Why does my cat howl at night?

Question

I have a very sweet cat (about 8 years old) who insists on howling at night. We've had to start putting her in the garage at night. Why is she doing this, and how can we get her to stop? We leave our bedroom door open so she can sleep on the bed, and she still howls.

Answer 1

She wants to go out! Make her a kitty door and attach a safe cat play tunnel. They are mesh and about 6-8ft long and you can get attachments to make them longer. Or just build a safe cat yard outside the kitty door for her. Or just let her run for the evening if she is spayed, it's dangerous though, but that's a cat's happiest life.Incorporate a variety of enrichment activities to keep your cat busy during the day. The more active your cat is during the day, the more likely she will sleep at night. See our information on enrichment for helpful tips.

- If your cat is social with other cats, consider adding a second cat to your family. If the cats are compatible, they will play with each other and be more likely to leave you alone. But be forewarned—conversely, they may both decide to play during the night!

- If your cat tries to play with you or wake you while you’re sleeping, you may need to banish the cat from your bedroom. Playful cats have been known to unintentionally injure their sleeping owners—for instance, the cat may notice your eyes moving under your lids and swat at your face in play. If your cat cries and scratches at the door, you can discourage her by placing something she dislikes in front of the door, such as vinyl carpet-runner (placed upside-down to expose the knobby feet), double-sided sticky tape, foil, or a Scat Mat™. Alternatively, you can set up a “booby trap” outside your door. For example, mount your blow dryer or place your vacuum cleaner by the door and plug it into a remote switch, which you can find at Radio Shack. When your cat wakes you, you can hit a button on the remote to turn on the appliance. The startled cat will be unlikely to return to your door after that!

WHAT NOT TO DO:
- Do not get up and attend to the cat—unless, of course, you suspect something is wrong. If you rise and feed the cat, play with her, or even interact with her for a few minutes, you are reinforcing the cat for waking you up. She will likely become more persistent each subsequent night. Even scolding the cat is unlikely to work, because negative attention is better than no attention at all for some cats.

Answer 2

OK, your cat is 8 years old. Is she spayed??? If not that is your problem and I;m surprised if it's taken this long for her to want out if she is in heat.
The other problem, but, I have to admit she is young for this, is that she has either messed up her days and nights or she has a touch of Alzheimer's and is confused where she is and what she is suppose to do. She, of course could have a urinary infection that is hurting her, so you should take a urine sample to the vets to make sure all is ok there. A blood test would also eliminate many illnesses. What does she do during the day? Is she in a cage? Does she have the run of the house? Can she go outside? If she is confined she is probably bored and "comes to life in the middle of the night". Last but least, she needs to go to the vets and have some tests to see what the problem is.

Answer 3

You know I have the same problem with one of my cats. I do not know what is wrong with her but she is weird . She howls with something in her mouth. I have to every night make sure not to leave any stuffed animals on the floor, not even a pair of rolled up socks because she will put them in her mouth howl like crazy and drop them in front of our bedroom floor. Is your cat fix? Mine is and I think she may want babies. I think that is what it is. When she howls at night try and see if she has something in her mouth, maybe she may want babies. Or she may be trying to get male cats attention. I am not sure but I believe it may be one of the two.

Answer 4

Im sorry to would desire to tell you which you purely have 3 strategies. Get a clean job with fewer hours, get her yet another playmate (need no longer be a cat nevertheless) or hire a petsitter to maintain her enterprise collectively as all and sundry's long gone yet i believe your vet's probable on the right song. She sounds horribly lonely. in case you come to a determination on a petsitter, provide that individual each week so as that your cat can heat as much as her or him and could no longer sense like she's been deserted to three stranger.

Answer 5

My oldest cat does the same thing, and I happened to mention it to my friend, and she said her cat also did that. It turned out her cat had a thyroid problem and now she's on kitty meds and she doesn't do it anymore.

Usually, when your cat does that (and it has been spayed or neutered), it's a sign that the cat is feeling anxiety or stress. That could be caused by noises outside, or your cat could not be feeling well. Why don't you take her to the vet just to be safe?

Answer 6

She is doing what is called "Calling" and she may be lonely. It is possible she can hear or smell other cats in the neighbourhood and wishes to be with them. It is fairly normal behaviour, especially for females. Sometimes it is a delayed reaction to having a litter, and after her kittens are gone, she calls for them. Maybe get another cat for her to keep company with.

Answer 7

try getting her a male cat to keep her company? but do sterilise or neuter if you do not want to end up having many kittens.
Or change the location of her sleeping place.

Whatever you do, please do NOT let her out of the house to disturb neighbours.

Some people get a shock / fright when a cat suddenly leaps out in front of them . Cats should be kept indoors or monitored by responsible pet-owners when they are let out.

I know that cats like roaming, but please.... not everyone loves cats and some seriously are afraid of them.

What they do to the cat when they are shocked or frightened by the cat will not be their fault but the fault of the pet-owner.

If the owner finds his/her cat injured by some frightened person acting in perceived self-defence, it's the owner's own fault.

This applies to irresponsible owners who let their dogs out to prowl the streets too.

Answer 8

I had a very old cat and we believed that she was a little senile. Whenever she did this at night I would just bring her to bed with me and tuck her in and she would settle right down.

Answer 9

She needs a man Cat .

Answer 10

Usually that would mean she is in heat, but if she is already spayed then I would be concerned about her health and take her to the vet to make sure she is not in pain.