She seems to be physically unable to meow.  Her mouth opens but nothing
comes out, she's always been like this.  Sometimes a very tiny sound will
emerge, like "ier" but mostly nothing.

Lucky for her

He is very good with her, she's pretty crabby and he puts up with it with
very good humour.

Ah well, here's the explanation.  I have a bay window in my lounge and my
three-seater settee fits into it snugly.  On the left hand side there is a
small space where the back and arm do not quite fit against the wall.
Kitty's cushion is on the left hand side of the top of the back cushions,
she must have toppled off it in the night and her cushion had fallen too and
blocked the space for her to get out.
She was fine.  You can see her on her cushion at:
http://www.possibleplaces.com/Tweed/

Tweed

When I was a child, we had a cat who was unable to purr audibly,
although you could feel the vibration if you touched him.  My father
once accidentally ran over the cat, breaking but not crushing his leg,
and he let out enough of a scream that he apparently damaged his vocal
cords.  For the rest of his life, he could meow but couldn't purr loud
enough to hear.

It seems like that, doesn't it?  Bless his enormous heart.   I think he's
quite an anxious cat, it's probably the temperament he was born with, he is
a worrier.
Kitty was also taken in from de out, just like he was.  Does she care if I
fall off a ladder or through logs into an empty pond?  No.  Does she feel
obliged to accompany me down the garden, no matter how cold, rainy, snowy,
howling winds and gales to help me with the chickens.  No.  Not if it
interferes in any way with her snoozing in front of the fire.  She's a cat,
and that's how it should be.
But Boyfriend *does* take it upon himself to endure all this weather to
accompany me.  I don't know why, he certainly doesn't have to and I haven't
encouraged him to do so.  I would prefer him to stay in the house and keep
warm actually while I endure the weather while I'm doing the poultry hut
close-up dance ;-)
Not a chance. I am definitely not to be trusted on my own down the garden.
Is there such a thing as a cat saint?

Tweed
P.S.  There were some men in next door's garden (the empty house) with
torches. This was after dark last night and Boyfie meowed at the back door,
so I went out.  I shouted to them "Eh, what do you think you are doing?"  No
reply.  "Hey, you, with torches, what are you doing in the garden?"
Reply  "Is it your garden?"   Me  "Yes"  (it isn't)  Me:  "what are you
doing in my garden at this time of night?"   Them  "Looking for a football"
Me:  "I think not, clear off immediately, or I will call the police."
They went.
An hour later my neighbour knocked on my door to see if I was okay because
my house was surrounded by police cars with flashing lights.  Another
neighbour had called them.
Much more excitement than has happened down here for years ;-)