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In May 2017, a 2015 video featuring a cat with an unusually deep voice inexplicably went viral, and was duly picked up by various tabloids: There are several reasons to be skeptical about this footage. The video was originally posted to YouTube by Cash CatFlava in December 2015, bearing the description So this is Jack and he has some sort of type of laryngeal paralysis? At least thats what the vet told me. Some cats do suffer laryngeal paralysis, but a deep meow is not a known symptom of the disease. Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, a California-based veterinarian with expertise in small animals, told us: While certain medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism or masses can alter a cat's meow, I've yet to see a cat who developed a deep and humanlike meow like this. Any change in a cat's meow is a good reason to visit the vet because the meow shouldn't change over time! According to the American College of Veterinarian Surgeons, a cat with laryngeal paralysis may display harsh panting or a coarse (not deeper) voice: A video of a cat suffering from laryngeal paralysis shows that their meows are not comically deep, but squeaky (and arguably a little sad): Our attempts to find similar videos of cats with unusually deep voices were unsuccessful. In fact, the only similar video we could uncover was uploaded by the same YouTube account, Cash Cat Flava, in October 2013: Setting aside for the moment what a coincidence it would be that the same person has come across two cats with laryngeal paralysis who sound identical, this video actually gives itself away as a fakery in the first few seconds. Before the cat exits the house, you can hear audio of its actual regular-pitched meow.
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