Can lions, tigers & other wild cats meow, or do they just ROAR?
Large cats like lions and tigers cannot meow (at least not when they’re adults – cubs make a sort of growly meowing sound), but many of the smaller cat species, like the sand cat, margay and so on, make very similar sounds to domestic cats. Cheetahs also make various mewing and chirping sounds. Roger S is mistaken in his taxonomy. There is only one cat family, Felidae, within which there are several genera. There is no genus called Leo. The genus Panthera is the one often referred to as ‘the roaring cats’. The species in this genus – the tiger, lion, jaguar and leopard – are the only ones able to roar, due to the structure of the hyoid apparatus in the throat. Other large cats, like the puma and snow leopard, cannot roar as such, but can make a sound rather like a snarly scream which is their equivalent. The roaring cats can purr, but only whilst they breathe out – small cats purr whilst breathing in and breathing out.
