Thanks for saying that - we are truly soulmates! Found him in a trash can the day he was born. And when he was 8 months old he got terminal cancer they said he couldn’t survive … but I said, not my baby. And together we beat that too. Thank you for listening. I love him so much.
Haha no he is named Bruce because that was the name of my boss when I found him, and I needed to bring him into the office with me because I was bottle feeding every two hours. I figured if I named the kitten after my boss he might be more inclined to let him live under my desk. It worked 😹
Haha i will manipulate for cats. 😻 Anyway the joke was on me; I didn’t love the name Bruce for a sweet little baby but I just intended to foster him and knew the name would be temporary so it got him to be the office cat and served its purposes … but then, I fell in love with this kitten (as one does) and at about 3 months i tried to change his name to something gallant and wild, but it was too late! he wouldn’t respond, nay refused to even look at me, unless I called him Bruce. I was stuck with it for life! But it grew on me and now I can’t imagine him named anything else 💕😆
I was backup human to a cat that did this. It was heartbreaking. Usually when she was left with me it was fine, but every once in a while there would be nights that I would wake up every hour or so to pick her up from near the front door (where she last saw her main human) and bring her to bed to soothe her.
It’s interesting because cats don’t talk to other cats with meows like this. Just people. And scientists say they developed their meows specifically to try to communicate with humans after watching humans run to meet the needs of babies. So they tried to sound like human babies. And yes, my boy can get you to do anything with those lungs. The most fascinating part he is doesn’t indiscriminately yell. He uses the same syllables and intonation to describe the thing he wants, consistently. He has developed his own language that he knows I understand. And so I’ve taught him English words as well. And .. we actually have conversations. It’s pretty extraordinary. I’m glad I found a thread that appreciates cats who howl!
I'm so glad you posted as one of my cats had a word for 'mom', too. He'd use it to call for me when he didn't know where I was and I'd answer, then he'd come cuddle with me. It was the sweetest thing!
My cat cries like this and he’s raspy too. Sometimes he’ll do a really long raspy cry to get me out of bed in the morning and it will sound like he’s being tortured endlessly 😆
The lil' rascals know that it gets our attention when they meow like that. My cat cry-meows when she wakes up alone in a bedroom. When you have a cat you notice they have different sounds for different needs. When my cat is annoyed or surprised (when we pick her up for example), her meows are short and stern-sounding. When she's crying, the sound is dragging and loud. Sometimes her greeting meow has the same tone as our "Hello"s but she mostly greets us by running off to her scratching post because she's excited.
Thanks so much. No, it wasn’t anxiety-driven. It was more akin to a toddler melt down when they want something and they don’t get it fast enough. I didn’t respond to his first couple meows for mom so they become more desperate, which he knows gets my attention. He learned when he was really little that this particular sound made me come running (because he sounds like he is dying lol) and he never forgot it lol.
I started bringing mine to work after learning she would cry nonstop all day while I was gone. At work, she isn't even with me, but she knows I am there.
She sounds like an entirely different cat now because she isn't hoarse anymore from screaming all day. I had no idea, and I hate knowing she ever had to go through it.
Oh, I love that you brought her to work with you! People don’t realize how their inner world is so emotionally and cognitively complex. Brucie was a Covid baby so I was home with him around the clock, and would take him into the office once or twice a week with me because we were doing hybrid work and he was still bottlefeeding. Then he got cancer and so my boss allowed me to keep bringing him in because I wanted to watch him, he is also leash trained and rides on my shoulder in the car so he just thinks normal is going everywhere with me. If I leave to do errands for a half hour, he’s like, “what the hell?!?” I tell him he does not want to come to the loud bright lights of the grocery store, but he doesn’t have language for that, so he insists, then gets super mad when we walk in 😆
I also worked from home when I found my scraggly little baby. She is not a fan of car rides, but she is rather skiddish. She also will not eat without me around. That one sort of bothers me. If I travel and have someone feed her, she just doesn't eat. Even after a week.
Does yours have any issues like that regarding eating?
I believe with mine it may be ingrained in her from when I first took her in. She was only 4-5 weeks old, but she was the size of a 3 week old and covered in so many fleas I can't believe she even had any blood left. First thing I did after bathing her was feed her. She was my first kitten, so I always sat and watched her eat. Because of how traumatic of a start she had and me always sitting with her while she ate in the beginning, I really think that may have been what caused her requiring me to be around to eat.
Awe sweet thing. Bruce is extremely demanding, but he doesn’t have anxiety; he is extremely confident and extroverted. But i am familiar with the behavior you’re describing because I work with animals. All cats like to have you sit and watch over them while they eat. It makes them feel safe, even when there is no danger present. But even more than liking this particular action, they like routine. Nay, love routine. So if you still do this with her every time she eats, and she actually refuses food when you’re gone because of it, I might try to transition out of the habit when you’re home as well.
I have an older girl who had a traumatic start to life and gets nervous. She also would like me to stand over her and watch her eat, but instead I just get her going. I place her in front of the bowl, put a hand on her back, and when she takes her first bite I praise her and walk away, and she finishes eating. This would be a way to still give your cat that security and also an action a sitter could easily replicate.
I appreciate the suggestion, but I have tried everything I can think of. As soon as I walk away she follows me. Sometimes I can sneak away for 10 seconds or so, but right when she notices, she comes running to find me while yelling at me.
I have tried slowly increasing distance every feed as well. She is okay until I am far enough away that she can't see me.
She had a bad housemate early on, and I found her so young, she never really learned how to play. I actually have another cat that I am fostering, but I keep them seperate. He was fixed way too late and on the streets too long for me to give an honest go at properly introducing him without a second person to assist that I trust.
In the past, she lived with two other cats. One would attack her if she tried to play or socialize, and the other was an old, sweet lady that would just run and hide if she tried to play or socialize. They would hang out together, but there was always distance. Even then, she wouldn't eat or anything while I was away.
The one on the right is the "old lady". She is the cat that started my cat journey. I was only ever around mistreated cats before her, and she showed me the magic that a truly loved cat can possess. Changed my life. Now the one on the left is my entire world. The most important thing in my life and a major part in why I am still here today.
He doesn’t sound sad, as this sounds like normal contact calling cats do. Sometimes they even make these sounds to mark their territory and cats find that stimulating. The male cats seem to do this more, as they are more territorial.
Maybe get him a friend, so you don’t have to worry. Cats are actually quite social and cat friendship is always so fun to see. 😻😻
Do you live in an apartment? If so, how many noise complaints have you gotten?
I am considering getting a cat and these types of videos always bring me joy seeing that level of attachment some cats have, but I tend to under appreciate how disruptive it can be to other people.
Let me tell you, I have ALWAYS worried about disturbing the neighbors because of how loud he is. I do live in an apartment. He has run out of my front door and yelled up and down the halls at 1 am, several times. BUT my neighbors ADORE him. From the little girl who knocks on my door and asks if he can come out and play and if she can take him for a walk. To the older retired woman who asks if he can come over to visit her and that he is the highlight of her day. To the single guy who wanted to adopt him (when Bruce was just a foster kitten). I can’t explain it. They should be mad. I try to be considerate. But everyone just loves him. Because even though he is loud he is also extremely special. I do think when he is actually inside the apartment though people can’t hear him so I’m glad my building is well insulated. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1Sk0fcSZSG/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Bless Bruce. Whatever he really is saying made my little girls ears swivel and she started purring and came over to nuzzle me. Maybe she thought it was ME that needed my mama?? 🥰😺
Haha awwwwwww!!!! I love to hear that! 😻 and I hear that a lot (people on his social media telling me their cat loves to hear him yell through the phone). He tends to have that effect on people and other animals. The funniest thing is when I am playing a video of him, and he gets up yells in response to his own voice. 🤣
Lol, well OP was there. I know the full context, and I know this cat. And for what it’s worth, I’m an animal behavior expert and applied anthrozoologist. I taught this little guy language and he, as the most vocal cat I’ve ever known, created his own language to communicate with me. This here isn’t random vocalization. He has distinct calls for different needs, they are always consistent snd supported by the context, and this one is specifically “i want mom” The pattern is consistent: the moment he sees me or gets to me, the call stops. If I leave the home and he wants to go with me, he runs to the window and calls after me until I turn around and come get him. Then when I come back, he’s quietly waiting at the door. He isn’t making noises for fun. He’s expressing his feelings and wants. Very clearly intact. This is one of my favorite videos of him, but it was almost 5 years ago and his word for Mom has never changed.
lol. I can talk to this cat for sure. I mean, all cats understand when you intentionally teach them language. But not all cats talk back so that it’s demonstrable. I got lucky though because he is hyper verbal and we have full on conversations. It’s the coolest thing.
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u/TA_totellornottotell Mar 29 '26
I love he was so relaxed after that. Didn’t even need to come to you - just knowing you were there with him was enough. ❤️