# Elvis can MEOW!!!!!!



## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

So - in addition to Elvis and Georgia, Mr. Caterpillar and I have a cat. She is an absolute dream and would never hurt the tiels, which is wonderful (frankly she's a little scared of them). She meows (duh, she is a cat) and has one particular long, sighing meow that she does when she really wants attention.

Anyway. Elvis has always only had one whistle -- the wolf whistle, which is also his flock call, and which he was taught at the pet store before he was adopted and which frankly I don't like very much because it's often used by men in a derogatory context toward women (I am a feminist!!!) But Elvis has been really talkative since we started trying to "re-tame" them and so I've been dealing with the fact that I don't like his whistle, making sure I reply to him.

Does "talking" with a tiel expand its range of noises? Because after an hour or so of whistling back and forth with Elvis, he started making a noise I'd never heard before...and it was ALMOST IDENTICAL to kitty's "pay attention to me" meow. It was CRAZY! I will post a video of it later.

We think this is a pretty recent development because it COMPLETELY explains why the cat has been behaving bizarrely recently -- even more apprehensive than usual, crying more, peeing in the bathtub (her favorite way of telling us she's unhappy). The cat REALLY does not like other cats, particularly kittens, and I speculate that Elvis' meowing skills have convinced her there is another cat in the house.

Anyway we are totally blown away by this! If we "talk" to him more will he be even more expressive?


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Here it is: http://www.viddy.com/video/41728f4a-3076-4760-9d03-955b5d6e3934

I am whistling in the background to try to get him to respond, and then with about 10 seconds to go he starts meowing. He is the tiel on top of the playgym... The other one is Georgia.


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## ParrotletsRock (Oct 8, 2013)

LMAO!! Talk about an identity crisis!!... very cute!


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## ccollin13 (May 24, 2013)

Yes, it's been my experience with both male tiels that the more you interact with them, the more they will learn . Both boys have learned a variety of sounds, and many are just ones I repeated a lot. Ziggy makes the kiss sound ALL the time - it's a greeting, a goodnight, and an "I'm happy!" But he does 
it much more often because every time I would pick him up, I would kiss his belly. I think he associated that with "hi human!!!" And now it's part of our relationship. Same with Tommy. He used to say "pretty bird" and mom would say "pretty pretty pretty bird" back to him. Then he changed it to "pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty..."

So, yeah, I think it's fair to say he will learn more! He's probably opening up because you guys have already made positive changes - for male tiels, talking is all about being part of the flock, so he must be liking the attention you're giving him! 

If you want to encourage more, I would say the words or make the Sounds you want him to learn with a BUNCH of enthusiasm. Body language too - birds can tell whn you're happy and excited to talk to them. That's really the key. Your tiel will pick up on the idea tht saying its fun for you to say that phrase, and he is more likely to learn it! Ziggy and Tommy are both that way with noises too. 

Good work - sounds like you got a talented boy, who is starting to be happier, so keep it up!


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## moonchild (Jul 29, 2012)

That is awesome! lol.


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## Makonja (Oct 22, 2013)

so cute! I would bet thats a real cat :d


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

That's awesome! I wish my tiels can meow!


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Haimovfids said:


> That's awesome! I wish my tiels can meow!


We had literally no idea that Elvis could do anything other than a simple whistle. And I'll note that Mr. Caterpillar has had Elvis for 5 years.

I think taking his mirror away helped a lot, because he didn't just stare at it and whistle at it. During the day, Mr. Caterpillar and I are both at work (though I have odd hours so often I'm there when he's gone and vice versa... but the tiels still have plenty of "alone time" when it's just them and Kitty) and so I think in the absence of the mirror, Elvis started trying to communicate with Kitty.

Then when we started talking to him more and whistling to him in an attempt to tame him (he really was the meanest bird -- worse to the other tiels more than to humans) he started meowing to us too. SO funny. But the cat is going nuts! She thinks there's another cat around!


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## scootergirl762 (Aug 27, 2013)

That's amazing! Love the video....he seems to be really responding to your efforts!


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## Binca (Oct 15, 2013)

LOL!!! That's hilarious!! Poor kitty!

If your cat does start to get really stressed and upset, my local vet sells a hormone spray you can plug into a powerpoint, preferably in a room your cat spends lots of time in, and every now and then it releases a small amount of the hormones, which helps to calm a cat down. I'm not sure where you are from, but maybe you could ask around/check with your local vet for a similar product?  

Your Elvis is just brilliant though!


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## RowdyTiel (Jan 24, 2013)

LOL! Oh my gosh that's just too cute! I showed my dad and sister and they both thought he was adorable. ^-^


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## CaliTiels (Oct 18, 2012)

Awww, Beaker can bark, but he can't meow. Meowing seems too hard for him, so your tiel must have some talent!!


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## .Alexandra. (Sep 11, 2012)

That is really funny :rofl:
Elvis is very talented!


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Binca said:


> LOL!!! That's hilarious!! Poor kitty!
> 
> If your cat does start to get really stressed and upset, my local vet sells a hormone spray you can plug into a powerpoint, preferably in a room your cat spends lots of time in, and every now and then it releases a small amount of the hormones, which helps to calm a cat down. I'm not sure where you are from, but maybe you could ask around/check with your local vet for a similar product?
> 
> Your Elvis is just brilliant though!


Yeah, we are a little bit concerned about this. The tiels are in the same room where the cat's preferred napping spot is, and Elvis' meowing is clearly agitating kitty. She is a very nervous and apprehensive cat to begin with, though, so I don't know how much a hormone spray could do, haha.

Mr. Caterpillar has said he doesn't think we should encourage Elvis to keep meowing, since it seems to stress the cat out, but Elvis has been so much more outgoing and less abrasive recently that I think we should keep encouraging him to be chatty!


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## Haimovfids (Sep 19, 2012)

Since he is a very chatty bird, maybe you can find a cockatiel saying or whistle img something you like or think is cute and play that for him! I think he can learn it pretty easily


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## Binca (Oct 15, 2013)

caterpillar said:


> Yeah, we are a little bit concerned about this. The tiels are in the same room where the cat's preferred napping spot is, and Elvis' meowing is clearly agitating kitty. She is a very nervous and apprehensive cat to begin with, though, so I don't know how much a hormone spray could do, haha.
> 
> Mr. Caterpillar has said he doesn't think we should encourage Elvis to keep meowing, since it seems to stress the cat out, but Elvis has been so much more outgoing and less abrasive recently that I think we should keep encouraging him to be chatty!


It worked on my cat when we moved house, and she has always been incredibly highly strung. She can't even cope with little changes of routine, like the other cat sitting on her bed (meaning most of my mum's king sized bed!) when it is bed time. The other cat of course knows this and sits on the bed just to upset her.

But the hormone spray worked wonders on her, she was very calm and hardly cared about the move at all.


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## Lulu-Tiel (Jun 3, 2012)

That is so cute! I had no idea it was going to really sound like an actual meow! Poor Kitty!!!


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## caterpillar (Oct 14, 2013)

Elvis was meowing again this morning! I took them out of their cage to put them on their playgym, and Elvis soon got very chatty (first he makes these clicking noises, then he starts wolf whistling, and eventually the whistles get a little more diverse as I "respond" to him). After about 20 minutes of this he started meowing but also doing a series of whistles that made me think he was trying to imitate a song. I am definitely going to play more music for him to see what else he is capable of!

Kitty seems to be a lot calmer, too...I think she has figured out where the meows are coming from.


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