New mothers are captivated by their newborns, wanting to hold them constantly while speaking to them in gentle, affectionate tones.
Expressions like “Aww”, “How cute are you”, and “I love you so much” are commonly heard. Babies, just adjusting to life outside the womb, usually remain passive during these interactions.
Similarly, animal mothers have their unique ways of communicating with their newborns, which are delightful to observe and hear. Cat mothers, in particular, use meows, chirrs, and chirps to interact with their kittens, initiating their first forms of communication.
Newborn kittens meow to grab their mother’s attention, continuing this behavior until they are about five months old. Chirring, a sound resembling a meow but rolled on the tongue, is used by mother cats to call their kittens back to the nest. Experts have discovered that kittens learn to recognize and respond specifically to their mother’s chirring, distinguishing it from that of other cats.
“We conclude that chirps emitted by mother cats at the nest represent a specific form of vocal communication with their young, and that kittens learn and respond positively to these and distinguish them from chirps of other mothers,” experts say.
Miyu, a mama cat, exemplifies this in an adorable video where she is seen nursing her kittens while chirring to them. The three kittens, nestled around their mother, nurse and knead her to encourage milk flow. Miyu chirrs affectionately, hugging and grooming her kittens, creating a scene that is heartwarming to watch. The kittens, recognizing their mother’s sounds, feel safe and enjoy her affection.
This video, featured on a cat-centric YouTube channel, has garnered significant attention. The description highlights one of the kittens, Layo, who has his own diary. The viral video has amassed over 3.5 million views, thousands of likes, and hundreds of comments. Viewers have praised the sweetness of the mama cat, and some have shared how the video helped them rescue stray kittens.
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One viewer commented, “I want to thank you for this. This video helped me catch an abandoned/stray kitten that wouldn’t come to me. I played it a few times with wet [cat] food and the poor baby came right out, crying like mad. It helped me save her life.” Other users echoed similar stories, illustrating how this video has played a role in saving cats’ lives.
