mrrow”.

I wish that I could distinguish my house panthers by meow. I sure can’t tell them apart any other way. Have any of you read the short essay How to Bark Abroad? It includes cats, too.

Once more, with feeling!

OT: Trying new cat in the house from the outside. This is day two and so far all is quiet tonight. He, Mystic, will be number 5 in our small house. He is a very expressive, white, medium hair with a fluffy tail. More later, time for bed.

My Trouble would teach them his famous, “BRÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ!!!!” (ﾐゝᆽ╹ﾐ)

Sounds like my house when I’m a few minutes late for feeding time!

OT

Hey guys, has Gent been around BCN lately? I see he has posted tonight on other sites, and I haven’t had time to read all reply comments this past week, but just wondering where he is.

All cats do have unique voices. Bear has a soft meow, but when she swears, she’s loud and profane (growl, hiss, spit, yowl).

Hazel is plainly trying to speak Human when she meows – she sits outside the door saying, Ha-ROW? Ha-ROW? – with a questioning upward inflection at the end… The only thing funnier is when she turns Spanish: “O-LAY? O-LAY?”

Oy! Where’s the “Mewt Button” when you need it urgently?

My new little kitten girl that we rescued from traffic is now called Birdie because she makes weird little peeps, trills, and squeaks! Some she will probably grow out of, but this isn’t ordinary kitten talk. If you remember the frilled dilophosaurus from the first Jurassic Park movie, that’s what she sounds like!

Love a cat who can scat!♥

My panther sounds like Puck. Sissy “growls” and the Mese walks around talking to himself – and anyone who will listen – maximum volume.

Iggy Toe Beans!

In panel four – Elvis is channeling Professor Henry Higgins.

Ok, Elvis has convinced me that my Cassidy is part, Siamese! His yowl goes-HEEERGHROOOOOOOOW!!! And it is very, LOUD!

One of my two boy kitties is now 13 years old (the other is almost 14 now). His name is Fiji. He loves to meow at us for his treats but does it in the cutest way. He just opens his mouth and “meows” – but no sound comes out. He DOES have a voice because he will ROOOWWW quite loudly when the two dogs want to play with him, but he likes to just “whisper” at his people most of the time.

My Sara, calico so go figure, does these yaps. Sentence after sentence of yapping. Mostly talking to herself. Then she will yawn and let out the cutest little yerrrrrrrrp. Gracie has a soft, baby mew, and a merp that sounds like she’s reading me the riot act!

My Shorty Cat has one sound. mmrrrp? Tiny, soft, always a question. Her little upper lips go up but her mouth never opens. That’s it. Just mmrrrp? Unless she’s pooped. Then the whole house knows…

cats can make over 100 sounds (dogs 10) their ears have 32 muscles.

I love Ora Z’s little “Baba” buried in amongst the other sounds.

I sometimes call my cats by the sounds they make. My boys were/are MaROOOOO and Yow. The kitten is currently Squeaky or the Guinea Pig.

Love that OZ has the most subdued meow. She is definitely not subdued! Actually love all the meows and Iggy Jazz Hands!

Such a joyful symphony!!! And Ora Zella’s mighty vocalization in the next to last panel is very endearing. :D

My Lizzie was a rescue from a hoarder’s home. When I was teaching her to play she suddenly let loose of this bone chilling meow! Just like Elvis! Whenever I heard her screech, I knew that she was happy somewhere in my house. This strip brought a smile to my heart to remember my little Lizzie!

Kiki says, Meh.

Cats absolutely to have their own voices and their own distinct meows.

It’s been more than 20 years, and I still miss my little Squeak.

Silence is broken like a first warning

Goldie has spoken – “Blopt! Bleh?” is heard

“Prowwww!” Pucky’s bringing, of course it’s so charming

Praise voices ringing – Elvis sounds like he hurled “HENGHHHTTT”

Sweet are the kittens, voices from Heaven

Hear meeps and howls that are first class

Praise for the sweetness of the cute chorus

Sung in uniqueness, smooth as stained glass

“Meep” in the sunlight, “YooOoo” in the morning

Well, Lupin’s a delight, talks like he plays

“OW-ROOO!” with elation, starts every morning

Loud vocalization for the mew day

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for the coach and distinct boys and girls

- Yusuf Islam / Eleanor Farjeon – Morning has Broken

Catcophony

…Elvis is the sort who’d complain about how check-out signs at stores say “less than” instead of “fewer than,” doesn’t he?

Prutt… wakawaka*

*seldom heard.

BladeRunner doesn’t really talk. Nicki purrs louder than she meows. Even when she’s gotten herself shut in the basement or the back room, I can hardly hear her tiny whimper-mew. Peppy yowls demandingly all over the house whenever she wants to know where the rest of us are. Or maybe she’s just crying for Blade to come play with her and doesn’t care about anyone else. :) She’s my only talkative cat—I think she must be a meezer in disguise.

My cat Rusty would walk around the house yelling ow ow ow. Starlord when he does let out a vocal sounds like a little girl scream

This violates the very essence of the being of a cat. Cat’s talk to humans, cats do not talk to other cats. They may hiss or growl but the do not talk to one another.

Lupin’s call has been previously reported on 2019/06/16, rerun on 2022/02027

“AH-OOO-GAH”

Aaah, starting the day off with another full-hearted laugh thanks to the BCN staff. OZ in p.5 looks like she’s about to jump out of her clothes but then goes full bee-bop in the following panels. I think I’d run and hide if my entire clowder starting meowing with such enthusiasm all at the same time!

Lucylu’s meh is so faint and infrequent

“KLAATU BARADA NIKTO!”

No, I guess not.

These cat sounds remind me of the best example ever: “trout” ( from Kliban’s “Qat” dictionary.)

For a Snowshoe, Poodle more or less has a Siamese meow, but it’s more of a loud Sqwaaaaakk! or Squaaaaaat! Sound, which I love, but annoys Barbara, as Poody is very vocal. Roy can be loud, like a screeching wildcat loud, but for the most part he is soft and gentle in his vocalizations, he is more of a whisperer. He will only raise volume if it’s important… To him. I miss Peaky P’s little meows, hers went like this Meeeeeee! If it was short it meant she was happy, but if she wanted something it was longer. I miss our back and forth at feeding times or when i came home. It Drove Barb crazy, hearing us “meow” at each other.

A Siamese cat giving voice lessons must be really something.

The statistics on Los Gatos de la Casa de Lay are thus:

Mittens – Mostly a soft cackle, like you would expect from a 96 cat-year-old.

Belle – A long meow, holding that last note for several seconds (E-Flat). She is most vocal when she is calling Marie to bed.

Holly Bear – A sharp squeak, but rarely.

Hamilton A. Cat – Not a big meower unless we are cooking together. Then he, as you would guess, talks up a storm.

Holmes – Didn’t meow at all when we brought him home. However, over the last year, he has become a big meower to me, especially when we come downstairs in the morning. When I leave the bedroom, Hamilton and Holmes rush ahead of me, racing each other down the hallway and steps.

IMPORTANT NOTE***

Our Consulting Detective, Holmes’ Gotcha-Day, is coming up on December 3rd, 2022. Hamilton A. Cat’s Gotcha-Day was November 6th, 2021 (I just found his paperwork). Holmes is registered at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Chewy. And for some reason, Holmes has also picked out a 1990 Chateau d’Yquem. Don’t worry. I will make sure he receives it, if it is sent to him.

Cats make all sorts of vocal noises to each other and other animals. Strangely enough they only make that “meow” sound to humans.

Mrrehh. Mrrekkhh. Merp. And you may quote me.

So unique! Georgia must have paid a lot of attention to the cats to pick out these sounds.

One of our first cats was Nick named Pip-pip because she had such a soft mew. Her sister was Eld Katt (fire cat) because of her powerful lungs.

Elvis’ meow looks like he is trying to cough up a hairball.

All of ours make the most interesting variety of noises. The two outdoor ferals sound like a couple of grumpy old men and will sit on the porch under my daughter’s window and yell at her when they want to be fed. Decibel hides behind the nonworking stove and MIOWs whenever anyone in the house even thinks of going near the kitchen. She will go and actually get on Jora’s bed when Jora has chicken. Update still tries to ask Decibel to play with a very playful mrrrp, but Deci still ignores him. Database just gives a very soft Mreep when she wants something. Decibel is also the only cat allowed in my computer room because she stays off the computer. I have to keep the door closed to keep Update out, so when Decibel is ready to get out, she knocks on the door. I saw her do it. She is not head bumping the door or reaching under with a paw. She actually hits the door with her paw. No idea where she learned that.

OT: Lily update.

Jazz paws! ⁽⁠⁽⁠◝^⁠ ⁠•⁠௰⁠•⁠ ^◜⁠⁾⁠⁾

But what made me ugly-laugh right out loud was Lupin’s “I HAVE KILLED A SOCK” caterwaul!

O.T.

Hilarious!! I can actually hear it! :)

Albert used to “silent meow”. He also would sit at the top of the stairs and say “Hello” (eh-oh), mostly when we would come home, but sometimes when he didn’t want His Man to leave. His “I’m hungry” meow was “mow!” or “now!”, which lead to conversations like “When would you like breakfast?” or “Who’s your favorite Communist leader?”

If you go to the end of this video: youtu . be / b5zRdW9Exos you can hear one of his meows for yourself. (remove spaces)

Bartholomew has a yowl like a siren and he mutters to himself. When he was younger, he would squeak every time he went down a step— coming down a flight of stairs sounded like “Bart, Bart, Bart”.

When Sebastian was still with me, I swear he was trying to teach me to meow.Can’t blame the little one for being a little frazzled after that, though the boy seemed unfazed. Ash, being part Siamese, he would sit around the corner and yell his bloody head off. I’d yell at him and he’d pop his head around the corner, like “oh, that’s where you were”. Each kitty I’ve ever had has all different meows. All unique. (love jazz paws!)

AWW, all of the dear sweet kitties of Breaking Cat News are showing off their different meows :-)

AWW, I remember when I was living with my half-brother and his male partner and we had five dear sweet kitties that you could tell who was meowing due to how loud, soft, and the variations of each meow :-)

I do wonder if all the cats actually make these noises.

Especially Goldie!

Our 3 year old has a kitten meow. We call it squeeing. She’s starting to introduce consonants but it’s very subtle.

Neil Diamond: Beautiful Noise

What a beautiful noise

Coming from the first floor

Got a beautiful sound

From the cats evermore!

…….

It’s a beautiful noise

Coming from each cat

Like the sound of the wild

From our animal friends

All the beauty of all that!

…….

It’s a beautiful noise

From the cats we all love!

And it makes us feel good

Like a smile from above!

Yes it does! Yes it does!

…….

It’s a beautiful noise

The best that I’ve heard

And it’s waiting for me

Just to add a few words!

Today’s strip reminded me of this picture that appeared on the merriam-webster dictionary site awhile back: postimg (dot) cc/tZCLfvG3 (be sure to look closely at the bottom edge of that picture)

Talk about self-expression. My favorite meow is definitely the Plerbbt! in the last panel. Ha.

I get the impression that cat language is made up almost entirely of irregular verbs …

Just picked up tnr traps for the strays in my complex. Someone dumped a BEAUTIFUL calico who would heartily (and loudly) agree to meow training if anyone in Nashville TN area wants a new kitty willing to boss you into extra cuddles!

our 13 yo outside cat (asymmetric tuxedo) has a tiny little meow… he seems to announce “here, here…” in a tiny voice: I wonder if this is b/c he has been fixed when he was a kitten…. Then another ~ 4 yo outside cat (symmetric tuxedo) got fixed as a “teenager” (slightly under 1 yo), and he has a goat meow, “e-e-e-ouw-” cannot even transcribe it…. Our tiny (looking like a kitten) outside 11 yo girl (fixed as a kitten) has nearly no meow at all. She would howl if a cat comes too near to her… otherwise she’s silent. I stop here but it’s true, every cat has its own meow…

Had a cat appear at my house when I lived in a different city. She walked in the back door when I went out to feed the birds. She looked up at me, I asked her her name “Boooobbb.” Asked her if she lived here, “Meeeyyyysss.” Asked her if she was hungry, “Meeryyysss.” and my dear little Meercat looked at her, head bopped her and led her to Meercat’s bowls. Fed Bobcat, and she and Meercat were bonded buddies until she died 16 years later. Meercat died 6 months after Bobcat.

And that last panel would make a great calendar page. Along with the ghost tea party from last week. And Lupin doing yoga from June 9, 2019. Just suggesting.

The Woman might want to get Goldie and Elvis into the mechanic; they’re making some strange noises.

Does Elvis have a frog in his throat?

Oh my gosh! Love this its so perfect capturing the essence of kitty noises:)

I wonder if Ivan (TK name; dunno if he’s still called that) retained his voice when he grew up. His nickname at TK was, and is, “The Ivanhorn”. Good grief, he was loud.

I need video of these.

I have dubbed this episode “One in a Meow-lion”. :D

The cat orchestra