There are many meanings behind pet cats’ meows. Their purring, howling and even blinking movements are saying "hello", "please hug me" or "stay away from me". As more and more cat owners want to communicate with their cats, experts say there's something to be learned from the communication intentions cats show. So how do you understand the language a cat wants to express from its meow?

Siamese Cat

Gary Weitzman is the president of the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA. He recently published a book called "How to Speak Cat", hoping to help people understand what cats want to convey. Cats are very independent animals, so they can be easily misunderstood, he said.

He said the cunning cats can meow in 16 different ways, and usually only do so when there are people around. These sounds may be them saying "feed me," "touch me," or "let me out," but cats rarely communicate with each other through these calls.

Bonnie Beaver, executive director of the American Society for the Study of Animal Behavior and a professor at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and author of the 2003 book "Feline Behavior," said this is because cats know that if they meow, they can get something from humans. Want something.

Cats scratching and hissing have clear meanings, but they can also communicate in more subtle ways - with their eyes and tails. For example, Weitzman said cats blink slowly like friends winking at each other. He said: "A cat winking at you is like giving you a kiss." And a cat's tail raised up is like a human handshake, and when it approaches you, it raises its tail to show that it is happy to see you.

After reading the book, 55-year-old Susan McMinn from North Carolina, USA, couldn’t wait to start blinking interaction exercises with her Siamese cat Jade. She said: "I sat down and started blinking slowly at my cat, and she immediately blinked back. I knew she loved me, but now I feel more understanding of how she communicates."

Even the movements of a cat’s ears and whiskers deserve our attention. Weitzman says don't approach a cat if its ears are flat because it's scared or may be facing a fight. Cats' whiskers naturally stretch to both sides, indicating that they are in a good mood.

Learning to communicate with cats is important for those who are more concerned about keeping pets.It is even more important for people who care about color and variety. Melissa Cox of the cat rescue center said that someone might want a fluffy white cat, and she would tell them not to just pick on appearance, but to actually get along with the cat to know if it is a good fit.