Cat Myths: Why Do Cats chatter? Are they having conversations with each other?

Having a cat is an excellent experience, and it can bring you a lot of happiness. Cats are awesome companions, and everyone loves it when they come up to you and rub their back against you while purring, and you don't even want to move when your cat falls asleep on your lap because you don't want to disturb their sweet slumber. The one inescapable truth that we can all agree on though is this: cats are very weird.

The Question:

Cats are mysterious, mostly because of the many things that they do which we don’t understand. We can all agree on how weird cats are, and even though we love them, they sometimes can be so mischievous and unpredictable that we can never tell what they are going to be up to next. Have you ever seen a cat chattering? Usually, they chatter when playing, or when they are just sitting and looking out the window. 

The Rumors:

A common conception is that the chattering of a cat indicates frustration. Usually, when cats are looking out the window at a bird or some prey, people typically think that the chattering sound they make is of disappointment because of not being able to reach out and grab them. Another belief is that the cats chatter because they are excited because of seeing a prey or something they like to look at. Perhaps, it is because they can't express their excitement in any other way but to attempt some sort of vocalization. Some scientists believe it to be an in involuntary action before delivering a killing bite to their prey. Similar to the tensing of their body before pouncing on something, the action probably activates a vibration in their jaw which allows for precise delivery of the killing blow. It is also believed that the cat chatters in response to adrenaline surges.

The Possibility:

The truth, however, might be none of these. In a recent study by a group of scientists in the Amazon Forests, they studied wildcat making noises that were identical to the call made by pied tamarin monkeys. If this is a mimicking technique used to lure potential prey, apart from being known for their agility, it is an indication of the presence of natural cunning in cats.

It is entirely possible that all cats can mimic the sounds of their prey. An ordinary housecat, even a thoroughly domesticated one, have these hunting instincts an instinctual and involuntary inheritance of their wild counterparts. Even if they aren’t as well trained as wild cats in hunting, some hunting habits similar to that used by wild feline predators show up from time to time. Cat chattering is usually observed when they are looking at a bird or a rodent. Typically, the cat starts chattering when a bird starts chirping loudly around them. The Cat usually has its attention focused on the bird, and after listening to the bird for a while, the cat begins to move its mouth in sync with the bird’s beak, seemingly mimicking the tweeting and chattering sounds of the bird.

Researches also provide the possibility that chattering is a way of communication that mother cats would use to address her kittens. Kittens can also identify their mother's chatter at a very early age. This is a crucial element for a mother cat to keep track of her kittens, a key component of maintaining kittens from straying away too far and keeping them close to her. This is evident in how kittens come back to their mother, following the sound of her call.

If you were thinking that cats chattering is them having conversations with one another, the idea isn't too far-fetched. After all, it is a kind of communication in a way. However, perhaps it is more of predatory instinct, given that they tend to chatter more around potential prey. Although cats make a variety of noises that sound even human-like at times, most of these sounds are because they are either annoyed by something or are about to cough out a hairball. Cats do a lot of things that we can’t explain, and this is just one of their many weird shenanigans, but it is safe to say that their very weird behavior of chattering is simply them trying to lure a meal.