Catspeak: What Trilling Means

[SoDesuKa]

I've decided that cats use trilling as a way to acknowledge contrafactuaity; i.e., that something is NOT the case. Used with other cat expressions such as a rising inflection, trilling can imply a subjunctive mood. An un-inflected trill recognizes something out of the ordinary, even mildy surprising.

Cats are very here-and-now. Catspeak doesn't have a real subjunctive mood, but occasionally the need for a "constructive subjunctive" arises. A trill with a rising inflection means I would like ... some food, some attention, etc. The trill itself points up the lack of food, attention, etc., and the rising inflection turns it into a question. When cats trill as they hop up into bed with you, the meaning is ambiguous. It could mean I would like some attention; or it could mean would you like my company in bed? Either way, the cat is making a contrafactual observation: I have not been here till now, but here I am.

From time to time, my Otis comments on some irregularity in my behavior, such as when I get up in the middle of the night. Then he meows loudly in declarative mood. When I challenge him with my expression, he goes into subjunctive mood, as if to say: Just sayin' . . .

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. Interesting

[badgerpup]

19. I luvs my vocal kitties...

They do trill at each other sometimes...Riktor will mrrrr at one of the the others with a rising inflection. It appears to be an invitation or request to play. He's taught MacFeegle (the youngest) to do this, too.

Esme was three when I got her...she doesn't trill, she chirps...mrah! or mrah?. Short, quick vocalizations.

Sometimes they'll be looking for me- MRRRROWWW? to which I reply "I'm in (wherever)" and then I'll be visited by a cat wanting some attention or just to say hi...headbump and scritch and then back to whatever they were doing.

Ex-Sig Other swore he could 'hear' when his cats were subvocalizing to each other...it was a pressure on his eardrums, but they had to be within 5 feet of him for him to sense it.

[TZ]

2. mmmrrrrrrr?

Translation: "What?" (I hear this one all the time...):)

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Brrrrrp?

You might be on to something.

[Elidor]

4. Rising inflection

I wonder of they learn it from us? It would be interesting to hear cats from cultures that don't denote questions with rising inflection.

Catspeak is cool, and Oedie is right, u shd rite book. You obviously speak it very well.

[cemaphonic]

14. It wouldn't surprise me.

Amongst themselves, cats mostly communicate by body language. Most cat vocalizations are aimed at us, so it seems very possible that they would pick up on our speech mannerisms.

[pokerfan]

16. Makes sense

We had a Labrador that would try to mimic human language. She would even speak in sentences but all we ever heard was "Ah roo, rooooo rooo ah roo roooo!"

Cats have the same IQ more or less. Hard to tell which is smarter as they are such different animals, socially.

It must be so frustrating for our furry friends to learn so many (hundreds) human words yet not have the means to repeat them.

Communicating with dogs is always like a game of twenty questions or charades. "What is it Lassie? Jimmy's fallen down the well again?"

(Bark followed with a tail wag.)

[fudge stripe cookays]

25. Pee? Ya wanna pee?

Wag Wag Wag.

You wanna Chicken Buddy?

WAGWAGWAGWAGWAGWAGWAG.

Those are the main ones in our house. :D

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

5. You should come to my house

and ask my 16 yr old cat why she dumps on the floor when her box is perfectly clean. I mean, most of the time she knows wehre to go, so why the random 'bombs'? :)

[SoDesuKa]

10. Cat Years

A 16-year old cat is very old. What is the factor - six? That makes your cat 96 years old. If you're making it to your "litter box" at 96 years old, you're doing good.

[havocmom]

6. what does the 'cha cha cha chat' mean?

Had a cat who did that when he was not happy with what you were doing or wanted him to STOP doing. ;)

Current feline does a rising inflection blert It is CLEARLY a question. And when I want to check on her where-abouts, I call her and say 'momma wants to count your nose'. She runs from some hide away and cranes her neck up to offer her nose for a pat. Seems she has learned my language very well.

She and the 90 Pound Hound have a telepathy thing going. Not just visual, cuz they CLEARLY communicate when he is outside and out of sight. She also tells him when she wants us to attend to her in the kitchen. Much harder to not notice his big snoot poking at you!

She also helps around the house, carefully studying when Havocdad is doing some home repair thing. She watched him mix up little batches of concrete to fix basement walls and then took to trying to do it herself while he stopped for supper. She came and got him to approve her work.... concrete mix carefully scooped out of the bag and onto the floor. Then: blert? which we figured was 'could ya get me some water?'

[conscious evolution]

7. concrete mix carefully scooped out of the bag and onto the floor.

or 'aggragate' added to the concrete?

[havocmom]

8. no, ah, cat aggregate added to the mix. She didn't see dad crap in it

so she didn't either. She REALLY is a careful study and just wants to help. She was pushing her face in the safety goggles I laid down the other day.

[Jokerman]

9. I was talking with my cat about this the other day...

TJ loves to be talked to and he always replies. As he's getting older he seems to use more complex sounds and more syllables. TJ's greeting is usually a hoot with the rising inflection.

[SoDesuKa]

11. Cats are Hunters

Because cats are hunters they depend on their ability to perceive behavior patterns. That's why they're good at predicting human behavior - they watch what we do and pick out the significance of repeeated actions. They also observe a departure from a pattern. When the birds go quiet, the cat knows he's been seen.

If cats could talk, they wouldn't bother. That suggests to me the possibility that cats could develop their language in a way that would be more meaningful to humans, but they don't want to. Humans are too unreliable, and we are inconstant allies. Cats are better off retaining their own abilities rather than depend on us for survival. Cats remember the persecutions in which cats were killed because they were seen as being possessed by the devil.

[ZombieNixon]

12. So it is to be used with such phrases as

I can has cheezburger? :P

[bridgit]

13. Tim trills back when i call his name...

:)

[Orsino]

15. "Shut up and rub my tummy."

u uzez 2 mini big wurdz

[Bucky]

17. My cat definitely trying to talk to me.

And so I have to tell him, "Shut up, you're just a cat. You don't get opinions."

[SoDesuKa]

18. Just a Cat

I can't imagine that line works any better on your cat than it does on mine. When he has something to say, he will say it. He will not be denied his day in court.

[Heidi]

27. With that attitude, Bucky,

you're gonna wake up dead one of these days, with your cat standing over your body. :rofl: :spray:

Kidding, kidding. But I wouldn't dare take that approach with The Wiley and Excellent Boy Cat Named Ginger. :scared:

[pink-o]

20. You're kidding, right?

"it could mean would you like my company in bed? "

You must have an exception cat if he's ASKING that. Miss Patty trills, jumps up on the bed, but her clear message is: You are my minion. I am here, now stop whatever you're doing and give me your full attention as your Purpose in Life is defined.

It's a bloody good thing that felines are soft, furry, cuddly and purr in a soothing manner, or else we would see them for the skin-shredding little sociopaths they truly are.

[EstimatedProphet]

21. YOU'VE decided that?

Have you asked the cat?

[MedleyMisty]

22. Midnight does that at night after we go to bed

I imagine it means "I would like to come in the bedroom and hang out with you guys."

[Missy Vixen]

23. We have purebred Maine Coons

The younger is VERY vocal. He wants to be acknowledged. He's also appointed himself the Official Alarm Clock.

His older brother is much more cuddly. He gets his point across with headbutts.

Julie

[Roon]

24. I had a head butting cat once

His name was Cricket and he was all black. What was hysterical is he loved people and would head butt anyone who came over.

[fudge stripe cookays]

26. I miss headbutts!

My current brat is much more affectionate with reprehensor than me. Me she just tolerates.

I recently visited a cousin up in NY (first visit), and her cat sensed my good cat karma. She started off loving all over my legs, then jumped into my lap, made herself at home, and sprawled across my chest, making biscuits on me, head butting me, and purring like a madwoman. She curled right into my shoulder and wouldn't leave me alone.

I offered to stash Marigold in my suitcase and give her a new home, but cousin was having none of that.

I miss that cat! :cry:

[Skip Intro]

28. ain't it cool?

[Rob H.]

29. My parents' older cat trills when you greet her

Me: Hey, pretty Polly!

Her: Mrrrrh!

Cutest. thing. EVAR! :loveya:

[BarenakedLady]

30. My cat Duke

is much more vocal since his brother Rocky died two weeks ago. Every night, after the kids go to bed, he comes upstairs and calls for me. It's loud and insistant. As if he is telling me it is time for me to pay attention to him. There is no inflection at the end. It is definately a statement. He uses a similar meow to tell me he is hungry and I should really feed him.

Other times, when he is coming towards my bed, his meowing will be more question-like. "Can I come up?"

[liberalitch]

31. Spooky is a constant triller.....

..... but his other favorite commnet is the yeow..... as opposed to a meow.