[katieHaylor (OP)]

Daniel says:

I've lived with my cat for the last ten years since he was one year old. He has a whole repertoire of miaows and calls that he uses with me. I'd guess at least 35. From the unbearable "howl of distress" when something is happening he's unsure of to the stern and authoritative "bark of command" to open the fridge door to the adorable "mewl of anticipation" when food is on its way and many more (with variations on each).

I've heard plenty of times that cats retain these from kittenhood to interact with humans but how exactly do cats learn his wide vocabulary? I don't hear kittens barking at their mothers for food.

What do you think?

[chris]

Cats do use different frequencies of miaow to elicit different responses in their human staff, it seems:

https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/science-news/message-our-cat-overlords