All feline guardians know cats communicate or express their emotions through body language or by making different noises. Most of us are familiar with cats’ different voices, including meowing, purring, hissing, growling, etc. However, there is another sound called “Trilling,” though cats don’t produce this sound very often. Cats trill on special occasions for someone they love.
Suppose you’re a good cat parent and have a great bond with your fluffy friend. In that case, your cat may thrill at you, but you might not notice because trilling can easily be confused with other sounds.
On the other hand, if you just heard your cat making a strange voice that he usually doesn’t make, and you are trying to figure out why. First, feel proud because you have a special place in your cat’s eye. Now, let us explain what trilling is, what it sounds like, why cats trill, and what it means.
What is Cat Trilling & What Do Trilling Sounds Like
Trilling (sometimes called chirping) is a high-pitched, repetitive sound that sometimes sounds like a mixture of meow and purr. Unlike other voices, a trilling sound is made with a closed mouth and occurs in short bursts. Some people find it similar to the sound of a pigeon, while others explain trilling as a rolling R sound, like “Burrrr.” However, listening to the sound on your own for a better understanding is better.
Cat Trilling Sound
Why Does a Cats Trill & What Does Cat Trilling Mean?
Though the reason behind a cat’s trilling is not precisely known, feline experts believe that trilling is associated with positive emotions like happiness, comfort, love, trust, and ease. Some possible reasons for trilling are listed below.
Greeting
Most of the time, cats trill to greet the person they love. Cats generally trill when their favorite person enters the house or room, so you can interpret it as hi, welcome, happy to see you, etc.
Typically, cats learn this behavior from their mothers during kittenhood, when their mothers used to trill to express their love and affection for them. Since they associate this sound with love, care, affection, and happiness from kittenhood, cats trill when they see a person or animal they like.
Learn: 12 Signs That Your Cat Loves You
Looking for Your Attention
In addition to greeting or expressing their affection, cats may also trill to attract your attention. You can interpret their trilling better when pairing their body language with trilling. If you are busy with some task and your feline friend is continuously trilling, he may ask you to pet her, play with her, or spend some time with her.
Suppose your fluffy companion looks at you intently while trilling and simultaneously moves away from you. In that case, it means that he has noticed or seen something strange and wants you to follow her.
Some cats may also head butt against you, move around you, or wrap their tails around your legs while trilling. Such gestures and trilling indicate that your cat wants your attention.
Wants to Mate
Some female cats also trill to attract male cats when they are in heat and ready to mate.
What if My Cat Never Trills?
It’s not necessarily that all cats trill to express their love for their guardians. As mentioned above, cats learn this behavior from their mothers during kittenhood, mainly between 2-7 weeks of age. So if a kitten is kept without its mother or any adult cat during this period, he will not learn how to trill and may never trill in the future.
Conclusion
Trilling is one of many sounds cats make to communicate with other cats, animals, or humans. However, cats usually do not trill as often as they make different sounds like meow, purr, hiss, growl, etc.
Most cats trill to greet and express affection and love for their favorite person. In addition, cats may also trill to attract your attention. So if this is the first time you hear your cat trilling, be happy because you are a special person to your cat.
