Cat vocalisation splits roughly along a lineage boundary. Panthera species have an elongated, partly ligamentous hyoid chain and thickened vocal folds that support low-frequency roaring. The puma sits outside that group, in a lineage that also contains the cheetah and the jaguarundi, and retains the fully ossified hyoid typical of smaller cats.
The consequence is a repertoire built from purrs, chirps, mews, growls and the piercing caterwaul often reported by people as a woman screaming. The purr is produced during both inhalation and exhalation, a pattern shared with domestic cats and absent in the roaring species.
The frequent claim that pumas are among the big cats is a matter of definition rather than a fact about the animal. By body mass a large male puma overlaps with leopards; by phylogeny and vocal anatomy it does not belong with them. The species' many English names, cougar, mountain lion, panther, catamount, cause a related confusion: they all refer to one species.