My Cat is too vocal. Help?

Question

I have a 2 year old female tabby. She is spayed and healthy.
Usually she sleeps at night. Untill about 4 am EVERYDAY she starts meowing really loud and non-stop. I get up, give her food but she won't eat. She won't stop it until everybody is up then she goes to sleep. It is really annoying to the point where I am considering giving her up because I can't sleep(and neither can my neighbors) If I lock her anywhere in the house she will claw her way on the carpet and destroy it.
I don't know what to do anymore.The vet said there is nothing wrong with her. Help, anyone???

Edited to add: I got her as a kitten from a foster home. She was always vocal but not like this. Petting her doesn't work either.

Answer 1

She needs to be checked for hyperthroidism- it causes nightime prowling and vocalization. If she has it, there are meds that can help her. If the vet finds she doesn't have that you could try giving her Melatonin, it's a supplement that has been known to calm cats like her.

Answer 2

Gosh I hate some of the answers, those people are not cat owners and shouldn't be answering on this site, they are just too vicious to have pets. So that being said, some cats are just plain very vocal, nothing you can do to stop it, my cat is so quiet that I thought she had something wrong with her voice,but no she will let out a little meow sometimes, guess I'm lucky, I was looking after a cat for a friend and wow, it was none stop meowing and meowing, really hard to take, was sure glad when they came for her, never again will I do it friend or no friend, so no real answer, try picking her up and take her your bed, maybe she wants your attention.

Answer 3

Is there another cat hanging around outside your window at 4am that your kitty could be reacting to? Also - the birds start waking up and making noise around this time, too - is she a hunter?

Have you tried spraying her with a squirt bottle when she does this?

I would put her in a cat carrier or cage, covered to make it dark, only when she does this. Then you could put the carrier in another room and she will not destroy your rug or moldings. If she is quiet, then take her out and reward her. If she starts yowling again, back in she goes. And make it dark in the cage, but let air in of course. It could take a while, but she will learn.

There are pet behavioral specialists; not sure how $$$ they charge, but you can find the info about what they do in the library or on the web. They may give you advice over the phone.

Good luck!

Answer 4

That's so gorgeous! But I can understand how annoying it must be! I'm a huge cat lover and I think I know what the problem is... Your cat obviously just wants attention or she might want to go outside. She's only two and although she may seem all grown up, she's actually still growing out of her kitten like stage and cats almost always need lots of attention wen they're young! Get some things to entertain her, like a scratching post, toys etc! If u haven't already? Cats need to be stimulated, so make sure u let her out during the day and play with her! That should tire her out! Hope that helps, good luck to u and your cat! :-)

Answer 5

Woops, sorry but that is cats. There really isn't much you can do to change her habits. She has figured out that when the sun starts to rise, you should be getting up. The meowing may get later in the am due to longer days, but........You may try giving her some toys to play with, but I doubt that she will stop. You could also try putting her outside. Cats really don't enjoy being indoors all of the time. They are natural born hunters, and I would suspect this is what she needs. OUT. If she is strictly indoors you need to adjust to her behavior. All she really wants is out. You might try some different toys to help keep her busy and to give her the feeling that she is hunting. Maybe some treats placed around the house will keep her busy "hunting" for those.

Answer 6

This really does sound like it could be a physical problem, was her urine checked? Bloodwork?
I know that my cats don't under any circumstances get fed before 7am so while I do get a 7am wake up call they don't tend to come and bug me before them (it will do no good, I ignore them until 7.) I have a feeling your cat is trying to tell you something and if food isn't the answer you'll have to keep looking. Is there another cat that she can see outside that is bugging her?
You might also want to consider getting her a friend, I've noticed my 2 cats are much more reasonable in their attention demands because they play with each other and only seek us out when we're sitting on the couch (watching a movie) and being quiet.

Answer 7

Did your vet do any blood work on your cat? Hyperthyroidism is known to cause the sudden vocalizations, a continued yowling while wandering around the house, during the very early morning hours. It would be unusual, but not unheard of, for a cat that young to have that condition. It is very common in cats over 10 years of age. Only a blood test can rule it out .

Answer 8

If petting and cuddling with your cat doesn't work then use a spray bottle filled with water i can almost guarentee that whis will work because it works on everything- jumping on counters, clawing carpets, scratching screens, etc. so i bet it will work on meowing too but i would test it out before using it heavily because it might not work. she could be confused about what it is because meowing is natural to her.


I wish you the best of luck!:)

Answer 9

My cat is 16 and pretty vocal. I sleep pretty heavily, so I don't notice my cat's nighttime antics, but when my boyfriend stays over, he tells me how she gets frisky around 5:30 or 6:30 in the morning. He also tells me he hears me telling the cat to be quiet--I apparently talk to her in my sleep!

She must be pretty loud if your neighbors are complaining. I thought my cat was loud!

Answer 10

omg, my cat did that when he was a kitten.... just pet her until she quiets down, or give her treats (i know that you said she wont eat, but...) i have my cats "trained" (its kinda like pavlovs dogs, really....) to come whenever i shake the cat treat bottle)

i just thought of another idea... have you changed her food recently? if you have, then she could possibly be upset about it and she wants her old food back.....

im not trying to alarm you, but if your cat notices a rodent of some sort, theyll meow (at least mine do....idk, my cats are weird...)