Cats: What's all their incessant chirping about?

[kedrys]

Evie's chirping at the atrium door wanting to go out.
Plato's chirping at the kitchen door wanting to go out.
Caesar's sitting next to Plato and chirping at the kitchen door wanting to go out.
Imhotep (aka Howlin' Murdock) is chirping VERY LOUDLY at the front door wanting to go out.

At least the other three are quiet. :P

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. The problem is obvious: you don't have enough doors.

The chirping cats have occupied all of the doors. The other cats aren't chirping because they don't have any more doors to chirp at.

[kedrys]

2. Hmmm...

But the atrium has 2 doors - one on the living room side, and one in the master bedroom.

And if this is true, why are Plato and Caesar doubling up at the kitchen door?

[alarimer]

3. My cat likes to warn me when he can see the bottom of his food dish

Now there is plenty of food still left in the dish but as long as he can see part of the bottom, he warns me to fill it RIGHT NOW!

[kedrys]

6. Are they shiny dishes?

Ours are. I think when kitty sees him/herself in the bottom of the bowl, it triggers complaints about the service continuing to suck. :D

[alarimer]

10. No, just plastic

he's just reminding me who's boss.

[NV Whino]

4. They are chirping to go out

so they can then yowl to come back in. Don't you know nothin' at all?

[kedrys]

5. Oh, they don't go outside without adult supervision

It usually ends with one of 'em jumping the fence and screwing up the outdoors sequence for everybody. :D

[SoxFan]

7. They Who Must Be Obeyed

You're looking for peace and quiet.

They don't care.

End of argument.

[slj0101]

8. My cat chirps when he sees birds outside.

Supposedly it's an instinctual thing. Something about them fantasizing that they are killing the bird. I kid you not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_communication

"Cats are also known to make chirping or chattering noises when observing prey, or as a means of expressing interest in an object to nearby humans. When directed at out-of-reach prey, it is unknown whether this is a threatening sound, an expression of frustration, or an attempt to replicate a bird-call (or replicate the call of a bird's prey, for example a cicada). <2> Whereas this conduct was originally viewed as the feline equivalent of song, recent animal behaviorists have come to believe this noise is a "rehearsal behavior" in which it anticipates or practices the killing of prey, because the sound usually accompanies a biting movement similar to the one they use to kill their prey (the "killing bite" which saws through the victim's neck vertebrae)."

[Cabcere]

11. Oh wow, that's really interesting!

:hi: Thanks for the info - one of my cats makes "clicking" noises often when he's looking out the window, and we just thought he was weird because he's the only cat we've ever had that has done that. :shrug: That makes a little more sense, though... :hi:

[SoxFan]

13. It's weird, isn't it?

My part Maine Coon calico does this, and she's the only cat I've ever seen do this. It freaked me out the first time. She was sitting in the window, and all of a sudden she starts with these rapid fire "chrf-chrf-chrf-chrf" sounds.

[Cabcere]

14. It is pretty crazy.

My cat that does it is a male orange tabby, and although we've had two other male orange tabbies before him, he's the only one who's ever done anything like it. All of them were/are neutered, too, so I doubt that has much to do with it. :shrug: Not sure how to explain that one. We have another cat, a little gray female (spayed), who doesn't do it either...although she has managed to accidentally set herself on fire, but that's for another thread. :P

[SoxFan]

15. Good lord!

OK, I have to hear the story about the cat setting herself on fire!

My brown tabby took a header off of a third story landing last spring. She looked like a character in a Loony Tunes cartoon, with the little birds swirling around her head. She slept for about 16 hours, but at 5 AM the next day, she was ready to roll!

[hfojvt]

9. I guess it's a poem by T.S. Eliot

but I cannot figure out what the plot is. Supposedly the Jellicles have some kind of purpose, but it is never mentioned in this synopsis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_(musical)

[EFerrari]

12. Mine are chirping sweetly at windows hoping to lure the new hatchlings

across the street. There are baby birds in nests under nice clay tile roof of the laundry. They are chirping at their moms and probably sound like "Snack here, get yer snack here."

:hi: