Cats make sounds in different shapes and tones. They usually use these sounds to express different desires. Cats prefer to meow to communicate with people. A cat’s meow can be about showing friendship, making a request, questioning a situation, expressing a need, showing anger, or just chatting. Since cats have their own unique vocal structure, it is quite easy to recognize their voices or understand a difference in their voices.

There is usually not much change in the voices of cats. Cats’ meowing is usually high-pitched. The meowing starts from low notes and gradually increases. The meowing is usually a few seconds long. In some cases, cats’ voices break or sound muffled.

In a muffled meow, the pure meowing tone is lost. Instead, it makes a weak sound. The cat’s mouth opens normally, but the sound coming from the mouth is different. Instead of the usual musical meowing, a muffled and rough sound comes. Sometimes the meowing sound may be very low or the cat may not be able to make a sound even if it tries to meow. This change may also affect the cat’s purring.

What Causes Hoarseness in Cats?

Most cats suffer from a hoarse meowing sound at some point in their lives. The most common cause of a cat’s hoarse voice is inflammation in the larynx or voice box, a sensitive structure that houses the vocal cords. The cat’s larynx, like humans, is located in the middle of the throat. When the larynx is inflamed, its sensitive and flexible structure becomes thicker and less elastic. The accumulation of inflammation around the vocal cords causes a hoarse voice. The changes that occur cause the voice box to not be able to produce high-pitched sounds as before.

The most common cause of hoarse voice in cats is laryngitis. Laryngitis can develop in cats due to different reasons. The main causes of laryngitis;

• Viral respiratory tract infections such as feline calicivirus, feline herpes virus or upper respiratory tract infection,
• Airway irritation due to smoke or dust inhalation,
• Trauma,
• Excessive meowing.

However, the causes of laryngitis are not limited to these. Although not common, there are more serious causes of laryngitis. Among the rare causes of laryngitis;

• Nasopharyngeal polyp,
• Mass that develop in and around the larynx, including abscesses, tumors and other tissues,
• Foreign objects such as plant leaves around the larynx causing obstruction,
• Laryngeal paralysis, which occurs when the larynx muscles do not work as they used to,
• Hyperthyroidism.