Mary Allen
If your cat is chattering, the behavior will seem funny to you at first. The noise sounds like chattering teeth, occasionally a few croaks or hoarse meows mix in with it. But why do cats actually cackle?
Your cat dozes peacefully on the windowsill or on the scratching post and looks relaxed into the distance. Suddenly she starts chattering, cackling, and scolding. Her tail often whips back and forth restlessly, the entire cat’s body seems tense and highly concentrated. What do cats want to express with that?
Cat Chatters at Unreachable Prey
The most common way to see this curious feline habit is when your kitty has spotted a bird or other coveted prey animal outside, but it’s too far away to catch. Then cats open their little mouths slightly, look concentrated at the object of their desire and apparently chatter their teeth.
The cackling or chattering varies between voiceless and voiced sounds. It can be a low, throaty crackle, but it can also grow into an indignant tirade when mixed in with hoarse meows.
Chattering as Practice for Hunting?
Why cats chatter or cackle has not been scientifically clarified beyond doubt. One theory: The cat chatters and chatters its teeth to practice the deadly neck bite it performs on its captured prey. The movements of the jaw and teeth appear to be the same, at least in the chatter and the killing bite.
Hunting behavior is innate in cats, so they practice it when they can’t romp outside with real mice and other prey. A cat’s notorious ” wild five minutes ” can also be traced back to this. In these, the cat uses up pent-up energy that it could not use for hunting. This behavior will not harm your cat.
Chattering in Cats as a Sign of Frustration
“But my cat is also chattering at me,” some cat owners will now think. This could be due to the second possible rationale for the behavior. The theory: Your cat will chatter when it is frustrated, insecure, or nervous. She “scolds” you.
In addition, the cat’s cackling may indicate that it is disturbed. For example, a cat will chatter at another cat when its appearance or behavior upsets or frustrates them. This feeling can also play a role when the velvet paws see unreachable prey.
Does your cat never chatter? This is also no cause for concern: not all house tigers exhibit this behavior.