Did you just notice that your cat’s eyes are all teary and watery? Do you think she cried?
Simply, NO! Cats don’t shed a tear and cry like humans when they are in pain or feel sad. Watery eyes may be due to some irritants that got in her eyes or an illness that is watering her eyes. You should then visit your vet first.
But you may wonder if cats cry at all?
Of course, animals also feel the basic emotions like humans. But we are created to express them in different ways of our own. Birds chirp, dogs bark, humans talk, and cats do meow!
Cats are not gifted like humans to vocalize their emotions. Therefore, crying cats actually meow or yowl to express their pain or distress. Here comes the next question. How to decode their meowing and understand if it's a cry?
Meowing is a broad term to differentiate the kind of emotion they express. So it’s tricky to find out if your cat is sad and crying. But that’s not rocket science as well. You need to keenly observe their overall body language and the context of the situation to understand what they are trying to convey.
Following are some of the most common reasons for cat meowing:
· Seeking attention
Maybe you have been too busy lately and not able to spend quality time with her. So, your apartment cat has become lonelier and is trying to seek attention from you. It’s like she is crying out to say, “Hello cat parent! I am still here. Did you forget me?”
· Asking for food
Sometimes, your cat is hungry and you didn’t know that. So she starts meowing endlessly until you feed her. But beware, she may keep meowing just to chew something and not really hungry. Make sure to feed her at regular intervals and not over-feed her, just because your crying cat baby is asking you to.
· Greeting and talking
Oh yes! They do try to greet and talk to people. In a way, they are trying to socialize and hence have to use their meowing skills.
· Calling other cats for mating
Based on their age and heat, meowing is also a signal to other cats for mating.
Here’s what you can do when your cat is crying-meowing…
Just like human babies, the furry felines may cry for multiple reasons like the above. And yes, now you should be knowing that crying = meowing. So, try to diagnose the exact reason and cool her down.
But if she is excessively meowing, then it is possible that she is signaling about some illness. So, take her to the vet to treat her accordingly.
Pussy cheers to meowy cats and crying cat parents… haha…! Kudos…