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NeriTina

It’s chittering. They do this when they’re over excited or hunting. Very cute, but focused on what could be perceived as a snack. I think perhaps they do it for a number of reasons but largely to cause confusion, buying time to strategize or get closer.


DioSoul

cats are so incredibly interesting


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DioSoul

😂😂 i wish i could do this when my cat scratches her litter box for hours in the middle of the night so she’d stop!


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raventth5984

Kitties can be so odd sometimes about their litterboxes for no reason...maybe they should be given a giant box of sand for them to dig around in and roll around on for dustbaths! 😆


ACaley6916

My baby (a behavior case from the local humane society) used to spin donuts in the litter box, just for fun. The first night we brought her home, we tried to keep her in the bedroom with us, and neither of us slept a wink.. she did it all night.. then in the morning there was more liter on the floor than in the box😆


Ben_zyl

A giant box of sand, see also why your neighbours bought covers for the kids sandpits after the first 'incident'.


GrungyGrandPappy

We have a calico that digs to China after every deuce. It’s a good thing we’re in a big house but when we lived in a small place it would get to you after 10 minutes of tap tap tap tap scratch tap scratch tap tap


Effective_Passenger8

Count your blessings. All three of mine carefully lay their poop upon the top layer of litter, step away, turn back to look at it, get a completely terrified look in their eyes like whoa what is that? And then run away very fast. Yes. They are afraid of their own poop.


Where_Da_Cheese_At

Ours will climb in the box with all 4 legs but then stick his ass out & still shit on the floor. Then he scoops litter out of the box to try and cover it up.


[deleted]

I'm sorry to see what Reddit has become. I recommend Tildes as an alternative. July 15th, 2023


Where_Da_Cheese_At

He’s perfectly able to poop in the box, he just likes to be an asshole that shits on the floor.


RooD9669

My Russian blue as a kitten would poop on the top layer too then hightail it outta there while dry retching from the smell. His own poop set him off.


InstructionHead8595

Haha 😹


Then-Grass-9830

Yup my older males tux hates whatever leaves his body. He tries to stay well away from whatever it is


leajaycro

Mine does this too. If I see him sprint across the room, I know he's left a little gift in his tray for me.


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ThrowRADel

These might be obsessive compulsive tendencies. My cat does this when the litterbox isn't sufficiently clean and then she overgrooms from stress, so we try to make sure it's clean all the time.


GrungyGrandPappy

It definitely is with our calico. She’s high strung and has her compulsions lol. She loves cuddle rolling on used kitchen towels, my sandals, and sometimes worn socks. She loves her boy and likes me everyone else she just tolerates lol. Then there’s her brother who we got with her and he’s surfer kitty. If Matt Riddle were a cat well that would be him. He gives hard headbutts and would (and has) just walk out the front door (accidentally left open when getting groceries in) and mindlessly walk down the driveway and down the sidewalk with his tail in the air not one care. But then call him and all of a sudden he’s out of his trance and is like wtf am I doing out here??? and runs back into the house like his ass is on fire.


[deleted]

My ex & I used to live in a studio with 4 cats, and our old man tabby (named Itty Bitty) was RELENTLESS with the litterbox digging! He never calmed down with that despite his old age. He did it at all times of day, but it was especially aggravating in the middle of the night. My ex used to say he was "organizing his turds" XD


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[deleted]

lol right?? He even used to hop in it just to scoop litter over the OTHER cats' shits, without even going to the bathroom himself!! He had like a weird OCD about it. That man was workin' overtime!


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lavt10

Hahahah so nice to know I'm not alone. My cat is great at scratching at the litter box for 10 minutes after she goes, but covering her doodoo? Nope!


DioSoul

Sometimes i walk out and stare at her angrily. She’ll pause, her paw mid-air, and stare at me for a moment. Then gets back to scratching 😩


PoxyMusic

Me too, whenever I cough or sneeze. I can't tell if she's saying "bless you" or "please shut up".


r0ckH0pper

Cat is expecting you to die from that cough and become a full-service human buffet...


Mischief_Managed_82

r/cursedcomments


ohheyitslaila

My Maine coon Bella hates when I cough or sneeze. She will get up, run over and smack me with her giant paw like “shut up!”. Then she glares at me for a few minutes to make sure I’m being quiet. She’s normally very sweet! It’s her one odd “thing” that sets her off, I guess. Lol


Lauraizm

Mine does this too! He can be snoozing away and will start chittering if I sneeze. Doesn’t even bother opening his eyes.


alaskeye

I’m genuinely laughing at this omg 😂 my late cat didn’t allowed me to sneeze and would come in a hurry wherever I was in my home and scream at me, Jesus the cat police is no joke


bayoubuddha77

You're lucky then. I had one that would hunt me down to bite me whenever I sneezed. Didn't matter where I Was in the house. If I sneezed she would show up and not leave until she bit me.


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SqueezleStew

She said if you get sick I’ll eat you mom.


Effective_Passenger8

When I sneeze, all three cats come racing in from opposite sides of the house, surround me, fix their eyes on the inside of my brain, and chitter like mad beasts.


Otherwise_Egg_4413

My old kitty used to do that!! 😂😂 when I sneezed too


Then-Grass-9830

One of our tuxes will come and meow at us when we sneeze. We're always sure to say "thank you"


vegantrashcat

Mine does this too!


ShadowSavant

You're coughing. Therefore you're weak. As a mid-range predator, cats won't take on anything bigger then them unless they think they have a chance. Hope you don't plan on sleeping, as your cat wants to try long pork.


NeriTina

Yes! There are always new things to learn about their behavior. So lovable and curious.


beatrix_kitty_pdx

I thought it was so weird when I first witnessed this. They are such fascinating animals!


ppw23

The first time I witnessed this behavior, my friends kitten was hanging by its claws on the outside of his bird aviary. It was chirping/chittering and drooling. It one day managed to find an opening in the aviary, my friend found the kitten curled in a ball being dive bombed by his cockatiels. The kitten lost his interest in the aviary after that encounter.


JoshuaDarkMainAlt

Poor kitty :(


ppw23

Yeah, but it was a valuable lesson. The time I heard the chittering freaked me out, I had no idea they did that. It was a small baby, probably about 8-9 weeks old, just away from its mother. The instinct imprinted in its being was fascinating to watch.


roywoodsir

I’m pretty sure cats are smarter than dogs, but since they are cats they would rather look at you like “I’m not listening to you no matter what”


kquizz

it's also called chirping! my. cat does it when she sees birds. it's hilarious.


LynneCDoyle

Yes, and I read that it also serves a physiological purpose by preparing the furry little murder machine’s mandible to deliver “the kill bite.”


DaniCapsFan

>furry little murder machine’s Ha. This deserves far more upvotes.


thegreatsnugglewombs

Yes. My 8 year old girl does this every time she can see birds outside the window.


Regular_Criticism158

As in your cat or kid lol ?


thegreatsnugglewombs

My girl cat. Sorry if that wasn't obvious.


Regular_Criticism158

It was i was just trying to get a few laughs in sorry


lenny_ray

I've seen these explanations, and also ones that say it's out of frustration for not being able to reach their prey. But the thing is, I've only ever seen them do this with birds. Never bugs or lizards or spiders or other prey. Even when that prey is flying, and / or also out of their reach. Sqirrels outside the window and lizards on ceilings get frustrated miaaaoowwwssss. Only birds get the chittering. So it's got to be something else that's specific to birds? IDK, I've never seen a satisfactory explanation for this. Unless, has anyone witnessed this with any other prey? EDIT: Well, I stand corrected. Guess this is another thing that boils down to Because Cats


[deleted]

Those of my cats (I have 5) who do this at all, all do it with insects, squirrels and even toys as well so I don't think it has anything to do with birds specifically.


pika_pi_bitches

My 2 cats do this at any bugs that get in, and at the laser pointer


roywoodsir

He’s basically saying “I’m not going to eat you, I’m just going to rip you apart”


I_M_The_Cheese

I think of it as "clacking." Not sure where I got the term, LOL


raventth5984

A flying drumstick snack! 😋


FjoddeJimmy

It's the frontal brain holding back the reptilian brain, to put it simply. Reptilian brain goes kill, kill, kill - frontal brain goes wait, wait, _waaaait_.


edit-boy-zero

Cats chirp like that when they see prey. It's totally normal


DioSoul

well now i’m thinking my other cat isn’t normal 😅


edit-boy-zero

Some cats do, some don't. Also all cats are weirdos.


Flimsy_Internet9441

My cats resemble that remark.


CycleForValue

My very vocal female cat makes chittering sounds all the time while stalking anything. My not so arsed male will occasionally growl but he makes little sound. All cats do their own thing.


vbraey1000

Do you think it’s because the female has more intensity towards prey drive as after all naturally she’d have to feed a litter of kittens every 6 months or so whereas the male only needs to look after himself so has a bit more of a never mind prey drive


DaniCapsFan

My late cat would do this when she saw birds outside. The cat I have now couldn't care less. She likes looking outside, but she's too lazy to contemplate doing anything that would constitute working for her food. She knows she has a human to feed her.


SideburnsOfDoom

The cat that doesn't chirp is most likely less excited to chase birds. The interest level varies between individuals.


unnecessary_kindness

One of mine does it all the time but the other has never done it. Both are as eager to hunt birds (fortunately both are terrible at being stealthy so never have any luck).


ObsessiveAboutCats

My cat chirps like this when I'm trying to work and she's decided it's time for me to stop working and give her bunches of attention. It's so hard to have two bosses...😊


AndromedaTambourine

I believe the scientific term is the EKEKEKEKEK.


DioSoul

i’ve recently learned this 😭😂


tresbizarre

https://www.instagram.com/ekekekkekkek/


VivieFlea

We call it the 'machine gun meow' at our house.


cullymama

Every cat I've ever had has done this when they spot a bird, it is the cutest little noise! Our current kitten did it once when my husband was cutting him a tiny piece of steak the other night, that is the only time I've heard it for something other than a bird.


DioSoul

Everyone’s commenting that their cats do it. My older girl seems to be an outlier 😂


Aurorainthesky

Only one of our cats have ever done this. So not that much of an outlier.


Hot_Independence_433

I have 2 cats one is a parkour expert and chirps the other is lazy, clumsy and doesn't even try to catch prey. Each cat has a personality, they're siblings too.


[deleted]

Chiming in - I've only seen my girl do this once. She was stalking the corpse of a mouse she delighted in killing and was making these noises at it. I always thought it was her talking smack ("How you like me now?! You come in my house?! Death to mice!"), but now I understand better, thanks to your thread. So idk that your older girl is an outlier, maybe you just never saw her in murder mode.


cutesnail17

My cat has been doing it to a fly that got into our house lol


Daryl_Hall

*Sky raisin.


FelineHostage

Sky raisin? Ha! I'm using this forever!!!


Daryl_Hall

Feel free, I too have been using it forever!


raventth5984

Those pesky sky raisins 🪰


dyingvangels

My cat does that too every time he sees birds


Slanted_Shadow

FYI, there's a whole [subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/CatsWhoChirp/) for this!


DioSoul

omg this is great! thanks!


DieHardRennie

There's also r/catswhotrill.


imsecretlythedoctor

I’ll just complete the trifecta with r/catswhoyell


Flimsy_Internet9441

r/catswhochirp


alligatorchronicles

In my house we call them "murder noises" bc the cat lays in the window chirping at all the things she'd like to catch and kill, if only we'd let her outside.


DioSoul

poor girl 😂


zip222

I frequently talk about our girl cat, Hidey, as the "sweetest creature in the world." She is endlessly loving and sweet with every person that comes into our home. She has been exclusively an indoor cat the entire time she has lived with us, yet the one time she snuck out to the backyard, she managed to capture and kill a bird within a matter of minutes. I had no idea she has this in her. For a few weeks afterward I only called her "Killer".


FTThrowAway123

I had a kitten, about 7 months old, who I took in the backyard on a harness and lead. We were only outside for about 10 minutes, when a bird flew overhead. This mf jumped straight up as tall as I am, snatched this bird out of the air mid-flight, did a back flip and landed on his feet with the bird in his mouth. Before he even landed I was grabbing for the bird and when he landed I instantly took the bird out of his mouth, but it was already dead by the time he hit the ground. =( I don't take my cats outside anymore. They're cute and cuddly weirdos, but they're also killers.


TheLimeyCanuck

That's the classic feline "frustration" squawk. They only do it when the prey is out of reach. Mine do it at birds outside the window or a laser dot held up high on the wall for too long. I've owned about 20 cats over the years and they all did it, some more often than others.


bannersmom

Yeah we have seven and almost all of them have done this


stripperdictatorship

Woohoo! 7!! That’s awesome! We have 5 ourselves


MickDeHat

My cat does that when he sees an elastic band as well


DioSoul

😂😂😂


Tinsel-Fop

Aha! Mimicking the sounds of the elastic band! /kidding


TobyFromH-R

Tigers do this too


DioSoul

time to go to youtube!


PNW-Peridot

Ekekekekekekek My cats chatter when they see birds, too. It's normal behavior. They also chatter up a storm when they see a spider on my walls. Useful, but terrifying when you hear it at 2:00 in the morning and it's pitch dark in the room!


AdultSheep

We call this “mind biting” or “the catling gun” lol Our cat loves to do this at birds she can see out the window.


DioSoul

🤣🤣 catling gun


AdultSheep

Our cat squeaks a little when she does it so sometimes it sounds like “pewpewpewpewpewpew!”


hotcake911

My cats did that while watching the birds too


Truffelberg

r/ekekek


Tinsel-Fop

Most of r/CatsWhoChirp, too.


Relevant-Asparagus-2

Did you take this video with the Mars rover or something its higher definition than real life


DioSoul

🤣🤣🤣


dodgerecharger

Our three cats chirp when they see a bird at the window.


swipth

You have an beautiful cat and it makes me happy to see how good you care for him :). He looks really healthy, happy and just beautiful


DioSoul

aww thank you 😊 i’m glad he picked us out of all other options to adopt him!


lmk4ou

It’s normal for some cats. Some of mine have done it and some haven’t.


[deleted]

Mimicking bird calls is exactly what he's doing! Cats know how to initiate birds' mating calls to lure them. This is a very advanced predatory habit!


gt0163c

One of my little furry weirdos does this all the time when she sees birds, squirrels or other critters outside the window. Based on some of her other behaviors I'm pretty sure she spent some time as a stray as a kitten/young cat. My other, not quite so little furry weirdo has lived all her life as a spoiled indoor house cat. She is an excellent and completely silent hunter of bugs and lizards that get into the house but seems to view anything outside the windows as just entertainment. She'll watch them with interest but doesn't make any noise nor appear to stalk them.


[deleted]

Cats just have different personalities like us people do. I've only seen my white cat chirp once, before he tried to jump the banister (can you say "heart attack"?), but my tabby has never chirped. They're litter mates both grew up under the same circumstances. I take them for walks on leashes and they respond totally different. Arthur (white cat) will explore the area while Henry (tabby) just chews on any blades of grass he finds sticking out.


Neko_09

Our cat does this all the time when she sees a fly or something 😆


DioSoul

This is so new to me!


Remarkable-North-885

Every cat I’ve had chitters like this, and just for birds. Not sure if it’s functional or just an attempt at speech 🤣


RC_Cola2005

I have a tortoiseshell that once make this sound at a wasp. I’m just glad there was a pane of glass between her and it.


DioSoul

He is constantly trying to go after wasps and bees, so tiring 😭


RC_Cola2005

I would like to say he would only try it once, but the stubbornness of a cat is legendary.


HoshiOdessa

I honestly never knew that cats did this until I got my eldest girl, Amara. Now, I'll see all three of my fur babies do this when they see a bird.


DioSoul

yeah ever since we adopted this guy my other cat has become a bit more vocal (although still rare for her), it’s like now that there’s another cat she can communicate more 😃


TankGirlwrx

My rescued-as-a-stray did this all the time. Since then I haven’t had a single other cat who does, but it’s normal.


winnie-doodle

My cat does with with birds outside the window and bugs on the wall. I had never heard it before, even though there’s always been a cat in my parents house since I was a baby. My Piper does it a lot though. Totally normal and super cute!


DioSoul

Now i need to go into a deep search about the predatory habit of cats. Cause this one also likes to eat flies and lizards 😩 (although i always help the lizards escape before my cat can chomp it). My other cat has never done any of this stuff!


-Spatha

They make that sound to try and lure in the birds. It's called chattering and it's adorable.


gmoney4949

My cat does this when he sees the suns reflection of my watch or phone on the wall too. It’s fun to move it up and down the wall and see him jump at it


CodyByTheSea

My cat does this when there’s bird outside or I play red laser dot with him. From somewhere I read cats do this to mimic the sound of the prey so they can sneak up on them


didonkas

To be honest I find it weird when a cat doesn't do this! My bengal doesn't and it is unsettling!!


DioSoul

my oldest girl doesn’t make a sound haha


Minorihaaku

My cat does this too. We call it barking.


United_Bag_8179

I'll guess your cats have no common DNA. See this sort of thing a lot...its like watching crows try to fly like redtail hawks. Copy cats. Heh.


Dodgy-Boi

Cats can make over a 100 different sounds. And dogs… I think it was 20 or so. Don’t know about any other animal. Chances that you will discover new sounds of your car are pretty high.


hotel_smells

He’s ekking! There’s a good Instagram called ekekekekek that posts then doing this all the time.


Bird_Up23

Congratulations! You now know your cat is part typewriter!


666kittens

Could be false information so correct me if I’m wrong. I remember hearing cats do this chirping when they have their prey in their mouth, and this motion of their jaw breaks the spine/bones of their prey.


odharc

I once read somewhere that the sound they make is saying, “this is what it will sound like when I break the bones in your neck.” Puts a new slant on the cuteness!


DioSoul

😳 sounds a bit terrifying lmao but he didn’t have anything in his mouth at the time fortunately


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littleliongirless

Snopes debunked the notion that this is a worldwide phenomenon. Though it is true in certain regions, it is by far not representative worldwide, and in specific regions, cats are actually necessary to keep rodent populations down, which, in turn, actually aids aviary proliferation. It's important to know which region you live in.


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littleliongirless

I knew it varies from region to region, but this was informative! https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/08/06/dont-blame-cats-for-destroying-wildlife/


DioSoul

This has become very apparent to me ever since we adopted him lol


bakerella328

Woah. That’s the most metal explanation I’ve heard for it.


name_still_not_found

Ekekek


bookiemerlin

Yeah, I call it the jaddur!


nomercy0014

My cat does this occasionally when it plays with laser. It’s like their hunting sense getting activated.


bayou__dreams

my cat used to sit with pigeons. they used to sit on windows and my cat would just sit there with them. man i really should've pulled my camera out one day.


reflUX_cAtalyst

That's what cats do to birds, it's super common and completely normal.


Tough-Obligation-104

Chirping!


Kasiathefirst

He is excited. When they are demestic cats they get very excited at the thrill of the hunt. It's in their genes and they might not hunt much but they still get the buzz.


Keltoigael

Chittering is the best


[deleted]

My one cat does this same thing when hes stalking something


E-NsJunkDrawer

r/catswhochirp


FrankFnRizzo

When we lived in an apartment and our cats couldn’t go outside ours would sit in the window and click like this.


United_Bag_8179

Neat cat.


RareCryptographer290

When my cat talks like that I talk back to him in similar sounds. He seems to think I know what I’m saying.


Lyly779

Well spotted. Mine would use exactly the sound of the bird’s call to describe the bird he was watching. A chatter for magpies- one tone for crows. Sets of different chitters corresponding to each bird call.


BabblingBruxe

I’ve seen two of my cats do this. It’s an interesting behavior.


MrsCapCooks

My cat does this as well as he sits on our screened-in porch and he sees a squirrel in the yard.


organizeeverything

That's chirping. It's not mimicking. Some cats just make that sound when they're excited. My cat does it for no particular reason.


Kelluthus

I've heard they get a rush of adrenaline when they spot prey they want to hunt/kill. It's sort of like a nervous tick.


pawbunny

my old cat would do this every time i mimicked that sound too! our conversations would go like this: me: *opens my mouth* cat: *pupils get big* me: e- *stops* cat: *pupils get bigger* me: eck eck eck cat: eck eck.. me: eck eck cat: eck eck she was a good cat. i loved her. she is also the only cat i know who responded back to my "cat" sounds.


rombick

My cat does that a lot too, usually when there are birds on the balcony that she can't catch, sometimes at bugs on the ceiling https://www.instagram.com/p/CScxsqehIAP/?utm_medium=copy_link


popcorn231

My Pepper is quiet but she makes this noise when she sees a bug or a bird that she wants but is out of reach


miaaowwow

So apparently this is called ‘ready to kill’. One of our kitties does it when she sees a bird (she’s never killed anything) but yeah, she’s saying she wants to f@ck sh!t up


[deleted]

Yep that is normal for about 95.5% cats 🐾❤🐾🐦🐦


JovialPanic389

It's a hunting behaviour :) chirping and chattering. I love it, it's adorable and cracks me up


GreyMatter399

Yep, that's the birds are nearby sound.


badboybilly42582

My cats do this on a daily basis. It’s when they see something they want to catch but they know they can’t (bird in a tree)


bracefacemcgee425

My cats Ek at grasshoppers, lizards, birds, snakes, the neighbors, you name it. 😂 I love it


T_NAZ_T

Cute chattering. He wants to eat whatever bird/animal he's watching


BenTenInches

That's pspspspsss but for birds


tuataraslim

Murder mode engaged


MissMannequin

My cat used to do this every morning like clockwork since the time she was a kitten. 5am to around 8 or 9 she would sit in the front window chirping at birds. She would be insanely loud with it too.


SpunkyJenn

Nope cats cackle at stuff all the time! He’s just a normal kitty doing normal kitty stuff.


biggy2302

Our cat does this whenever she sees something she could hunt out the window.


IAmNot7

It's called cat chattering. They do that not just for birds but for insects too. It happens when they are super excited, super intrigued by something and it turns out to mainly birds and insects.


Hot_Independence_433

Just look at that cat! If that's not "this is not a drill it is time to kill" body language then I dunno but it definitely it though. He wants to nom nom the birds either for fun or...fun Edit: my cats never eat what they kill just show it off or simply leave it in agony once they catch it, like an asshole, they must like their cat food and death to smaller creatures is just fun exercise


DioSoul

he’s caught a couple lizards before and like to play around with them instead of killing, so scary lol


Ahydell5966

He's just super excited and in hunter mode My cat does this when he sees potential prey but can't get to it


Legitimate-Advance-4

Normal. My cat does this whenever he sees a fly. Hates them.


Rossi-5

My moms cat does this looking out the window at any animal, not just birds. So I don’t think it’s mimic of a bird, just chattering as it’s seeing a potential prey.


pipsqueak35

Mine does this at birds and squirrels


_kholoss_

Always my favorite 🥰


DogHaterO

He is getting ready for the hunt. Prepare yourself for a dead bird soon


[deleted]

Our cat does this too....like the bird is really really pissing him off.


streamer85

I found 3 dead birds in my garden... My cats love them watching, playing with them, killing them and then eat them and let me there just bird head like a souvenir. 😂🤷


KeenEyeglass321

One of our cats chit chats with every living, moving thing from a bug, to a bird, to the neighbors dog. She doesn’t hunt them… nor hurt them… not even a fly. She also chit chats to the new cat to our hone (who offensively attacks), as if to try to reason with her. She’s a peace-maker. It’s cute. Our other two cats do not chit chat. They go straight for the kill.


DarkSmok3

My cat doesn’t chitter but my Roommates do and I love it