• Question: why can cats make a larger variety of noise than dogs?

    Asked by tombussy to Aime, Akshat, Diana, Gemma, Judith on 18 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Gemma Sharp

      Gemma Sharp answered on 18 Jun 2011:

      hmm, haven’t really ever considered this I must admit! Can cats make a wider variety of noises than dogs? I suppose cats can purr, meow, hiss, and make that awful crying baby noise when they’re fighting, so that’s quite a wide repertoire… But dogs can bark, growl, and howl. Hmm, yeah, I see your point!

      I’m not sure why it would be. Maybe cats just have more high tech vocal chords? I know that cats are the only animals that can purr, but no-one really knows how they do it. One theory is that they use muscles in the larynx to move their vocal cords rapidly which causes air vibrations as they breathe.

    • Photo: Judith McCann

      Judith McCann answered on 18 Jun 2011:

      Good question-I like to think cats are just more tempermental so have mood swings 🙂 ..dogs can get really whiney aswell though!!

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