The fact that those ‘cracking cats’ are so funny to see is also evident from the number of followers of the Instagram account @ekekekkekkek. The account that shares videos of yapping and creaking cats almost every day is followed by more than a million people.
Creaking, yapping and bleating cats
As soon as a cat sees prey (whether or not it is inaccessible), most cats start to ‘chat’ or ‘bleat’, as the croaking is also called. The cat has its prey in its sights, but the tasty snack is (still) out of reach. Because of that unattainable aspect, it is often thought that it is a combination of hunting instinct and frustration. For example, when the cat sees a bird outside, but is sitting behind the window inside. Or when the bird sits high in the tree where the cat cannot easily reach it. The cat jerks the corners of its mouth back and often chatters its teeth and throat, causing the cracking sound.
Why do cats make such a creaking noise?
The exact meaning of this behavior is not yet entirely clear, but cat and dog food manufacturer Royal Canin writes that the associated phenomenon of tail swishing is an expression of building tension. The cat and dog food manufacturer also writes that observations of wild cats, such as jaguars and pumas, have previously shown that they imitate the sounds of their prey to attract them. Whether a similar hunting strategy also applies to normal domestic cats has not yet been officially demonstrated or investigated.
Cat behavior expert Liesbeth Puts was curious himself and did it research to this behavior. She concludes that it has nothing to do with ‘frustration because the cat can’t reach it’. According to her, the most likely explanation is that it is simply excitement at the sight of prey, partly due to the swishing tail. ‘Or perhaps an autonomic response, a physiological reaction of the body to a certain stimulus.’ But it is certain that it is natural behavior that is related to the cat’s hunting instinct.
Finally, one more:
2024-01-21 19:22:22
#cats #cracking #sound #bird
