Q: I am about to adopt a cat, my first. I want to understand what my new cat is trying to tell me through meowing and body language. Please educate me.
A: Congratulations on adopting your new family member and learning how to communicate with your kitty. Feline vocalizations, body language, scent communication, visual signals and tactile communication are fascinating.
Vocalizations range from the trill or chirp cats use to greet feline and human friends to purring. In addition, cats meow in dozens of ways, and each meow has a distinct meaning.
Hissing and spitting usually indicate that a cat feels threatened or defensive, while growling and snarling signal the start of an attack….