posted 03-10-2004 12:48 PM         

Recently, my husband and I purchased a 4 month old black kitten from the SPCA. The introductory transition between him and my 5 year-old went fairly well, and after a week, they became best of buds (both are neuterred males).

Since we got Orko, we noticed his meow is very loud and makes Hank's, my kitty, sound like a whimp (he's a tabby mix). lol

I read somewhere that oriental breeds have this trait, and it's very possible Orko is an oriental by his angular features.

I sought out some online info and found a suggestion to not acknowledge the kitty when he meows. That doesn't always seem to work, though, because other times, he's meowing at the window ('cause he can't see over the bushes on the other side), or talking to Hank from accross the room, or greeting us when we come home, or just meowing 'cause he likes the sound of his voice. lol

Does anyone else have this problem? It wouldn't be so bad if Orko's voice was more softer and quieter. Will my husband and I just have to resolve and get used to it? Will he quiet down more with age?

posted 03-10-2004 01:06 PM         

My orange boy, Zeus, is nearly 13 pounds and he has the tiniest little voice - he mews rather than meows...it's hilarious to see that big boy mew cause when he opens his mouth you'd expect it to be loud

Another thing Orientals and Siamese do is "chatter" that's funny too.

posted 03-10-2004 01:40 PM         

I can't say if Orko is indeed from an oriental breed or not, but his looks sure do come to a close resemblance. I don't have a pic available to show you unfortunately.

As far as I can tell, he's more than likely a mix. He has a small patch of white on his chest, making it look like he's wearing a tux, and I've noticed a few scatterred white individual hairs and one other tiny patch of white on his belly.

A friend of ours has a siamese mix who is just as loud (if not more so) as Orko, and another long-distance friend has told me about her full-bred siamese with a very loud meow.

I don't claim to know cats, so I could be wrong in assuming all siamese-type breeds have a loud meow, since your first post suggested otherwise. It just seemed that was the status-quo from what I've been told. Oh, but I think I'm wrong now. lol

posted 03-10-2004 02:25 PM         

I too have always wondered if my cat has some siamese or orental in him. He has an extremly loud meow and is not afraid to use it! He's now 10 months old and is not any quieter than he was at 6 weeks (although he knows know that he doesn't need to cry every time I go into the bathroom and shut the door).

He looks like a typical orange tabby, but several people have commented on his angular head (although he has somewhat "grown into his head" as he's gotten older). Looking at the website MaryNH posted, I think Footsie has a head like applehead.

The family that I got my cat from took in a lot of strays, and I saw more than one siamese mix while I was there. They didn't know who the father of my kitten was, but the mother was solid black with a more flat face.