Meow

Meows may have diverse tones in terms of their sound, and what is heard can vary from being chattered to calls, murmurs, and whispers.

[1][2] Felines usually communicate with each other via their shared sense of smell, yet with people they often make verbal cues around behavior, such as having a specific sound indicate a desire to go outside.

[8][9] A cat's meow can be assertive, plaintive, friendly, bold, welcoming, attention-soliciting, demanding, or complaining.

Formerly feral cats meow much less often than felines accustomed to human interaction their entire lives.

Of any variant, the earliest attestation of a cat's cry in Early Modern English is from the 1630s.