At some point try and teach them a few forms of simple communication, like out-of-the-ordinary body language,
or very efficiently -that is without changing opinion to then confuse the cat- associate certain behaviors with happiness and reward or negativity and intolerance.
I have a cat whose voice sounds like a creaking door and she pretty much repeats things that me and my mother say with what could be considered repetition of verbal syllables. Had I said 'reprimand' she if she repeated what I had said would have a distinct level of three syllabic variations in her voice. However I am not even sure if she mentally repeats the sounds she hears, or if she simply replies when she feels that she is being spoken to.
She is very very very attention-seeking, and purrs pretty much all day long although this may occur only within presence of her owners, and has associated making 'cute' sounds or behaviors to gaining attention, which is rather true.
