In the wild, big cats roar to lay claim to territory and intimidate interlopers. Small felines prefer less conspicuous ways of communicating that won't alert predators to their presence. Even if they did yearn to let loose an earth-shattering roar, they couldn't. The bony composition of a structure called the hyoid that attaches the larynx to the skull severely limits the small cat's vocal range, wild as well as domestic. In big felines, the hyoid is composed of cartilage and allows for a flexibility that, coupled with a large chest cavity, produces far greater resonance. Despite volume limitations, small cats still vocalize. When confronting rivals before or during a fight, all felines exercise some combination of growls, high-pitched threats, spits and hisses to tell their opponents exactly what they think.

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