We’re about to make a ton of cat owners incredibly happy! Meanwhile, the rest of you Pandas may find the sudden urge to welcome a fabulous fluffy feline into your forever home. One sign of a powerful photo is that you can practically hear and feel it through the screen. And that’s where the r/Catswhoyell subreddit comes in.
The online community does exactly what it says on the tin—it celebrates cats who yell with all their souls, meow gently, and make a lot of cute and silly noises. We’ve collected some of the most expressive pics, as shared by members of the group, to bring a bit of warmth into your day, Pandas. Scroll down and MEOW meOW MEow.
The founder of r/Catswhoyell, redditor u/boxster_, was happy to tell Bored Panda all about the sub’s history, how the community evolved, and share their thoughts on cat commeownication and their purrsonalities. You’ll find our full interview with them below, as you read on.
#1 For Those Who Wondered Why I Didn't Post The Daily Yell Anymore: My 20y Old Yeller Got A Sick Heart And Lung. I Had Many Vet Visits And She's Probably Not Going To Live That Long Anymore
Image credits: TrueOS
Moderator u/boxster_ walked us through the story behind r/Catswhoyell (or CWY). They told Bored Panda that the idea to create the community started after a conversation on a post where they realized there “was no place for talkative kitties like my own to be posted.”
“There were many chatty cats on other subs, but no ‘home’ for them. It started out small, and somewhere in the first year, I started adding new moderators. One of the goals we decided on at the beginning was that we always wanted CWY to be a welcoming community that felt like it was a small place,” the founder shared with us.
“This meant being active about removing rude messages towards other users. I don't think any of us expected it to reach 650k members!” they were incredibly happy about the success that the sub has seen over the years.
#2 My Cat Loves Yelling, It Never Stops. BF Is Getting Used To It, I Can Tell!
Image credits: JustNoMercy
#3 I Am Not Your Remote Holder
Image credits: kevonicus
However, that’s not to say that there weren’t some tough challenges to face along the way. “We've had a few periods of time where moderating got tough due to issues with users. One funny incident was when a user repeatedly mod-mailed rude messages about ‘everyone hating’ our flairs, all of which are jokes or puns. Our mod team checks in occasionally about adding new mods when traffic increases, and that's been very helpful. The only time we've done it on short notice was March 2020,” u/boxster_ said.
“As time went on, we decided we also wanted to focus on adoptable cats posted by rescues. We pin rescue cat posts as they come in, and add location flairs. At this time we know of about 3 cats who have been adopted by a subreddit member if I recall correctly,” the founder of r/Catswhoyell shared the great news.
“Many of our mods are involved in foster and rescue, or have been in the past, so this is my favorite thing about our sub. I'm also proud because I've seen the stereotype of the quiet and aloof cat shift in the past few years, at least on Reddit. It's been an unintentional campaign for cats with big purrsonalities.”
#4 I’m Extremely Blessed To Have My Own Tiny Lifeguard. Except, Instead Of Using A Whistle Or Attempting To Save Me. He Screams At Me In Terror... The Entire Time
Image credits: mollyaclarke
#5 The Cat Climbed On Top Of My Husband Just To Yell At Him
Image credits: Other_Vader
#6 My Mom Is Giving Rei Kisses And She Is Having None Of It
Image credits: Fireboss76
The founder shared a bit about their own cat whom they adopted. “I never expected the scraggly rescue cat I took home to be so talkative, despite growing up around cats, and even studying cat behavior,” they told Bored Panda.
“One thing about my sweet boy, and also something that makes my mother think I'm nuts, is that I believe he has a little name for me. He has a little two-part meow that he screeches when I come home. He has a way of telling me it's dinner, or that I've stayed up too late (and once recently, gone to bed too early). Sometimes, it can be a little annoying, but at the end of the day, I always have someone to talk to.”
The mod said that it’s best to think of cats meowing as a bit like languages and accents. “While there's a general mood you can hear in a cat's meow, there are also kitties who meow by the beat of their own paws,” they said that there’s some overlap between how cats communicate by meows, but there’s also a lot of room for individual self-expression among felines.
#7 This Is My Baby Boy Haru, Currently Screaming At The Snow
Image credits: Einuji
#8 Aaa
Image credits: distantskies
#9 I Had To Go To The Bathroom At A Cat Café. I Got Yelled At
Image credits: doctordoak11
“One of my best friends had a cat named Bella. We also called him German Cat. Bella earned his nickname by having the angriest and loudest voice a kitty could have. Bella was also the sweetest and cuddliest boy you could meet, he was just speaking the kitty version of German,” u/boxster_ said.
“At the end of the day knowing your cat and looking for context clues is the best way to understand what they mean. I know that if my cat yells at me at 8:15 pm, that means he wants dinner a few minutes early. I know that if my lights are on and it's past midnight, he would like me to get myself in bed already so he can lay on my head and lick my hair,” they said.
“Every cat is unique. Some cats may only make sounds when angry or hurt, some cats will only be quiet if asleep, and others will be something else entirely.”
#10 My GF Made A Friend At Her Grandpas House
Image credits: wyrmface
#11 He Yelled At Me For Waking Him From His Nap. In My Clothes
Image credits: fascismforfun87
#12 This Is Ruby. She Yells Every Time You Say Her Name
Image credits: [deleted]
The r/Catswhoyell subreddit recently celebrated its fifth birthday. Since being founded in 2018, the sub has grown to house over 684k members and counting. The group allows photos and videos of cats yelling, however, it frowns upon pics of yawning felines.
“No full-on yawns allowed without shame. No yell-shaming. All yells no matter their shape, size or volume are good and valid. Silent yells too. Yawn pictures will be removed, but video yawns with sound are permitted,” the group’s team of dedicated moderators explains.
Meanwhile, redditors are encouraged to post original photos. Nobody should claim that a cat is theirs if it isn’t. It’s unethical! If you are posting about someone else’s cat, make sure that you share the source, otherwise, your post may get removed. What’s more, the subreddit supports rescuing cats from shelters, so anyone who bought a cat from a breeder shouldn’t share photos.
#13 Little Yelling Black Ball
Image credits: futtbucker43
#14 Happy Halloween From My Yeller Sylvester And I!
Image credits: ElSpico
#15 Little Screamer
Image credits: MrCreamHands
In the meantime, if you’re planning on posting photos of cats who yell that are adoptable, feel free to post the organization’s info in the comments. However, the online community does not allow internet users to advertise private adoptions, breeders, Craigslist, or disreputable sources.
Many subreddits have their quirks, and r/Catswhoyell is no different. It has a very amusing (or is that ameowsing?) guide to using flairs for its numerous feline-loving members. For instance, you should add the ‘Human Conversationalist’ flair to your post if it’s about a human talking to a cat and the pet meowing back. However, that’s not to be confused with the ‘Human Conmeowsationalist’ tag which is meant for humans meowing at cats who, in turn, meow back.
Some other interesting flairs include ‘Baby Cat’ (“Mew mew mewmew mewmewmew: all things baby cats!”), ‘Ol’ Yeller’ (everything related to senior cats), ‘Scream Team’ (two or more cats yelling), and ‘Aw Lawd They Yellin’’ (“Cat is rather rotund. And yelling. Always yelling,” the mods explain).
#16 Yelling Because She’s Happy The Sun Is Out And She Needs Us All To Watch Her Enjoy It!
Image credits: leighwick
#17 We Decided To Make The Drive From Phoenix To Sf With Two Cats, Thinking It Would Be Easier Than A Flight. We Set Up A Metal Barrier To Keep Them In The Hatchback Trunk With Food/Water/Litter But They Squeezed Their Way Out In Less Than 10 Minutes. The Rest Of The Drive Was Chaos
Image credits: furubakun
#18 “Use Yer Heckin Blinker Next Time, Ya Overgrown Hairball”
Image credits: evacia
Among the other creative flairs, you’ll find ‘Scraggly Yell’ (“Git me mah smokes!”), angry cattos get the ‘Calm down, dear kitty! Tag’, yawns that are also yells are assigned ‘A yawn and a yell!’, and ‘Certified Yell’ flairs are meant for the most distinguished, epic, and worthy of yells.
As it turns out, when it comes to adult cats, meowing, for them, is far from their preferred way to communicate with others of its kind.
“Unlike many other pets, cats evolved as solitary hunters so their communications skills are less developed than with group-living species, such as dogs,” PDSA Vet Anna Ewers Clark explained to Bored Panda during an earlier interview.
#19 This Is Mufasa. He’s A World Champion Yeller And Also Very Fluffy. I Call It “Airing His Grievances”. He Has Many
Image credits: shakycam3
#20 S C R E M
Image credits: RodLawyer
#21 I Was Told, Very Loudly, To Post Zipper Here. Torties Are Known To Be Talkers, And Zipper Is No Exception!
Image credits: SpasticShagworm
Kittens will meow in order to communicate with their cat moms and they develop this ability even if they’re isolated from their parents and siblings. However, once they become adults, many of them will stop meowing. "Sometimes, they will hiss or yowl at each other (usually in defense or during a fight) but the primary way of communicating with other cats once they’re grown is through body language,” the vet told us. However, adult cats will meow to talk to us.
"As we tend to pay our cats attention when they meow, this encourages them to chat to us and many cats learn that certain meows and sounds will get a specific response from their human. For example, meowing in our ear in the morning often leads to breakfast; few owners can sleep through a persistent cat shouting! This means that they keep meowing at us while we’re in bed hoping we’ll get the message that it’s time to get up. This can be thought of like an owner-cat ‘language’ with cats using their voices to explain what they need,” the vet said.
#22 This Is Sashimi. She’s Yelling About Her New Cone, Which She Received After $3k Surgery To Remove 2 Feet Of Paracode That She Thought Tasted Good
Image credits: IanMalcolmsLaugh
#23 Every Night, Vigo Sits In That Specific Corner While I Take A Shower. So I Made Him A Box. Today He Was Particularly Excited To Find A Box At His Usual Spot!
Image credits: escape_photo
#24 The Void Yells Back
Image credits: G0nzal0tron
"Although there will be cat meows that will are unique to each individual (and sometimes specific to each owner), some noises cats make can be common across all cats. Trills and chirrups are usually a cat greeting and will often be accompanied by the ‘tail up’ signal which is a welcoming gesture," the PDSA representative told Bored Panda earlier.
"Hissing, yowling and snarling are most commonly heard as part of an attack or defense when your cat feels threatened. If your cat is making any of these noises, it’s important to try to figure out what’s upsetting them and try to stop or prevent it,” she said.
#25 It Screm
Image credits: MaximumCrab
#26 She Wants To Be In
Image credits: supermetroid94
#27 Bean Doing A Yell After Adoption
Image credits: nakedplantlady
"A relaxed, happy purr is an indication that your cat is satisfied with life. This might be when they’re curled up on your lap or stealing the fluffy blankets. However, purring can also indicate pain or severe stress so always look at your cat’s body language and think about whether you’d expect them to be relaxed in their current surroundings,” she explained.
“Kittens will still meow even if they grow up away from their own kind. In fact, if kittens are brought up being cared for entirely by people, this can actually mean they’re more talkative as they have learned that humans respond to them and give them food or attention when they meow. However, if kittens don’t grow up around people, only around other cats, they may stop meowing when they’re older."
#28 This Is Banana. He Scream
Image credits: scoutfinches
#29 This Is Waffles. Waffles Has Been Shouting At Me For 10 Years. She’s My Ride Or Die
Image credits: richdangerowens
#30 Two Yellers
Image credits: adelemw
Let us know which of these cat pics made you the happiest! And tell us all about how your cat communicates with you.
For some more cats who love yelling and meowing, take a peek at Bored Panda's previous features here, here, and here.
#31 This Little Lady's Screams Saved Her Life When My BF Heard Her Shouting From Under His Car On A -15° Day. She Has Bones Sticking Out, A Crusty Eye, A Sinus Infection And Badly Frostbitten Beans. Going To The Vet Today!
Image credits: [deleted]
#32 I Took My Boy To The Vet. This Is How He Felt About It
Image credits: Elanadin
#33 Gish Has A Lot To Say
Image credits: YumYumCult
#34 Move Human!!!
Image credits: trustworthy-adult
#35 She Assumed A Power Stance To Yell With Her Whole Body
Image credits: halfwaycrate
#36 This Cat Lives Across The Road From Me. I Fed Him A Snack Once And Now He Screams Every Night At My Kitchen Window
Image credits: rainbowket
#37 Screamin' Sunset
Image credits: DishonestBystander
#38 She's Deaf So She Only Has One Volume: Yell
Image credits: 1011_1011
#39 I Didn't Know About This Sub. Now My Little Yeller Has Some New Friends
Image credits: Gilbertisok
#40 You Can Almost Hear It
Image credits: maileykaye
#41 This Is Fridge. She Would Like To File A Formal Complaint With The Staff About Feeding Schedules
Image credits: flicus
#42 Freyja The Feral Screaming Some More
Image credits: HrafnFjodr
#43 Unhand Me!
Image credits: MrCreamHands
#44 The Couch Consumes Him
Image credits: Crowcodile
#45 Gizmo Wanted To Be In The Bathroom, But Now He Doesn't ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Image credits: notabiochemist
#46 Silly Kitten At Work For His Neuter That Kept Screaming At Us To Hold Him (Which I Did And Then When I Had To Put Him Back, He Resumed Lol)?❤️
Image credits: Coffeepanda09
#47 Ella Has Some Choice Words About Being Taken To The Vet
Image credits: theemoemue
#48 This Is Rat. She Shouts At Me All The Time. I Would Die For Her
Image credits: Candlesticksnape
#49 Daegon Channeling The Beast Inside Of Him
Image credits: S_Elieen
#50 This Little Girl Screaming At My Local Animal Shelter
Image credits: xlr8_87
#51 Found A Kitten In My Engine And He’s Got Sh*t To Say
Image credits: AJfuckingSucks
#52 Don’t Judge My Sits!!!
Image credits: it_rolleda6
#53 I Haven't Had A Single Quiet Meal Since Isolation Started
Image credits: raza_de_soare
#54 My 16 Year Old Cat, Yelling At Me From The Sink
Image credits: [deleted]
#55 Binx Is Angry I Found His Toy Stash
Image credits: Healy_
#56 She Screams
Image credits: dokidoki_meow
#57 Mid Yell!!!!
Image credits: 13misha_09
#58 Someone Suggested Klaus Might Belong Here. Very Shouty Boy
Image credits: emilyveejay
#59 He's Very Concerned About Who Will Feed Him If I Drown In The Bath
Image credits: glory_whole_hero
#60 Monty Hasn’t Been Fed In At Least An Hour
Image credits: _stabbocrabbo
#61 This Is Taco. He’s A Screamer
Image credits: shokunin_07
#62 The Foster Lady Said He Was Quiet. Gerald Has Been Yelling At Me For Two Years Now
Image credits: K1ttyK1lljoy
#63 Trina, The Baddest B*tch, Demands Her Wet Food Asap
Image credits: trinahunterson
#64 Mid Yell... My Sweet One Eyed Pirate Kitty Who Is Yelling At Me For Getting Near His Roses
Image credits: Crobcrusoe
#65 This Is Luna! She's Mad Because I Won't Give Her Any More Treats
Image credits: Draxtheunwoooshable
#66 Bastian Forgot He Was Fed 5 Minutes Ago
Image credits: Exoduc
#67 She’s Beauty And She’s Grace. She’ll Yell Right In Your Face
Image credits: IridiumCow
#68 This Is Mango. Mango Wants Whatever You’re Having. Today It Was Jello
Image credits: Princesscatcat
#69 Arthur The Sailor Cat Doesn't Like My Driving
Image credits: pathoftheone
#70 S C R E A M
Image credits: lenaowo
#71 Lotus Protested Her Exile From The Bedroom With A Small Yell
Image credits: gtvrhs
#72 Met This Lad While On A Walk, Owner Said He Yells When He's Happy, 10/10 Would Get Yelled At Again
Image credits: [deleted]
#73 Just Tried To Take A Nice Picture Of One Of My Kittens, She Had Other Ideas
Image credits: BigBossJoey69
#74 Friends 4 Week Old Foster Expressing His Teeny Tiny Opinion
Image credits: Purrogi
#75 My Kitten Complaining About The Car Ride
Image credits: lifeoffaith
#76 Every Morning, Simba’s Allowed To Tan On The Balcony. But When It‘S Time To Go Back Inside, He Scream!
Image credits: grfckrn
#77 Before Calling Him Handsome vs. After Calling Him Handsome
Image credits: panadoro
#78 Smokey Does Not Like Being In The Desert Sun. Even For 2 Minutes For A Picture
Image credits: mercuriusxc
#79 Tried To Get A Pic Of The Daily Garden Haul But It Was Also Her Dinner Time
Image credits: [deleted]
#80 We Were Loaning The Suitcase To A Friend, But He Thought That We Were Leaving And Adamantly Protested
Image credits: TeaHC16
#81 At The Vet. He's Saying, "I Would Prefer Not To." Folks At R/Blackcats Said I Should Share This Here
Image credits: _DOA_
#82 Tiny Yeller
Image credits: BrewCityChaser
#83 She Was Protesting Me Going Outside For Five Minutes
Image credits: Fireblast1337
#84 Woke Him Up From His Nap In The Quiche Box And Ruined His Day
Image credits: designmur
#85 Chloe Tried To Help Us With Our Pregnancy Announcement. While It’s Not A Video, I Hope You Are Able To Hear That Picture. She Was Yelling Because We Were Making Her Work For A Treat. Swipe For The End Result
Image credits: leFrenchhorn
#86 Aang Finds It Unacceptable That I'm Eating Pizza And Won't Share
Image credits: lesbianwalongsword
#87 Mama Chloe, Queen Of The Block, Stopped By Earlier Today. This Is Her Announcing Her Arrival
Image credits: ItsGoreTexJerry
#88 Trust Me. She Was Yelling The Entire Ride
Image credits: [deleted]
#89 Every Pic Of Her Looks Like This Because She Never Stops Yelling
Image credits: JessSeaS
#90 Potato Gets Very Impatient With Me When I'm Home For 10 Seconds And Havent Pet Her Yet
Image credits: SupaJ3W
#91 Darth Hates When You Shower
Image credits: sgtppr67
#92 We Are Babysitting Two Maine Coons While Friends Are Overseas And Janet Is Not Happy About It
Image credits: wellshitdawg
#93 “It’s My Birthday! I’m 1!”
Image credits: misstwinpeaks1983
#94 Big Mad He Is At The Vet
Image credits: reno1123
#95 Social Distancing Day 9: Cat Backpack!
Image credits: justherefortheplants
#96 “Mom! Mom! You Haven’t Given Me Attention In 1 Whole Minute!” ?
Image credits: HayleyDoyle1216
#97 “Tf Is This Shit!?”
Image credits: redana02
#98 My Baby Has Ringworm, And Has To Be Bathed Twice A Week. She’s Very Mad
Image credits: svmelogic-teeth
#99 I Have A Whole Album On My Phone Called “Wahhh” That’s Just Pics Of Cherry Yelling At Me
Image credits: dykely
#100 Sorry For Disturbing You On Your Throne, Your Majesty!
Image credits: BunbunBunny
#101 Tater Tot Asking Politely To Be Let Out Of The Bathroom
Image credits: chickennnugget
#102 Her Favorite Toys Are Hair Ties. She Thought The Coax Cable Was A Giant Hair Tie I Got Just For Her
Image credits: thekitcats
#103 My Cat Demanding Sum Extra Food
Image credits: _Paddybaer_