There are many meanings behind the meowing of pet cats. Their purrs, howls, and even blinking gestures say hello, please hug, or get away from me. As more cat owners look to communicate with their cats, experts say there is something to be learned from the communicative intent that cats display. How to know the language of cats from cat meowing?

Siamese Cat

Gary Weitzman, president of the Humane Society and Animal Welfare Society of San Diego, recently published a book called How to Speak Cat. Hopefully it will help people understand what the cat is trying to convey. He said cats are very independent animals, so they can be easily misunderstood.

Cunning cats can make 16 different meows, and they usually only meow when someone is around, he said. These sounds may be saying feed me, touch me, or let me out, and cats rarely communicate through these calls.

This is because cats know that if they meow , you can get what you want from humans.

Cats scratch and hiss more clearly, but they can also communicate in more subtle ways—eyes and tails. For example, Weitzman says, a cat's slow wink is like winking between friends. The cat winks at you like it's kissing you, he said. And the cat's tail upright is like a human handshake, and when it approaches you, it raises its tail to show that it's happy to see you.

Susan McMinn, 55, from North Carolina, USA, after reading the book, couldn't wait to start a blinking interaction exercise with her Siamese cat, Jade. She said: I sat down and started blinking slowly at my cat, and she blinked back right away. I know of course he loves me, but now I feel better about how he communicates.

Even the movements of the cat's ears and whiskers deserve our attention. If a cat's ears are flat, don't approach it because it's scared or facing a fight, Weitzman said. A cat's whiskers naturally stretch out to the sides, indicating that they are in a good mood.

Learning to communicate with cats is even more important for those who care more about color and breed when raising pets. Melissa Cox of Cat Rescue said someone might ask for a fluffy white cat, and she would tell them not to pick on looks, but to really get along with cats to see if it's a good fit.