Can Cats Be Mute – Everything You Should Know!

Cats are one of the most vocal pets out there. From their loud meows to their reactive chips, they are known for being noisy. Every cat isn’t like that, however. There are some cats that don’t seem to ever make a sound no matter what you do. This leaves many wondering, can cats be mute?

Cats can be mute. The mute phase mostly occurs at the kitten age where cats are still developing their sound. Vocal chord injuries, illnesses, and old age are factors in adult cats being mute. Changes in the environment can also cause a cat to make less sound.

Cats going mute is more common than you think! We’ll share some interesting facts about mute cats, and help you diagnose what’s going on with your cat if you’re experiencing some of the same weird behaviors.

Can A Cat Become Mute

Yes, a cat can become mute. While most mute tendencies we see in cats occur at the kitten stage, they grow out of it. However, sometimes a cat can fall back into the behavior for various reasons.

Cats become mute when:

• There is a health issue
• They are traumatized
• When there is a change in their routine
• After moving to a new home or location

In most cases, the mute behavior will reverse as long as the issue is tended to. If it’s something more severe like a health issue with the throat, or pain while meowing, you’ll need to seek out a vet.

Some health issues that are a bit more severe include growths that develop inside a cat’s mouth. This includes things like:

• Polyps
• Tumors
• Cancers

In addition to growths on the vocal cords, cats might experience bacterial infections.

Why Is My Cat Not Talkative

Your cat is not talkative due to their personality and breed. Some cat’s are accustomed to being vocal whenever they need food, water or attention. However, many cats don’t resort to any of that behavior, and find non-verbal communication to be the best route to getting what they need.

Below are some key reasons your cat may not be talkative.

Your Cat Is Sick

An often overlooked reason for cats being mute is that they are sick. Just like people, cats can get colds, soar throats, and that can really make it tough for a cat to vocalize.

Pharyngitis is probably the most impactful on a cat. It causes the throat to become inflamed, and sometimes abscesses will form. That obstructs the throat, so naturally, your cat will have a tough time meowing.

There is also the “Cat Flu” among other upper respiratory infections that can cause your cat to have trouble making noises.

Afraid Of Their New Envinroment

Whether your cat is young or old, moving to a new home is a huge change for them. Cats tend to go into hiding until they can feel out their new space. Likewise, they’ll want to keep their stealth, and you may not hear them make much of a noise at all.

Imagine a cat moving from a home with carpet to one with hardwood floors. Their meow would create quite the echo right? Even something that simple could scare a cat into not making noise and being mute because they simply aren’t used to it.

In this case, give your cat some space. They’ll eventually warm up to the new space, and leave their mute tendencies behind.

Your Cat Is Aging

As a cat ages, their bodily functions start to work less and less. If you had a cat that meowed a lot in it’s youth and prime, then there’s no question they may do this less in their senior years.

As cats age, they lose energy. To conserve what they have, they may become less vocal and resort to purring and other physical gestures to get their communication across.

If this is the case, you will need to learn how to learn what your cat is communicating to you in the non-verbal sense.

Your Cat Breed Is Not Known To Be Vocal

Believe it or not, some cat breeds are less vocal than others. Although each cat is different, we always see a common trend among different breeds. Below is a table featuring the most vocal cat breeds.

Most Vocal Cat Breeds

Siamese

American Bobtail

Burmese

Bengal

Oriental Shorthair

Peterbald

Sphynx

Turkish Van

Tonkinese

Ocicat

Balinese-Javanese

Maine Coon

If your cat fits into this list but is more on the mute side of things, then you may want to look into some of the other factors mentioned above. Consider the age of your cat what experiences it had before you owned it as well as while it was your pet.

Also, consider the kind of home environment they are in and that kind of routine their used to. There are strategies to make your cat more vocal through training and simply changing up the routine to make life more interesting for them.

For the most part, however, if a cat is not very talkative, it’s just due to its personality and there is no reason for concern.

Your Cat Has An Injury

Cats are always jumping and running around. Naturally, a cat is bound to get injured at some point in its life. If that injury involves the chest and neck area, then chances are they’ll have some sort of vocal cord issue.

Sometimes the trauma is impactful enough that it interferes with the functioning of their voice box. If you have an outdoor cat these injuries are more likely through a conflict with a wild animal, and less likely from day to day play.

General injuries not related to the vocal cords may also happen too.

Overactive Thyroids

A cat can be mute due to overactive thyroids. The condition is called Hyperthyroidism, and it causes laryngitis in most cats. Younger cats can get this, however, it’s more common in senior and elderly cats.

Not only will your cat struggle with vocal issues, but they’ll experience weight loss too. This is a sign to look for.

Vocal Paralysis

Did you know cats can actually have vocal paralysis. This can happen when your cat already has a known injury to their vocal cords. If the larynx or vocal cords are damaged, they may not actually recover fully from it.

Much like overactive thyroids, it can come with other issues like weight loss, and breathing struggles.

Why Can’t I Hear My Cat Meow

If you can’t hear your cat meow, it’s likely that their vocal cords are under stress. In rare cases, the vocal cords may be damaged.

In other cases, some cats won’t meow at all unless they absolutely need to. For example, if a cat is in pain, you’re more likely to hear them make noise than one who is comfortable and satisfied.

Is It Normal For A Kitten To Not Meow

It is normal for kittens to not meow. Kittens don’t develop their voice for several weeks. Initially it may just be a “silent meow”. This is somewhat of a dry, barely audible meow although you can see the effort from your kitten.

If you have a kitten that has recently developed an issue with meowing, then it may be related to a bacterial infection. You’ll want to look for symptoms like a runny nose and sneezing that accompanies their mute behavior.

Why Do Cats Silent Meow

Cats silent meow as a replacement for a normal meow. It’s not a cause for concern, and in most cases, your cat will do this intentionally.

It takes less energy and sound to do it, and for cats, if they get what they want from you which is your attention, they’ll sometimes resort to this. In a lot of cases, silent meows do actually have some sound to it. The meows however are so quiet, that they appear silent, but there is some sound there.

For cats, the sound is more present though. They can hear at incredible distances, so instinctively, they’ll silent meow because it satisfies their communication standards.

Things To Consider

Ultimately, a cat can be mute and it’s really nothing to be concerned with. Cats go through phases all the time, and even a cat that progressively becomes quiet is not something you’ll need to worry about.

The times you should be worried are when the lack of sound are accompanied by changes in behavior or visible health. If you see a cat is struggling to meow, then it’s likely a health issue or something impacting their vocal cords.

As mentioned earlier, the older a cat gets, the less they will meow because that requires precious energy.

Cats can also simply lose their voice. This is mostly caused by a lack of stimulation to the nerves that connect with their vocal cords.