Cat doesn't meow - is that normal?

watna

We have a seven month old kitten who is the quietest cat I've ever come across.

He is very cuddly and affectionate (he likes to lick and headbutt us a lot and sleeps in the bed between us every night!) and appears to be very happy but he is so quiet. We've heard him meow about 10 times since we got him 4 months ago. He makes happy murring type noises when you cuddle in to him in his sleep and he purrs a lot but no meowing. If he's hungry, he won't tell you, if he wants to go out the door he sits there looking at you instead of meowing. He can meow, we've heard him but he appears to choose not to.

Does anyone else have a cat like this? I'm presuming because he seems happy he's just not a very talkative cat but my OH would love for him to talk back like other cats do. My last cat was very vocal and we used to have full conversations about how his day was!

He has feline asthma so I'm wondering if that is part of it or if it is just a personality thing. The vet said some cats are just quiet and find their meow when they start to hunt but I'm wondering if it's uncomfortable for him to meow.

fatmammycat

Enjoy your quiet cat. I have three cats, two 'talkers' and one who hardly ever meows, not even for food. But the two who talk never shut the hell up-except when asleep, which happily they are all doing right this second. They cheep, click, yowl, marrow, burr, nyop, min-aoww... never ending waffle, most of which I've managed to work out over the years. They have different calls for different activities. The loud plaintive 'marrrooow' is used by the big fella whenever he's returning to the house from afar, it's a greeting. Puddy- the eldest 18- has different clicks and cheeps that can mean anything from 'Hey, scratch my chin' to 'please open this door.' All different. But the little fellow never opens his mouth. Thankfully.

Orla K

I wouldn't worry about it, my granny has had a cat which is over ten years old and and has only started meowing this year. Like people some just talk more/less than others.

Alun

Orla K wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about it, my granny has had a cat which is over ten years old and and has only started meowing this year. Like people some just talk more/less than others.

Increased vocalization, esp. in later years, can apparently be a sign of problems like hyperthyroidism.

Orla K

Alun wrote: »

Increased vocalization, esp. in later years, can apparently be a sign of problems like hyperthyroidism.

The cat gos to the vet regularly, mainly to get weighed, it's quite fat. I don't know all of what's wrong with it but he is well looked after by the vet and my granny (maybe too much by my granny, he get's fed chicken breasts and they have to be fresh or he won't eat them, it's the only thing he will eat)

Nanook32

I have a kitty who doesn't really meow either and another who doesn't know how to shut up!!
My older one seems to bark more than meow, he doesn't meow at all tbh, just squeaks. He has a heart condition so I think that he chooses not to to put less strain on it!! Maybe its just cause your kitty is that little bit older?

Sigma Force

Yeh, don't worry about it unless the cat sounds hoarse and is having trouble swallowing or whatever. Some cats are chattier than others.