Cat screaming. (Page 1 of 2)

by "scream" do you mean a short, sharp sound because its tail has been stepped on? "scream" or "screech" is good. Certainly not "gnarl" or "whine"
or do you mean that long, plaintive sound in the night? "howl" is good even if usually meant for dogs and applies for different reasons than for dogs. Someone who has heard the sound of a cat howling, knows exactly what it is, if not always what it means. It is a groan but has a sound from anger rather than a sound from pain.

I'd still say 'screech' or 'scream' although I have never heard the sound of a cat being tortured so I can't relate.  I doubt it would be the howling I spoke of.  I say no to 'hissing' and 'spitting'

I think the terms are 'caterwauling' and Katzenjammer.

MeowMF works for me. Take care. Vern

They've never read Old Possum, or seen the musical Cats?  Of the Jellicles: "And pleasant to hear when they ... caterwaul."

'Caterwauling' is the wrong choice because it a howling sound from a female cat in heat, and also it is likely a typical (moron) reader won't know that, and you've put another word out there (with the help of a moron publishing editor) that does not mean what it really means.

I think Janet Taylor-Perry is closet with 'yowl'.

It could be interesting to use an unexpected word. I don't know what word, but "gnarl" rather than "scream" would be surprising. I'm not saying that's good or bad: just saying it could create a more noticeable sound than "scream," which is more what one expects to hear from a terrified cat. Sometimes the right choice is the one that doesn't quite fit. Perhaps not for this scene, though.

Agreed, NJC, I also have built my vocabulary the same way.  Reading Stephen King, for instance, sent me to the dictionary more than once but I'm grateful for it.

  As for cats - hmm, I bet if you look up "Cats Having Sex", you will get an idea of how they would scream.  You don't have to watch, just listen - it might give you the effect you're looking for in your writing.  Good luck!

And my point would be if the author uses the word "whistle" for the concept "laugh," and if the poor reader looks up "whistle" he will find a completely different concept than what the author intended in "laugh."  Even worse,  is the subjectivist author who in Clinton-esque fashion defends his incorrect use of "whistle" with the claim: It all depends on what "whistle" is. Your "whistle" might different than mine. .  This is cultural nihilism of the order that severely afflicts Western civilization from time to time and the trickle-down effect into politics and science is never good and usually signals collapse. [Weimar -> Nazi Germany]

"Caterwauling" is a combination of noises surrounding the mating of cats. However, isolating the sounds from males from that of females, the males call out the same sounds as their howling in territorial defense, in a sense that is what they are doing here, but the females' sounds are unique and hard to compare to anything else.  It is fair to call the whole mess of sounds is "caterwauling" and is completely different from the sound of a single cat in distress which the original poster requested.

I guess that 'screaming' is correct

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqWqrmsS-uU

Lol, Charles, you weren't wrong. They can make creepy sounds.

Thanks