# Why do cats talk when they jump onto furniture?



## Ceiling Kitty

I'm sure this has been discussed before.

Bagpuss always accompanies any leap into the sofa or bed with a squeak, and occasionally a full on meow.

I know most (all?) cats do this.

Do we know why? I've always wondered. I've heard it suggested that they are 'announcing' their arrival on the piece of furniture. This leads me to my second ponderence.

Do they do the same when they are alone, or is it only for our benefit? I hear him jump onto the kitchen worktops from the living room sometimes, as he goes up there to get to the kitchen windowsill - but I don't hear a squeak then. Is it because I'm in the other room?

I suspect they are quiet when they are alone.

Any thoughts?


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## lymorelynn

Does a tree make a noise if it falls in the woods 
I always thought the little noises cats make when they jump up onto something or down from somewhere were just little expletions of air escaping past their vocal chords.


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## Lurcherlad

Don't know, but we call the noises "brumps"!


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## Matrod

I've always referred to it as 'announcing'. Rodney only announces it when he gets on the worktop which usually means he wants food or a fuss so I'd say it was for my benefit. 

I read or saw something that cats only started to meow when they became domesticated or had regular communication with humans - this might be rubbish but could have some bearing on it.


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## Jackie C

Matrod said:


> I
> I read or saw something that cats only started to meow when they became domesticated or had regular communication with humans - this might be rubbish but could have some bearing on it.


Yes, cats don't meow to each other (well not the same style of meow). I also read that cats stop meowing, eventually, if their owners don't respond to the meow.

Holly meows a lot! As she's only been with us 11 days, I suspect some of it is anxiety. Some of her meows are a "Hello" or "feed me", but sometimes the pitch, loudness and tone changes when she doesn't know where we are. 
If she's not in the same room, her first meow is a simple, "Meow", one, I think, "Hello". If she gets no response, it sometimes changes to a "MOW", it's loud and sounds like she's upset. I've learned to respond to her with words like, "Holly, I'm here baby." She then often either goes back to lay down, or she meows "normally" again, as if she wants to me to come and find her. Often she just wants a two minute fuss. 
She'll often meow a few times when she enters a room. 
She also meows on a night, she'll either do that on the landing outside the bedroom, then she'll come in, walk up the bed. She'll have a little fuss, then leave. Although the night-time meows are getting less now.


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## Jackie C

Lurcherlad said:


> Don't know, but we call the noises "brumps"!


I love that "brump", although Holly has only done it once or twice. I always thought they did this when you woke them up.


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## Matrod

Jackie C said:


> Yes, cats don't meow to each other (well not the same style of meow). I also read that cats stop meowing, eventually, if their owners don't respond to the meow.
> 
> Holly meows a lot! As she's only been with us 11 days, I suspect some of it is anxiety. Some of her meows are a "Hello" or "feed me", but sometimes the pitch, loudness and tone changes when she doesn't know where we are.
> If she's not in the same room, her first meow is a simple, "Meow", one, I think, "Hello". If she gets no response, it sometimes changes to a "MOW", it's loud and sounds like she's upset. I've learned to respond to her with words like, "Holly, I'm here baby." She then often either goes back to lay down, or she meows "normally" again, as if she wants to me to come and find her. Often she just wants a two minute fuss.
> She'll often meow a few times when she enters a room.
> She also meows on a night, she'll either do that on the landing outside the bedroom, then she'll come in, walk up the bed. She'll have a little fuss, then leave. Although the night-time meows are getting less now.


Rodney meows A LOT! He'll go in a room alone & have a good old shout. I don't know what it's all about but it's something he's always done. Right now I'm in my bedroom & he's going onto himself in the kitchen


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## Jackie C

Matrod said:


> Rodney meows A LOT! He'll go in a room alone & have a good old shout. I don't know what it's all about but it's something he's always done. Right now I'm in my bedroom & he's going onto himself in the kitchen


LOL! Earlier, Holly decided to do a strange warble as she was running (she doesn't seem to _walk _anywhere much) up the stairs.


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## Vanessa131

When Bronn does it, it means, "screw you, what you gunna do about it"


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## Yorkshirecats

Our male does a lot of "chirping"/"Chirruping" like a pigeon. Usually when running around playing or jumping on/off furniture. He is not a huge Meower but does like to make these funny noises!


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## Mirandashell

I think there have been studies of colonies of feral cats that show they stop meowing when there are no humans around but do have a range of sounds for communication with each other,

I was also interested in a study that said dogs have a range of sounds that can be understood by anyone who has owned a dog. For instance, the 'let me out, I need a pee' bark is different to the 'stranger at the door' bark and can be understood by people who have never even seen the actual dog.

But cats have a meow that is specific to their owner and can't be understood by anyone else. The cat trains the human to understand it, essentially


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## Mildred's Mum

Brumps is an excellent word! Mildred does it when jumping into something, if you wake her when she's snoozing and always when you let her back in when she's been outside (we dont have a cat flap) I sort of assume the latter is either 'thanks' or 'EVENTUALLY!' 

She shouts for us if we're in a different room and she's not sure where we are too. Funny creatures.


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## catloveryes

Yeah, I've read that cats meow to communicate with us. If your cat thinks you're not watching, I think it would be rare for it to meow.


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## huckybuck

catloveryes said:


> Yeah, I've read that cats meow to communicate with us. If your cat thinks you're not watching, I think it would be rare for it to meow.


Haha come and stay in the HB house. Huck is always talking to himself... when he first goes in his outside run in the daytime (and I'm inside) oh and I often hear him making queen calling noises (he's a boy) downstairs of a morning. He also huffs when he's fed up.


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## Wiz201

Yes my cat does an announcement when she leaps onto the sofa or bed but only if she wants attention as she can do it quietly during the night if I'm asleep etc.


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## QOTN

I have lived with Siamese and Orientals for 40 years. They are vocal to the point of driving their owners to distraction but I have never heard them make a sound when jumping onto furniture and in my house they spend their lives doing it because they sleep on beds, sofas and chairs. They leap onto their high scratching posts and barrels and treat the piano in a similar manner but make no sound then either. Bear will occasionally shout at me after he has jumped on his barrel for a fuss and I am not there quick enough and his niece, Rose jumps on her favourite scratching post to have her tummy tickled but she comes and finds me first, tells me what she wants and then leads me to the post. 

I don't know if any of them talk when they are alone because the only one who has no feline companions is my Bear and as soon as he hears me anywhere near he is shouting at me.

The others definitely 'talk' when they argue amongst themselves like any family. I am not sure they show their love for each other vocally. That is usually shown by grooming and snuggling.


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## Jackie C

Holly has started doing a short loud "MOWUP" before charging up the stairs. I think she gets over-excited.


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## Orla

Mine doesn't talk when jumping but does chunter to herself when she is doing something she shouldn't, like when she has been told to move away from the food on the worktop she walks away talking to herself. She also talks if you let her in to a room that is normally closed off to her, like 'I told you I was supposed to be in here, about time'.


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## Cookieandme

I have been observing my lot since reading and Ike definitely doesn't talk when jumping up to a higher level. Cookie does sometimes, April does when jumping on the bed during the night, but not jumping on the kitchen worktops.


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