My Cat Can't Meow And I Don't Know Why. Can You Tell Me What To Do?

If you have a cat that does not vocalize itself in a normal feline manner this is really nothing to worry about in the vast majority of cases. If the cat is a stray, it's possible that they do not meow simply because they were not around their mothers long enough to learn how to meow and did not develop the vocal chords that are needed to make the sound. There can also be a medical reason and only your veterinarian can help you to find the out the reason why.

The most important thing you can do is to know your pet. Some pets are not very vocal, just as some humans are very vocal and some are not, and the same holds for animals as well. If your cat is normally very vocal and has suddenly stopped, there could be a medical reason for this. A cat just like any other animal can develop an inflammation or irritation of the vocal chords rendering it unable to make a sound. If any of these sounds like a problem that you cat is having you need to take your animal to see a veterinarian and have it diagnosed.

Another possibility is an upper respiratory infection which can in many cases render a cat unable to make a sound. And then there are known cases where cats have lost their ability to vocalize with no physical reason at all to blame. In the case of a respiratory infection, this can be a very serious condition and can get worse if a veterinarian is not consulted immediately.

You love your cat and want it to live to best possible life and stay with you as long as possible. Be in tune to the signs your cat gives you to keep it in the very best possible health.

Cats can lose their voice for several reasons.  Any inflammation or irritation to the vocal folds or oral cavity may result in loss of meow.  Toxin exposure can be a cause.  A compressive swelling or mass could alter the ability to meow.  Upper respiratory infections could result in lack of vocalization.  I have also had patients lose the ability to meow for no reason-exam and tests run were all normal.  It would be best to have your cat examined by a veterinarian to make sure nothing serious is present.

If the cat was stray, it is because it never learned how. Cat in the wild rarely meow. If they did, other predators would find them. Therefore, they hiss, and do everything a cat does BUT meowed.
You can teach your cat how to meow though. Just keep on meowing to him/her, and he'll do it. Sounds really dumb, but it happens

You probably already know this but when they are kittens, they just squeak at first.  They start to meow between 4-5 months.  How old is your kitten now?  I do also have friends who have cats that are like 2-3 years old & have never meowed.  This is a very intersting question thats really bugging me now to find out the answer so I'm just going to start looking into now.  Give me some time & I'll get back to you asap, but please remember to let me know how old you cat/kitten is.  I have a friend whose a vet.  going to phone him if he's not too busy to talk to me.  Regards, Donna x

I would have that checked out.
1.Maybe your cat strained its vocal cords or has a disorder.
2.Or your cat just doesn't want to make noise.
3.Or its an old smoker.
I would go with one or two.

She may be doing it intentionally as you have brought a kitten in the home. The second possibility is that she may be sick for which symptoms are not clear to you at the moment. Change of environment can be another reason for that but I still suggest you to go to the vet.

We have had our cat for 6 months now, she never made a peep until just a few weeks ago, but her meows are barely squeaks and she does not purr...ever. For us it is normal but the vet said she may be slightly mentally retarded becasue she just has a blank stare. She is the sweetest thing ever. I think if it is normal for your cat then thats the way she/he is.

I would get him to a vet to get it checked out

I think you most will have to take it to the vet it might have the cat flu witch is really bad and your cats could dye from it so for your cats  safety take it to the vet

Some cats just don't meow much. I have one who meows non-stop and one that hardly meows

For the first two years my cat didn't make a peep, even if you accidentally stepped on her tail. Now she won't shut up, especially if she wants to play fetch in the middle of the night.

If your cat has never meowed--I think this is natural--had a cat that his mouth would open and barely any sound and this was from day one.

He may just have a dry throat and need a good drink of fresh water, but watch for any symptoms of illness just in case.

When we lived in Spain(Double Yuck) in the 1970's we adopted a kitten that was the same way. I guess cats can be mute too. Must be something goofy in the genetics. The only way I could get him to"squeak" was to give him a squeeze, which I do not recommend. He never did talk, and lived to be about 13 or 14...You might be able to teach him sign language for cats! Mine never learned how either. I think it was cause he didn't "apply" himself..Ha ha..Best wishes.

You need to get you'r cat looked at,because my cat lost his voice an he got's HIV,FIV feline AIDS and it can give it to other cat's an it 's fatal to die from it that is what I learned about it to day!      My cat's is at the doctors that is what you need to do with you'r, an it will coast at lest 500$ or more!

Every Cat is different, Some meow just to talk - some because they are hungry or want something. Most of my cats didn't meow when they were very sick - just looked miserable.
By any chance do you have any plants in the house? There is a diefenbachia that causes temporary paralysis of the vocal cords. Never had it happen - don't have that plant. But my hubby sure jokes about it when they get "mouthy". Just jokes - would never actually do that! The plant is also called "Dumb Cane"

Shawn

This happened to a cat I had when I was young. As a kitten he could meow fine, then he got a bit older and it dispareared. He looked like if was meowing, but nothing would come out, just a wisper. There was nothing wrong with him, in fact his meow came back for a little while a few years later, then disappeared again. So it's not necessarily anything to worry about if there doesn't seem to be anything wrong... It's just a little odd! Hope that helps!

Maybe a hair ball or something else is stuck in your cats throat

She's sick take her 2 a vet

Some breeds are more vocal than others.

Also, cats only "meow" to talk to US (they don't meow at other cats).

Sounds silly, but you could try "meowing" at him/her to teach them how.

My cat can't meow, but she signs with her tail just fine.  She does a little thing I call rattlesnake tail because just the tip vibrates and that's when she is anticipating food, or brushing or just being friendly.  Then she has the windshield wiper for heavy rain, that means shes very close to shredding someones hand if they don't stop touching her or brushing her in the wrong place.  We understand each other just fine.

Once again, my cat can't meow but she signs with her tail very well.

Yes I wood take her to the vet. There mite be infection in her throat. Good luck and I hope your cat feels better.

You should get that checked out. The cat could be very sick or could of hurt something in its throat or it has something stuck in its throat.

Ever since we adopted him, my cat only gets out a little "hiss" sound when he tries to meow.  He talks a lot, and whispers wherever he goes.  He is very sweet.

Really, some cats don't meow very loud at all, barely noticable. You might just have one with this one. I had one a few years back, we called her squeakers, for obvious reasons. Hope this helps, good luck to you and the kitty.

She might have a sore throut. Take her to the vets to ask what they can do for your cat...

Just try to sound like an cat if you want to meow.

It might of lost its voice or its happy. Cats meow when somethings wrong and purr when their happy.