why wont my cat stop meowing?

Question

I have a cat who is 1 1/2, he will not stop meowing and i dont know what to do, he meows to come in, has his dinner, meows to go out,in, out, then few seconds later meows to come in again and its ongoing constantly, he's so loud even the neighbours are complaining as he wakes them up at night. its as if he doesnt know what he wants, he gets lots of attention, cuddles, strokes, food but his meowing is making me go insane. when he has his food in the morning he moews really loud for us to get out the house so he can go asleep on our bed.....i dont think i can cope anymore.... Help! any answers would be greatly appreciated.

Missy xx

its not the horny meow as i know what that sounds like as i hear that at certain times of the month which makes me cringe as he wakes the street up, but hes been like this for about a year now. maybe it could be something to do with attention - ive tried the squirty bottle trick as i was told by a friend to do that, but that doesnt work, if i ignore him he goes worse. thanks everyone for your answers tho xx

Answer 1

He's probably looking to mate with a female cat.

Answer 2

My cat is a major, serious meower, too. He's just 'talkative' by nature, but we have managed to curb the worst of his meowing-for-attention excesses, thank god.

Firstly, is your cat neutered? If not, that's probably your problem right there. If he is, and if you can rule out any medical problem (get him checked out by the vet), and he's not one of the breeds of cat that tends to meow much more than others (eg Siamese - apparently they're big meowers and there's not much you can do about it!) then it sounds very much like he's meowing for the same reason my cat does it: to get attention. And if that's the case, the only way you're going to get it to improve is by totally ignoring it. It's worked with my cat... do not respond in ANY way to the meowing (not even by saying 'shut up!', as that's attention, and as far as my cat is concerned, any attention is good attention when he's in meowing mode!) if you know there's not a good reason for it - and reward your cat with extra treats, cuddles, playing, etc, when he's being quiet. My cat used to meow incessantly all night, and was always very happy when we'd get up to tell him to be quiet - since we started ignoring the meowing, he's not done it at all - it took maybe two or three nights, and that was it - no more night-time meowing. I used to 'answer' him when he started meowing during the day, but then noticed it was getting worse... I realised that it needs to be ignored ALL the time, and he's been much better ever since.

Seriously, first make sure your cat doesn't have a medical problem (apparently cats might meow a lot if they have hearing problems, for a start), then start 'training' him not to do it. You'll need to make sure he gets rewarded lots for good, non-meowing behaviour, though, and ignored for the meowing: tons of attention when he's quiet, none when he's yelling his head off - he should get the message in the end, I'm sure he wants you to be happy with him!

Answer 3

Some cats are really vocal, some are really quiet. Nocturnal cats are particularly noisy. But that may not be the issue.

Have you considered getting another cat? Some cats do need the company of a companion cat.

Part of the problem is the spoiling that you do, and all cause you love the cat. But cats are smart and he realizes that if he meows, you will cater to him. Make him wait. Do not give in. After a few days the behavior modification will be good for you and for the cat.

Now that you have some things to consider, let us know if you decided to try any of these suggestions and how they worked for you.

Answer 4

My boyfriend's cat was the same - you need to do some basic training.

*never* stroke or feed your cat when he meows. When he's quiet give him strokes. If you go to stroke him and he meows, quickly withdraw your hand and turn your back on him. He must learn that meowing will actually achieve the opposite of what he wants. Feed him at set times - after a few weeks he will learn when he is going to be fed and will learn that meowing won't get him treats or attention.

Reward good (quiet) behaviour with attention and ignore bad behaviour.

Simple but effective.

Answer 5

Answer #1 - Maybe he is lonely. Some cats just want friends or mates. I know this because I've expierienced with my own.
I had two cats. The younger one, Carrie, who was about 1 month old kept meowing until we let her play with the older one, Josie. The reason why she never got to play with her before that is because Josie didn't like other cats, and called our house as her own, and hers only. It was like she thought she owned us istead of us owning her.
Be sure to train both your cats if you decide to get a new one to solve this problem.

Answer 2 - Some cats just like to talk. Especially siamese cats. If you have this breed of a cat, that's probably the problem. If you have a siamese, try talking it for a walk. It may seem odd, but siameses love walks, and that is sure to solve the problem. It may not be siamese and loves to talk. It'd be easier if you knew what this kitty was saying, right?

Answer 3 - Most likely the cat needs to be fixed, since it is male. Ask your vet more about this. This should solve the problem. While you there, ask the vet what he might want.


- Teddi

Answer 6

Yeah that can get pretty annoying my cat meows loads for just no reason sometimes he just sits there and stares at you but your cat sounds more annoying lol. There could be something up with him like from fighting cus my cat just meowed constantly when he got a bite on his leg. I would suggest taking him to the vets for a checkover but it might end up quite costly, you know what vets are like. He's still only young maybe he'll shut up as he gets older? Could try exhausting him by making him play with a piece of string for ages and just annoy him with it till he goes away into another room to go to sleep.

Answer 7

I really do know what you're going through, and what you mean about going insane! I've got a cat exactly the same! He miaows constantly - to go out, to come in, to get second heIpings, when he's pottering around the garden, when he's watching the birds, when I'm trying to sleep, and for no reason at all. I think some cats just like talking! The only thing that stops mine is when my other cat goes up to him and gives him a clip round the ear, or threatens to! She doesn't hurt him, she just pats him, but that is the only time he stops.

I find that ignoring him sometimes helps because he gets bored of miaowing and stops, but it can go on for a long time before he gets to that point.

Occasionally, playing endlessly with him with a pom pom ball or other distraction can work because in the end he gets tired and goes to bed! He has such a nice life, lots of love and attention so it's got nothing to do with that. He just likes talking!

But it's all good tonight - I think he got bored of miaowing (he thinks he should be allowed out on firework night) and he's gone to sleep. Aahh, peace!

My sympathies go out to you :)

Answer 8

My cat used to meow constantly! It is really annoying isn't it! Some cats just like the sound of their own voices. My problem was solved when He was neutered. My female cat meows all the time now to, but she is a bengal and apparently it's in their nature to be noisey! Try doing something when he meows, like making a loud noise to scare him, or spray him with a mist of water so he associates something unpleasant with his constant noise. Remember though he is just trying to communicate with you, when you talk to other people he may think you are the one making an awful noise!

Answer 9

Cats own you, you don't own cats and cats do meow.

I have this crazy neighbor lady, whom you may see me ask questions about from time to time. She had a cat named Pearl White, because it was a white cat.

I was working a third shift at the time and when she saw me come in the drive, the crazy neighbor lady not the cat, she'd say to the cat, "Randy's home" and the cat would bolt for the door. Often the cat would be waiting for me to come home where I parked my car.

I would feed it and put a chair in front of the gas heater in the kitchen in which it would then sleep while I watched TV before going to bed. When it was ready to go outside, it would come in the room and meow.

Cats communicate and it's your job to figure out what it's trying to say; this is not always easy.

You say it's a "he" and it's my guess this cat hasn't been fixed. Having it fixed may settle things down a great deal for you, him and your neighbors.

Answer 10

Get an empty squirt bottle and fill it with water. When the cat meows louder than normal, squirt it. If it meows again, squirt it. When it's good, feed it, treat it with kindness. The cat will learn if you're consistant plus you don't have to physically harm the cat by swatting it's nose or other physical discipline. I've trained my cats without physical harm that when I snap my fingers loudly they stop what they're doing.

Answer 11

Well firstly he's male - they are always crying !!! I've heard of a pheramone spray or plug-in diffuser called Feliway that is supposed to have a great calming effect on cats. Think it's expensive but it may help. I've seen it for sale on ebay. You can also google for reviews - all seem good apart from some complaints about the cost.

Hope this helps.