Last night I posed a question about my cat who meows every night at midnight?

Question

and I didn't give enough info. To some of the answers, I don't give her attention when she does this, and she eats anytime she wants. She just wanders around the house meowing for ten minutes around 12:30 am. One night several years ago she started meowing for her kittens I had given away that day. Is it possible she is still looking for her kittens after seven years? Also, we have moved four times, so we're not even in the same place for her to have any association of her kittens. Yet, she has done this in every place.

Answer 1

Vocalizing is one way for your cat to communicate with you and with other animals. Some cats "talk" more than others, but most cats do make noise some of the time. We're all familiar with the meaning of hissing and growling, but there are also many other sounds that your cat is capable of, and a variety of reasons for vocalizing. If your cat is hissing or growling, please see our handout: "Understanding Cat Aggression Towards People."

Medical Reasons
If your cat's behavior changes suddenly, the first thing you should do is take her to your veterinarian for a thorough health examination. Cats often hide symptoms of illness until they're seriously ill. Any change in behavior may be an early indication of a medical problem. A new vocalizing behavior, in particular, may indicate physical discomfort stemming from an urgent need for medical attention.

Breed Tendency
Oriental breeds, such as the Siamese, are known to be very vocal. If your cat has a pointed face and a long, lean body, chances are she has some oriental heritage, so "talking" may be a part of her character. Avoid giving her any attention when she is vocal because this will only encourage the vocal behavior. Instead, give her attention when she is quiet.

Attention-Seeking Behavior
Some cats "talk" because they know they'll get a reaction. People may talk back, feed her, yell at her, pick her up and lock her in another room, or pick her up and soothe her. All of these responses will encourage an attention-seeking cat. To discourage this behavior, simply ignore your cat when she does this, and when she is quiet, pour on the love, feed her or give her some treats. This will teach your cat which behaviors you would like her to continue.

Your Cat Wants To Go Outside
If your cat was previously an outdoor cat and you plan to keep her inside, then good for you! Following are some suggestions to help make the transition easier on both of you.

Spay or Neuter: Spaying or neutering will rid your cat of those hormonal urges to go out and seek a mate. This will result in a calmer, friendlier cat.
Play Schedule: Schedule play times during the times your cat would normally be outside. This will distract her from her normal routine and establish another, safer routine.
Window Seat: Be sure your cat has a view of the outdoors and a sunny place to lie. Cats like to watch birds, so putting a bird feeder outside this window is likely to make it a favorite spot for your cat.
Scavenger Hunt: Give your cat a game to play by hiding bits of dry food around the house. Hide the food in paper bags, boxes and behind open doors. This will give her exercise and keep her busy so she doesn't think of going outside. This is especially good to do right before the family leaves the house for the day.
Attention: Try to give your cat extra love and attention during this difficult transition.
Aversives: If your cat still won't give up meowing by the door, try an aversive. Leave strong citrus scents by the door or hide behind a wall and shake a pop can filled with coins to interrupt the behavior. When she is quiet, walk out and give her a food treat and encourage her to play or cuddle.
Grief
Sometimes after the death or departure of a person or animal in your cat's life, she will vocalize to express her grief. This can be a normal part of the grieving process. The best thing you can do for her is keep her schedule the same (or as close as possible) and spend some extra cuddle and playtime with her. With time, this problem should take care of itself.

Transition
If your cat is new to your home or has just gone through a change (move, new person/animal in the household, person moved out)and has just started her talkative behavior, be patient. This may be happening due to the transition and will stop on its own if the behavior is not encouraged. Remember, even scolding can be perceived by your cat as attention, and thus encourage the behavior.

Answer 2

It is probably as you suspect... residual memories that she had kittens and that they suddenly disappeared... but after so long, the meowing at a particular time of the night may just have become a matter of habit. Are you in bed by that time? Then the meowing is probably her reaction to when her companions in the "den" suddenly disappear... or when she is left awake by herself since you have gone to bed... triggers residual memories that something is missing and she is looking for what it could be. Poor kitty.
Why not leave on a radio playing soft classical music for kitty in the living room to calm her? Does she have enough toys and activities during the day to occupy her and tire her out pleasantly so that she sleeps peacefuly at night? Have you considered getting her littl stuffed toy kittens? She may get comfort and joy from these.

Answer 3

I have 2 cats, brothers that are the same age and one of the cats, Thor, cries at night (for short periods of time) even when he has food, water, and toys to play with. I think he cries because he wants to come into the room and get some attention. I do not like having the cats in the bedroom at night because they turn me into a race track.... so I just try to leave as many activities out for them as possible and hope they keep busy. They have an old baby activity blanket that they like a lot and I leave that out for them most nights. ... some nights it keeps them from crying at the bedroom door.
Good luck, hope you find some answers
I just read the answer above mine and I think getting the kitten teddies is probably worth a try. Also cats sometimes like to sleep with ticking clocks because it sounds like a heart beat.... just another idea

Answer 4

I've had cats for about 25 years and I can only conclude that some of them aren't too smart. I have one that can wander into the next room and cry because she doesn't know where everybody went. I live in a 140 year old house with no mice and I gotta like cats, I just don't expect them to make sense.

Answer 5

Cats and other animals can sense things that most people can't...maybe she's meowing at a ghost or spirit that 'drops in' around that time.

Answer 6

You sure she's not a warewolf? (Sorry couldn't resist)
Seriously, pets can have anxiety issues, depression ,etc just like humans. It may have been a traumatic even for her when she couldn't find her kittens. It's possible that it was anxiety provoking for her and some how she deals with that in this way.

Answer 7

I wonder how old she is. Believe it or not, but cats and dogs get dementia and usually have problems at night. Try taking her in your bed and see if that doesn't calm her down.

Answer 8

Dear,
your poor kitty-girl is in heat. She needs a man-cat. It is mating season for cats, my co-worker just complained that her persian cat has been meowing late at night for a week now. But in order to get another persian cat to mate it, she'd have to pay $30 at a cat-pound.