why does my cat chirp

by Chairman Meow estate dictator, reluctant columnist, who chirps at no one, though he understands the impulse

Not every sound a cat makes is a meow. Some cats produce a short, rising chirp, a trill, a sound like a question asked with the mouth closed, and it is one of the more charming noises in the feline repertoire. It is also one of the friendliest. A chirping cat is, almost always, a cat that is pleased with you.

the chirp is a greeting, borrowed from kittenhood

The trill and chirp begin in the nest. A mother cat uses exactly this sound to call her kittens, to say follow me, come here, pay attention, and kittens answer in kind. Many cats carry it into adulthood and aim it at the humans they have adopted as family. So when your cat trots over chirping, it is greeting you the way it once greeted its mother: warmly, expectantly, with the assumption that you will now follow it, usually to the food bowl. It is affection with an agenda, which is the only kind a cat offers.

the other chirp: the window commentary

There is a second, more agitated chirp you may have heard, aimed not at you but at a bird or a fly beyond the glass. That one is a different creature, a chattering, stuttering sound made at unreachable prey, part excitement and part frustration. I have written about it separately in why does my cat chatter at birds. The friendly greeting chirp is softer, rounder, and pointed at you. You will learn to tell them apart quickly, because one comes with a hunter's stare at the window and the other comes with a tail held up like a flag.

the chirping party in question

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what to do about it: enjoy it

There is nothing to fix here, which makes a pleasant change. A cat that chirps at you is sociable, comfortable and fond, and the best response is to answer it: talk back, follow where it leads, and reward the sociability with attention. Chirping is a cat choosing to communicate with you in its gentlest voice, and a cat does not waste that on people it merely tolerates. Take it as the small honour it is, and chirp back if the mood takes you. The cat will not judge you. Much.

Related reading from my desk: why does my cat chatter at birds, the frustrated cousin of the chirp, and why does my cat meow at night, on the noises that are less charming at three in the morning.