Why doesn’t my cat meow?

It has been shown that cats only meow to communicate with humans and that they use other methods of communicating with other felines, such as growling or purring. In the wild, kittens are able to meow to warn their mother that they are injured, hungry or cold, but eventually stop meowing and not meow again.

Being solitary animals , cats did not need to communicate with other animals, not even with other specimens of their species, and when they did, they used their sense of smell, leaving traces of urine or rubbing against each other. As they started interacting with humans, they started to develop meowing , as people’s sense of smell is not that developed and cats’ urine is more of a problem than a message.

Therefore, the relationship between cats and humans led the first to develop a form of communication to deal with people and attract their attention. In addition, this meowing is constantly evolving , and many cats are able to make a sound that closely resembles real words (although it is likely that they do not know its meaning and do so without realizing it).

Not all cats meow in the same way, and some are more talkative than others , so when a cat stops meowing is a more worrying issue than it seems, and it can even mean a more or less serious health problem.

Below, we will show you some of the reasons why your cat has stopped meowing, but remember, any anomaly you find in your cat, inform a specialist or veterinarian, as they will be the best to give you an answer and a solution to your cat’s problem.

My cat lost his voice and won’t meow: causes

Cat meowing can mean many things , depending on what type of meowing they make and what their owners are doing when they do it. But what does it mean when they don’t make a sound? Some of the reasons could be as follows:

Cold

Cats are also susceptible to colds like humans due to increased exposure to the cold . Drafts or wet fur can also cause them to become constipated and eventually lead to hoarseness that prevents them from meowing.

Laryngitis

As in the case of colds, cats can also suffer from inflammation of the larynx like humans. Cold is the cause of this laryngitis, either from a drop in temperature or from drinking very cold water. Constant meowing can also be the cause of this laryngitis, which manifests as aphonia and normally disappears in about 5 days.

respiratory infection

If this cold is not treated correctly, it can develop into a respiratory infection , whose symptoms, in addition to a lack of voice and hoarseness, are general malaise and lack of appetite, along with coughing. The most common infections are calicivirus and feline rhinotracheitis . Consult a veterinarian as soon as possible and do not self-medicate your cat.

Bronchitis

Another human condition that also affects cats is feline bronchitis , an inflammation of the bronchi that prevents oxygenation of the lungs and body and can lead to excessive inflammation of the trachea. Once again, the cold and the constant meowing are the cause of this bronchitis, which can leave irreversible consequences and even lead to death.

psychological causes

Stress, fear or learned behaviors can also cause your cat not to meow. The manifestation of your discomfort, whatever it may be, is to stop meowing, but it could also be due to a previous upbringing where your meowing was irritating and, in order to avoid it, you were taught in unorthodox ways not to meow. .

What to do when a cat doesn’t meow?

We’ve already seen the most common reasons a cat has stopped meowing. In either case, the best thing to do is consult a vet or specialist to find out exactly what caused the cat to stop meowing and how to treat it.

Also note that many cat breeds don’t meow much by nature , so if you have a Bengal , Russian Blue , Abyssinian or Norwegian Forest cat you shouldn’t worry about that.

A completely silent cat is not the norm , so you need to be aware of your cat’s habits to find out what might be happening to them and act as soon as possible. Once again, we advise you not to medicate your cat alone and to trust the experience and judgment of a veterinarian.