Your feline is looking out the window. It’s slightly crouched, its body tense, and its attention is fully focused on a bird, squirrel, or some other type of prey. Its jaw is slightly open, and It suddenly starts to vibrate quickly emitting a kind of meow or growl. It almost seems like it is chirping like the bird itself.
It’s fascinating to watch your cat do this, but at the same time, I guess you’re wondering if there’s something wrong with It. Is It trying to communicate something?
Do not worry! This feline ” chirp ” is absolutely normal behavior, but there are several hypotheses about it. Below you will find several theories that some experts have come up with to explain why cats ” whisper ” to birds.
Is feline ” rumbling ” a predatory behavior?
The rumbling that some cats produce when they see a bird is believed to be an innate instinct related to the way in which felines, large or small, prepare to kill their prey. The faster the cat kills its prey, the less risk it runs of being injured during the attack.
The “killer bite” or “lethal bite” occurs after the cat leaps on its prey and grabs it firmly with its powerful front legs. The cat bites its prey on the back of the head and quickly shakes its jaw so that its teeth can squeeze between the victim’s vertebrae and sever the spine, ensuring a quick finish and zero chance of resistance.
What if the ” rumbling ” of cats were a sign of frustration?
Some people believe that the particular sound the cat makes when observing a bird is due to the frustration felt at not being able to conquer the prey. In this way, your cat could give vent to the extreme irritation It feels at not being able to free Its hunting instincts despite having the prey so close.
Maybe the ” chirping ” is a gesture of excitement
It is possible that the strange meows are closely related to the degree of arousal. Your cat may feel so much pleasure and desire to see a feathered friend nearby that it cannot help but produce this special gargling.
Ultimately it could be simply the behavior of a predator
Scientists have been able to observe that cats living in the wild mimic the sounds of monkeys. This has led them to wonder if domestic cats try to mimic bird chirps to try to deceive them.
A bird reassured by the presence of a fellow bird would not fly away. Producing sounds similar to those their prey makes could help cats get very close to their target before launching the decisive attack.
Whether or not we know why cats “chirp” to birds, the fact remains that they look very cuddly when they do.
