One of my cats is literally shaking while watching a chipmunk

[WCGreen]

dance around on the patio...

It's hilarious.

she is SO pissed that she can't get to that fast food out there.

As for the chipmunks, well they know they are safe and so just scurry about without a care in the world.

They better be careful, though.

A few years back they were out on one of the small ledges around our yard and a hawk swept down and grabbed one up....

[nickinSTL]

1. heh. My cat used to do what they call "teeth chattering"

"Teeth chattering is a behavior seen in cats that are sitting still and staring at some type of prey that they are unable to reach. The mouth is slightly open and the jaw opens and closes rapidly. The sounds produced are a combination of “lip smacking,” “teeth chattering,” and a quiet “bleating.” It is not a form of communication. Some experts think it is the result of excitement and frustration at seeing prey and being unable to hunt and obtain it. Frustration builds, the body becomes tense, the tail twitches as the teeth chatter, and the quiet bleating begins. Others have suggested it may be an exaggerated version of the killing bite; the cat already thinks he has the prey in his jaws. Some cats even exhibit this behavior when seeing “prey” on the television."--http://www.cathealth.com/NBehav.htm

He would sometimes get really worked up - he would chase anything that he could get to, and when something was outside and he was inside, it drove him nuts :)

I don't buy the "killing bite" bit in the above article, because he didn't seem to know how to deliver the killing bite - he only ever played things to death.

I also never heard anything like a "quiet bleating".

(I know that doesn't sound like the same thing you're describing)

[MrsMatt]

2. One of my cats used to make the "quiet bleating" noise

while clenching and unclenching her jaws when seeing birds just out of reach. She had quite a high prey drive.

I've never heard it called that, but that is a pretty accurate description of how it sounds.

[applegrove]

4. My cats hardly get to look out the window these days. But in the past they did used to do that

teeth chattering thing while making little mew sounds.

[old mark]

3. Our cat used to sit in the large kitchen window staring at the birds

outside chattering her teeth and quivering with blood lust. Nice kitty...I'm glad you are not 6' long.....


mark

[carlyhippy]

5. mine makes a noise like she's about to cough up a hairball

she watches the birds in the window and makes an "ack ack ack" sound.