Big cat Sounds
BIG CAT SOUNDS
Cats have a much wider range of vocalisations than most people realise. The following is just a taste:
Domestic cat
This is the familiar miaw of the domestic cat.
Wildcat
The wildcat's yowl sounds like that of an alley cat in a fight.
Leopard
The leopard is a big cat and makes a typical big cat throaty roar
Compare this to the cough of a doe red deer. Male red deer in the rut sound even more like a big cat.
Lion
A familiar sound to anybody who visits a zoo, this is the lion's roar.
Tiger
This is the noise made by one tiger greeting another one and is quite different from the big cat roar
Cheetah
This is the cheetah greeting
Puma
The puma is strictly speaking not a big cat as it cannot roar. The puma's attempt at a roar starts out deep but ends with a snarl. The puma also makes a much lighter cry, a throaty purring noise and a chirp almost like a bird.
But it is the high pitched yowl which is the most impressive. This sound can sometimes be heard for miles. This yowl is often associated with territorial behanviour. Compare the puma yowl to the (simulated) sound of a rabbit in pain.
Canada Lynx
This lynx cry could almost be mistaken for wildfowl. Compare it to a wild boar and an eagle
Canids
None of the cats above can be confused with the dog's bark or the wolf's howl
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