Meow facts for kids

A cat meowing

A meow or miaow is a special sound that cats make. Cats can make meows with many different tones. Sometimes, they might even make a chattering, murmuring, or whispering sound.

Interestingly, adult cats usually don't meow to each other very often. But when an adult cat meows to a person, it's usually trying to get attention, or asking for food or water.

A cat's meow can mean many things! It can sound strong, sad, friendly, brave, welcoming, or even demanding. Sometimes, a cat might even open its mouth to meow, but no sound comes out! This is called a "silent meow." Just like people talk a lot when they are happy, cats can be very "chatty" when they are feeling good. Some experts say that a cat that meows a lot is probably a happy cat!

A mew is a high-pitched meow. Kittens often make this sound to get their mother's attention. Adult cats might also use this sound sometimes. Kittens usually stop making mewing sounds when they are about four or five months old.

What is a Meow?

A meow is a sound cats make to talk. They use different sounds to tell us what they want or how they feel.

Why Do Cats Meow to People?

Cats mostly meow to humans. They learn that meowing gets our attention. They might meow to ask for:

• Food or treats
• Water
• Petting or playtime
• To be let inside or outside
• To tell you something is wrong

Different Kinds of Meows

Cats can make many kinds of meows. Each one might mean something different:

• Short meow: A friendly greeting, like "Hello!"
• Long, drawn-out meow: A demand, like "I want food NOW!"
• Low-pitched meow: A complaint, like "I'm not happy about this."
• High-pitched meow: This might mean they are hurt or scared.

How We Spell "Meow"

The way we write the sound a cat makes has changed over time. In American English, people started spelling it "meow" in 1842. Before that, you might have seen it spelled "miaow," "miau," or "meaw." The earliest time we know of someone writing down a cat's cry was in the 1630s.

How Different Languages Say "Meow"

It's fun to see how different languages write the sound a cat makes! Here's a table showing some examples. In some places, like China and Thailand, the sound a cat makes even became the name for the animal itself!

See also

• Cat communication
• Cross-linguistic onomatopoeias (How animal sounds are written in different languages)
• Jingle Cats (A music group that uses cat sounds!)