About two months ago, we adopted an 8-months old cat who has one problem – excessive meowing. She does it through out the day even when not locked in any room. Since the adoption, we tried different methods to correct the behavior. We spay with water when she meows…but that didn’t help. She just meows more. We tried playing with her a lot before going to sleep and she still meows all night in about 2 hour increments. You can hear her from anywhere in the house even behind the two closed doors separating us. We always leave water and her favorite bed in the room where she is staying for the night. We even left food for the last several weeks. Nothing seems to work and it’s getting a bit frustrating since we get less rest with a cat than a newborn baby.
Everywhere I search for answers, I find nothing new I can try. She is fixed and vet saying nothing is wrong with her health.
New ideas would be greatly appreciated.
2006-12-06 04:27:24 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Thank you very much for all the suggestions. We haven't tried the music, but the fan she hates. I'll try radio for the next few days.
To answer a few questions:
The cat is an orange tabby of some sort. I'm not sure what kind of breed.
She lived with several cats in the foster home.
Has been fixed.
Another kitty is not an option at this point because of many reasons.
If we leave her in our bedroom for the night she jumps everywhere and no one can fall asleep.
She has toys to play with when left alone.
2006-12-06 07:50:07 · update #1
Some cats are very vocal, especially Siamese cats. Try leaving a radio on for the cat. The music will soothe the cat. My vet does that all the time. If I go in and hear the dogs barking and the cats meowing, there is no music on. If the music is on, it is quiet.
2006-12-06 04:30:51 · answer #1 · answered by Me, Myself & I 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She is needing something and she is trying to tell you what it is. I am very bilingual as I have to Siamese cats. I speak cat fairly well, but even so I don't understand what they are wanting sometimes.
It sounds like she is just lonely and wanting company. I know some people don't think animals should be in the bedroom, but my two sleep with me. If I put them out of the bedroom and close the door they stand at the door and meow all night long. They did get ejected from the bedroom when they were kittens. It didn't take them long to figure out my feet were not play toys to be jumped on at 2:00 AM.
2006-12-06 07:09:14 · answer #2 · answered by mmuscs 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You poor thing! I know how frustrating that can be, but please don't punish your cat for being a cat. Some cats just meow (especially Siamese and she may be part Siamese). The most important thing to recognize is that your cat is trying to communicate with you. Cats do not meow to one another...they meow to PEOPLE. She is trying to tell you something and you need to acknowledge her by either talking back to her or petting her or giving her some sort of recognition. Ignoring her will not work. Thirdly, she is still a kitten and she will outgrow this constant attention seeking as she matures. She is still adjusting to her new environment and two months is not that long. She is seeking comfort and attention from you to make her feel more at ease. Do not lock her up or spray her with water. Instead, invite her into your room at night and let her cuddle with you. You definitely want to continue the interactive play therapy (this is a great tool for developing kittens into well-behaved adults) and also provide her with toys she can play with on her own. Make sure you get her a scratching post (the taller the better) with sisal rope so she has an "approved" place to hook her claws and get a good stretch.
Patience is key here. While Siamese cats continue to be "talkers" into adulthood, they don't meow incessantly for no reason. I will tell you this one last bit of advice. I've owned cats (and Siamese) my entire life...and everytime I wanted one of them to shut up all I had to do was turn to my other cats. Believe it or not, a feline companion does wonders for an attention seeking kitty. You may want to consider a second cat. A second cat that is dominant to her (consider a male kitten or older female) will put her in her place better than any human can! Good luck!
2006-12-06 05:06:36 · answer #3 · answered by Alleycat 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had this problem with our cat. First we started feeding her wet food and on a schedule of 3 times a day. Second we ignored her as best we could (any attention can be negative reinforcement.) Third we established "kitty prison" aka the bathroom and when she starts doing it now (rarely) she goes in there on a time out (with a litterbox and water of coarse.) She now waits until the alarm goes off and then she backs it up with some breakfast meows and a jump on the bed. She also sleeps with me at night and is on our schedule more or less but the first year was a ROUGH ONE!
2006-12-06 08:08:31 · answer #4 · answered by ambage 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, I always loved vocal cats. Maybe i'm just weird that way. I love to hear a cat meow all the time. provided he's just meowing and nothing's wrong. try the cat companion. i don't think she's coming into heat right now. that's usually more around 10-11mos. maybe if you don't want another cat, maybe a mirror by her bed? I also agree with the meowing back to her. i've done that just to talk to mine and they love it, and will stop meowing and listen to you. maybe put a soft cuddly toy in her bed for her to cuddle with along with a clock so she can hear the ticking. also try the radio. they like music. and also, just love her. at least you know she's comfortable enough to voice herself. if they are not, they will cower in the corner or under something. good luck. i wouldn't spray her with water though when she's vocal, it's a natural thing and you will make her scared of you instead of loving you.
2006-12-06 04:52:18 · answer #5 · answered by robsgrl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never really heard of a cat being so persistent with vocalization. I don't think there is anything that you can do to directly modify her behavior. Meowing cats are like chattery children. You can't just tell them to be quiet and expect them to. Some people are just more verbose, and it looks like your cat has this quality too. She might calm down with age, but she might always be like that.
I have 4 dogs and 2 cats. Sometimes noise is a big issue. I've found a life saver for sleep though, earplugs. Get some of those squishy ear plugs and I guarantee you won't hear her at night. You'll still hear an alarm in your room though.
2006-12-06 04:33:04 · answer #6 · answered by Celok 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i have the same problem and nothing has worked. i just put her in a room and close her in at night. she has her food./water litter box and toys and she just meows away. with my cat, she was a stray when we got her. i think she might not be happy inside but everytime we let her out she comes back so im not sure really what to do. was your cat a stray? that could be it. the best thing you can do it learn to sleep through it. we put her in a room and put music on or a fan so its not so quiet in there. we also put a fan on in our room, not just a seiling fan but one you buy on a stand thats loud. that helps drown out the noise. i thought spaying my cat would work, but it hasnt but it might for your. try the radio and giving her lots of love and attention
2006-12-06 04:31:58 · answer #7 · answered by Jennifer H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You say she was 8 months old when you got her?? Did she have a litter mate or another cat she was attached to?? She could be looking for another cat companion --and the fact that you have her in another room by her self at night could make it worse for her --my cat sleeps with someone in the family every night they like that --some cats actually need that --they are social animals to some extent so either get another cat or let her have free roam of the house and see if she doesn't snuggle down with you and be content
2006-12-06 04:33:48 · answer #8 · answered by skizzle-d-wizzle 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If she's not spayed, she's probably in heat or going in and out of heat. If she is spayed, sometimes a little ovarian tissue gets left behind and she will still go into heat. You might be able to have blood work done to see if this is the case and if so, it's possible to surgically remove the ovarian remnant. But it can be hard to find. If she is an oriental breed(like a Siamese) they can be very vocal by nature and not much you can do.You can crate her when you go to bed and put a blanket over the crate to try and make it quieter.
2006-12-06 04:32:01 · answer #9 · answered by lizzy 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some cats are just very vocal.
I know this will sound very weird, but have you tried answering her. Some cats are vocal becuase they are lonely or feel lost. When you answer her without anger it lets her know that shes ok, and I don't mean tlak to her I mean meow at her in responce to her meows. I have three cats one of which was very vocal. when i started meowing back at him he stopped, now he just does it when he can't find my wife and I. Then I answer and he stops
2006-12-06 04:34:03 · answer #10 · answered by cisco_cantu 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋