Vocalization
Cats have a wide range of vocalizations that include murmurs, meows, spitting, hisses and growls. These can be divided into 3 broad categories: closed mouth, vowel patterns and intense vocalization petterns.
Purring, mating vocalizations and the close-mouth 'mrrr?' uttered when a cat seems to be asking a question are closed mouth vocalizations. Vowel patterns include the more typical 'meow' could be for various reasons but most often because they want something like food, to be pet, attention, or to go outside. Intense vocalizations are made when the cat holds the mouth open throughout the sound when aroused, demanding, or upset. These include growling, hissing and screaming.
Some cats are 'talkative', meowing repeatedly or or an extended period, especially in response to the human voice. Oriental breeds such as the Siamese are renowned for being chatty. Well, my Kurimu is very verbal too. When I play hide and seek with him, the moment I show myself, he will meow non stop. When he needs food or going out, he meow too. When he knows we are at home but couldn't see us around, he will meow until he finds us. He will meow loudly when he is unable to locate Kusky. He is such a verbal cat!
Purring
Part of the admiration humans feel for the feline is its unique ability to purr. Small cats, including the domestic cat, purr on both the inhaled and exhaled breath. The big such like tiger purr only when they breath out. Cats can purr with their mouths tightly closed. Kittens are born blind and deaf yet purr with their mother's nipple in their mouth. Because a kitten cannot nurse and meow at the same time, it purrs while nursing to let his mother know it is happy. Their mother purrs back for the kittens to find them. Also, purring is an act of showing comfort. Kittens do not purr to human touch until around 6 weeks old.This phenomenon of sucking and purring at the same time can occur because purring is not a vocal sound. The purr does not come from the true vocal cords. No one could prove where the purring sounds came from. Basically it's a physical vibration that produces inside cats body. Purring doesn't purely means happiness. Cats will purr when they are in pain too.
Body Language
Cats easily convey their feelings through body language. Everyone recognizes the raised back and flattened ears of a frighten feline.
A cat's ears are used for more than just hearing. The angle of a cat's ears is an important clue to its mood. If the ears prick forward, the cat is showing interest. Ears pointed to the side mean the cat is thinking and considering its next move. If the ears are plastered flat against the head, it shows the cat is vey unhappy. Ears back and down indicate either fear or uncomfort.
The tail, beside contributing to a cat's overall beauty and balance, the tail indicates the cat's emotional state. The way your cat holds its tail and each movement of the tail communicates what it is thinking and feeling. You just need to learn how to speak 'tail talk'. Below are some information I sourced from internet websites, not sure how accurate it is:
Scent
Cats recognize one another by their scent. Scent glands called temporal glands are situated above the eyes on the sides of the forehead. Cats mark objects, including people they consider 'theirs', by rubbing the side of their heads along their object of affections. Cats mark their territory with urine. Other cats smell the urine and recognize the message.
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