Why do cats chirp when they see birds?

Owners of cats have more than once noticed a strange reaction of the animal to birds outside the window. The pupils dilate, the ears perk up, and the cat itself begins to make a strange sound similar to chirping, exposing its sharp teeth.

This is a manifestation of the pet’s “wild” instincts. Cats behave this way not only when they see birds. They may start making unusual sounds when they see insects and small rodents, but this usually happens with birds.

According to veterinarian Erica Loftin, this is the sound of a cat excited by its prey. Perhaps this is why domestic cats behave this way around birds, since it is more difficult to get to them than, for example, to a bug that crawled nearby. But behaviorist Celia Haddon notes that such chirping indicates the disappointment experienced by a domestic predator.

Unfortunately, these are just theories; it is quite difficult to understand the nature of this behavior. However, a 2010 study was able to shed some light on this mystery. Researcher Fabio Rohe was able to understand why cats begin to chirp, and not meow as usual.

A biologist studied a group of tamarins in the forests of Brazil. Rohe and his colleagues were recording the monkeys' vocalizations when they suddenly noticed that the long-tailed margay cat imitated the sounds of baby tamarins in order to get closer to the monkeys. The tamarins were confused, so instead of running, they went to investigate the source of the sound, which was only to the advantage of the wild cat.

Based on this, scientists have suggested that cats specifically adapt to their victims in order to lull their vigilance. It's likely that domestic cats' chirping is an evolutionary trait, but it still requires further study.