Cats chatter when they see prey that they can’t reach. Most commonly, we see this when our cats are watching birds from a window.

We think there are a few reasons they do this. But first I want to correct a recent misperception that has come about. We do not have evidence that domestic cats do this to mimic prey.

We do have some evidence that margays, a species of wildcat in Central and South America, use vocalizations to lure adult pied tamarins. They do this by (poorly) mimicking baby tamarin noises.

Margay in a tree by Malene Thyssen

We don’t see this as a successful hunting strategy in domestic cats, however. If they think they can get to the prey, they generally don’t chatter. And chattering at their prey doesn’t make the prey come to them.

So why do they do it? We think this may be

• A sound of frustration
• A sound of excitement
• A response to wanting to clamp their jaws on the prey

Footnotes