 | Cat house outdoorOne of the sad things about having your cat house outdoors is that you miss out on some of the experiences that you can have when you live in close proximity with your cat. For example did you know that cats have an amazingly wide variety of ways to communicate with each other and their owners? The cat meow is one of the most basic of the communication tools our cats use but even this has different meanings. The cat's pronunciation of this call varies significantly depending on meaning. Usually cats call out to indicate pain, request human attention (to be fed or played with, for example), or as a greeting. Some cats are very vocal, and others rarely call out. Cats are capable of about 100 different vocalizations, compared to only about 10 for dogs. A kitten's call first starts out as a high pitched squeak-like sound when very young, then deepens over time. Cats that do not exercise their voices a lot, may maintain a meow similar to that of a kitten through adulthood. Cats can also produce a purring noise that typically indicates that the cat is happy, although in some cases cats have been known to purr when distressed as a self-calming action. Cats purr among other cats—for example, when a mother meets her kittens. The exact mechanism for purring is unknown. Theories include vibration of the cat's false vocal chords when inhaling and exhaling, the sound of blood hitting the aorta, vibration of the hyoid apparatus, or resonation directly in the lungs. In addition to purring, happy cats may blink slowly or partially close their eyes to break any possible stares and communicate their ease in the situation. Cats also use their ears, tail and body hair to communicate many different things. Now if you had your cat outside all the time your appreciation of all these peculiarities might not be a great as if you had your cat house indoors. |