Cats can’t talk, but if they could, they’d probably tell people exactly what they think, which would probably not be a good thing. Instead of talking, cats often communicate through meowing, smells, touch, and visual cues such as body posture or tail position.

Cats are often vocal with humans because humans don’t have the sense of smell to appreciate a good butt in the face. Some cats meow while others trill like a pigeon. This is usually just a way to boss you around and order you about to do the cat’s bidding, so be thankful your cat can’t scream at you like a military drill sergeant because that’s exactly what they want to do if they could.

To learn more about the different ways cats communicate, click here.