WONDERFUL FRENCH VOCABULARY WITH CATS
Knowing wonderful French vocabulary with cats will help you engage in conversation and make new francophone friends. Pet vocabulary is definitely a fun topic to dive into when you’re starting out learning a language.
Get ready for a furry and soft article!
Table of content :
- Basic vocabulary related to cats
- Verbs to talk about your favorite pet
- French idioms with cats
Basic French vocabulary related to cats
If you are looking for a feline friend, consider checking first the Société Protectrice pour les Animaux (SPA). All cats deserve a cosy and loving home !
How to call your beloved pet
Firstly, to sound like a native speaker, you need to master these different names for cats in French :
- Un chat = a male cat
- Une chatte = a female cat
- Un chat domestique = a pet cat
- Un chat errant = an alley cat / a stray cat
- Un chat sauvage = a feral cat
- Un chaton (mâle ou femelle) = a kitten (male or female)
- Un matou = a tomcat / a big male cat
- Un minou = a male pussycat
- Une minette = a female pussycat
Cats accessories and must-have
Next, you can learn these everyday words for your adored feline :
- Un arbre à chat = a cat tree
- Le bac à litière = the litter box
- Un collier (pour chat) = a cat collar
- Des croquettes = dry cat food
- Une caisse / cage de transport = a cat carrier
- Un grattoir / griffoir = a scratching post
- Un jouet pour chat = a cat toy
- La litière = the litter
- La nourriture pour chat = cat food
- Un panier pour chat = a cat basket
How to describe your furry friend
Finally, these terms are useful to outline cat specifics :
- Les griffes = claws
- Les moustaches = whiskers
- Le museau = the muzzle / nose
- Les pattes = paws
- Le pelage = fur
- Les poils de chat = cat hairs
- La queue = tail
Verbs to talk about your favorite pet
Let’s now learn the French cat verbs and avoid an embarrassment!
Be careful with the false friend ‘chat’. To have a chat is avoir une discussion ou bavarder in French.
Actions a cat does
- Chasser = to hunt
- S’étirer = to stretch
- Feuler = to hiss
- Se frotter contre moi / contre mes jambes = to rub against me / my legs
- Griffer = to scratch
- Grogner = to growl
- Mettre bas = to give birth
- Miauler = to meow
- Ronronner = to purr
- Sauter = to jump
Verbs you do to/with your cat
- Adopter = to adopt
- Câliner = to cuddle
- Caresser = to pet
- Castrer un chat = to neuter
- Emmener son chat chez le vétérinaire = Bring your cat to the veterinarian
- Jouer = to play
- Nettoyer le bac à litière = to clean the litter box
- Nourrir = to feed
- Pucer un chat = to chip
- Stériliser = to spay
French idioms with cats
Last but not least, here are a few common French idioms referring to our dearest cats. If you’ve read previous articles, you know that French loves strange expressions. We’ve compiled a few food and colourful French idioms.
The most popular idioms with the word ‘chat’
- Appeler un chat un chat = saying things straight, as they are (to call a cat a cat)
- Donner sa langue au chat = running out of guesses (to give your tongue to the cat)
- Il n’y a pas un chat = there’s nobody (there’s not one cat around)
- Avoir un chat dans la gorge = to have a sore throat (to have a cat in your throat)
- Avoir d’autres chats à fouetter = to have other things to do (to have other cats to whip)
- Jouer au chat et à la souris = to play at cat and mouse
- Quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent = people enjoying themselves when unsupervised (when the cat is away, the mouse are dancing)
Expressions used in a formal context and/or in written French
- La nuit, tous les chats sont gris = when it’s dark, all people look the same (at night, all the cats are grey)
- Chat échaudé craint l’eau froide = someone hurt in the past will fearful being hurt again (a scalded cat fears cold water)
- A bon chat, bon rat = monkey see, monkey do (to a good cat, a good rat)
In conclusion, if you’d like to use some of this vocabulary in context, feel free to reach out today ! And, of course, dog lover or any other pet aficionado is welcome.
