If you’re a long-time cat owner, then you’ve surely heard your cat make a lot of different sounds and noises. Cats will usually communicate using a number of different sounds, like hissing, growling, purring, normal meowing, and even chirping. There are also a few noises that a cat will keep and use only around people and on occasions it considers special. Have you ever heard the car trilling? Then you’re surely wondering why does it do this weird sound and what it really means.
Yes, trilling is very uncommon when it comes to cats and their vocalization. This is why, if the cat trills at you, then you are pretty lucky. But why exactly do cats trill? And how can you recognize trilling as a sound?
What is cat trilling?
As you know, there are a lot of sounds cats use to communicate with other cats and even us, humans, and you surely already know most of them. Among the more common sounds are, of course, growls, purrs, hisses, and the usual meows, but cats might sometimes resort to trilling, a sound not all that common. This sound can easily be mistaken for other ones a cat makes, and you may have heard it or not in your socialization with cats.
You can describe trilling as a combination of a little purr with a little meow. Some people even go as far as calling it a brrr. The cat will usually keep its mouth closed when trilling a high-pitched sound will be let out.
Depending on your cat’s personality, it might never trill, or it might do this all the time. These situations and anything in between are very much natural. There are plenty of cats that use trillion constantly as a way of communicating with their close humans, and these are generally cats that are very vocal. There are also cats that never seem to find ways of vocalizing their feelings and are very much reserved around people.
But why would cats trill?
Although it is still a mystery why cats pick trilling as a way of communicating, it seems that they use it for a few very different reasons:
- They want to mate: It’s very much possible that cats use trilling while trying to convince other cats to do the nasty. A lot of female cats actually resort to trilling as a way of attracting the attention of males in the area. At the same time, females will also use trilling towards their kittens to make them follow them and stay close.
- To get attention: If the cat trills at you instead, it might want to catch your attention. You might notice that your cat starts trilling exactly when you are busy doing something else, like working on your PC, watching TV, or making dinner. This is because she needs you to pay more attention to her. It might even happen that the cat will combine trilling with other ways of catching your attention, like walking in circles around you, head-butting you, or even wrapping her tail around your legs. These are the most common ways for cats to shout for your attention.
- A greeting: It might be as uninteresting as your cat just wanting to greet you when you get home.
Why should trilling make you happy
A cat will usually trill at you only when it is happy to know you’re there. Your cat chooses to trill, even while greeting, as a sign of closeness and affection. You should take trilling as a compliment because this is a rather uncommon sound, which makes any person hearing it pretty lucky. But what if the trilling of your cat is so regular that you’re actually used to it? This is not only better, but it’s what any cat owner should hope for. It means you have a very strong connection with your cat and she enjoys spending time with you and telling you of her affection.
Of course, trilling is not the only type of vocalization your cat will usually make. When the cat is either trying to get your affection or is affectionate towards you or at least is happy, she might also meow, or even chirp. There are cats that simply use meowing persistenly, but couple it with trilling as a way of engaging with you. A cat will often resort to purring as well, as a way of showing she is content. Some owners even say that while their cat sleeps on their lap and purrs, waking her up might be answered with a trill that says “hi”.
Cats use a lot of different ways to communicate their needs. If you’re still unsure about what a cat is feeling, then along with her vocalizations, make sure to also check her body language. You will basically get a confirmation of the message your cat is sending through vocalization with her body language. This will also help you get a better idea of what she is trying to tell you.
