Do adult cats still respond to maternal calls?

Many do. The response is usually orientation — ears turning, head lifting, moving toward the sound — rather than a vocal reply.

Is it upsetting to play mother calls to an adult cat?

It can be for some individuals, particularly those who search for the source and cannot find it. Keep sessions short and stop if your cat seems agitated.

Do male cats make this sound?

The summoning chirrup is not exclusive to queens — males and non-maternal females use similar contact calls — but the sustained maternal call pattern is characteristic of nursing mothers.

What sound does a mother cat make?

Q: What sound does a mother cat make?

A mother cat (a queen) uses a soft chirrup or “brrp” to call kittens toward her, and a longer, more insistent call to move them or warn them back. Kittens orient to these calls from the first days of life, well before their eyes and ears are fully developed.

What it sounds like

Soft, rolling, repeated at short intervals. Lower and more sustained than a greeting trill, with a distinctly summoning cadence.

What it means

Come here, follow me, stay close. It is a directional signal rather than an emotional one.

Using it in PurrPlay

Often the category that gets the strongest orienting response, including in adult cats who have not heard it since kittenhood. Use it sparingly.

Common questions

Do adult cats still respond to maternal calls?: Many do. The response is usually orientation — ears turning, head lifting, moving toward the sound — rather than a vocal reply.
Is it upsetting to play mother calls to an adult cat?: It can be for some individuals, particularly those who search for the source and cannot find it. Keep sessions short and stop if your cat seems agitated.
Do male cats make this sound?: The summoning chirrup is not exclusive to queens — males and non-maternal females use similar contact calls — but the sustained maternal call pattern is characteristic of nursing mothers.

Sources

The behavioural claims on this page trace to peer-reviewed work. Where the evidence is thin or contested, the page says so instead of citing something that does not support it.

Bradshaw, J. (2016). Sociality in cats: A comparative review. Journal of Veterinary Behavior.Reviews feline social structure and why domestic cats direct social signals at humans.
Schötz, S., van de Weijer, J., & Eklund, R. (2017). Melody matters: An acoustic study of domestic cat meows. Proceedings of Fonetik 2017.Descriptive acoustic baselines for feline vocalisation types, including pitch contour.