Do cats understand when people meow back to them? Do they appreciate the effort or are we just insulting them?

Okay, let's be honest for a second. It's a safe and empathetic environment where you can freely confess anything. For example, when we sometimes get up at night to drink, we not only take a glass of water, but also dip the spoon as deep as possible into the chocolate cream bottle. Then of course we go back to sleep as if nothing happened. And of course we meow back at the cat. Interestingly, barking at the dog was never desirable, but we got used to it: everything is a little different with cats.

But have you ever thought about what we say to them at that time? We can only hope it’s nothing inappropriate or offensive. Or maybe they’re thinking that even though we’ve been living together for almost 7 years, we’re still just gibberish in their language, and we don’t even bother to learn it properly? That’s what we’re after today; let’s see if it’s worth meowing back to cats!

Meowing back to the cat is mockery or a tool to build a relationship?

Sorry to say this, but cats don’t understand human meows. Of course, after a while they learn to associate it with what we want to tell them using their good memory and observation skills, but for them our meowing does not necessarily carry information in itself. This is because we don’t have the knowledge to actually imitate a real meow.

However, you may also have noticed that some cats react differently to human meows. Some of them will continue to walk nonchalantly, others will meow angrily, while still others may even slap, bite, or even jump up to express that we are again terribly annoying and it would be better if we stopped doing this. This reaction depends on the cat’s personality and relationship with the meowing person.

In short, we don’t think meowing is necessarily a bad idea – it can be a means of establishing contact – but if it clearly annoys your pet, it’s better not to force it. As an owner, the goal is for the cat to feel safe and balanced in your environment as much as possible.

The different tones

Many studies have been done on the topic of meowing, because it is quite clear that they use different tones and pitches to express different things. Examples include the “command” meow, the “greeting” meow, or the “call” meow.

You’ve probably noticed that when you arrive home and your pet greets you at the door, the greeting body language includes a short, low-pitched meow that sounds something like “ewww.”

If you’ve ever heard how a mother cat calls her kittens, you know that it’s a slightly more complex meow. A bit longer, intermittent meows follow each other in a row, at a higher pitch.

The “I’m hungry, feed me!” meow can indeed sound very bitter due to its high pitch and prolonged length.

These were just a few examples out of many. If your cat doesn’t mind and sometimes you want to meow back to it, we recommend that you roughly try to find the right tone.