"Talking/Meowing" cat at night

"Talking/Meowing" cat at night - getting no sleep!

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kucat - 17 Oct 2006 17:27 GMT

We recently adopted a 3 year-old neutered male cat. We've had him for 2.5
weeks now.
He's a talker and "talks/meows" very often which keeps us up at night. (He
does it during the day too.) We're getting no sleep.

Is there any way to train a cat to stop this at night?
Should we close the bedroom door?
We have another cat (5 year-old spayed female) who doesn't "talk/meow" at
night.

Does anyone else have this issue? Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael

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Rene S. - 17 Oct 2006 17:55 GMT

> We recently adopted a 3 year-old neutered male cat. We've had him for 2.5
> weeks now.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Thanks,
> Michael

What do you do when he meows at night? Even negative attention is still
attention and he'll learn that he'll get a "response." Are ear plugs an
option? The best thing you can do is ignore him. Perhaps he's still
adjusting to his new home and will settle down once he learns the
routine.

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kucat - 17 Oct 2006 21:25 GMT

>What do you do when he meows at night? Even negative attention is still
>attention and he'll learn that he'll get a "response." Are ear plugs an
>option?

At the moment, we tell him to "shoosh" (to no avail) at night. Then lock him
out of the room which means he's on the other side of the door while the
other cat is with us. This is not ideal.
Ear plugs are not an option because we want to hear our alarm and any noises
that should wake us up (breaking glass, etc.).

My concern with "ignoring" him is that he won't stop "talking/meowing".
Maybe we should try ignoring him during the day and not play with him every
time he talk/meows. Do you think that would work? Because at the moment, we
try to play with him when he meows.

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Rene S. - 17 Oct 2006 22:01 GMT

> >What do you do when he meows at night? Even negative attention is still
> >attention and he'll learn that he'll get a "response." Are ear plugs an
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> time he talk/meows. Do you think that would work? Because at the moment, we
> try to play with him when he meows.

Oh, if you play with him when he meows during the day, then he thinks
you'll play with him at night if he meows too! He's "training" you just
right, isn't he? :)

Some cats are more vocal than others, as you've already discovered. Try
playing with him randomly, not just when he meows, and also tire him
out right before you go to bed. Do you have a new toy or something you
can leave out when you go to bed? Something for him to check out while
you're asleep.

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kucat - 18 Oct 2006 22:53 GMT

>Oh, if you play with him when he meows during the day, then he thinks
>you'll play with him at night if he meows too! He's "training" you just
>right, isn't he? :)

Try

>playing with him randomly, not just when he meows, and also tire him
>out right before you go to bed. Do you have a new toy or something you
>can leave out when you go to bed?

We'll give that a shot: We'll try playing with him randomly (or particularly
when he *doesn't* meow). He currently has tons of toys. I think he just
prefers human interaction which is a blessing (but also the reason for
sleepless nights).

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Rene S. - 19 Oct 2006 20:25 GMT

> We'll give that a shot: We'll try playing with him randomly (or particularly
> when he *doesn't* meow). He currently has tons of toys. I think he just
> prefers human interaction which is a blessing (but also the reason for
> sleepless nights).

It's possible that, after a few more months, he'll settle down some. He
might be so grateful to have a new home that he's wanting your
attention every minute.

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kucat - 21 Oct 2006 05:41 GMT

>It's possible that, after a few more months, he'll settle down some. He
>might be so grateful to have a new home that he's wanting your
>attention every minute.

I hope that is the case. My concern is that he is bored. We try to make sure
that we play with him every morning and evening. We just don't want to see
him sad either. I get the feeling he wants to get outside (but we're keeping
him as an indoor cat)
Do you think that cats get separation anxiety? The reason I ask is because he
lived with his foster parents for 3 years before we adopted him.

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Rene S. - 25 Oct 2006 18:49 GMT

> I hope that is the case. My concern is that he is bored. We try to make sure
> that we play with him every morning and evening. We just don't want to see
> him sad either. I get the feeling he wants to get outside (but we're keeping
> him as an indoor cat)
> Do you think that cats get separation anxiety? The reason I ask is because he
> lived with his foster parents for 3 years before we adopted him.

I think it's entirely possible, though I don't think they show it like
dogs tend to (ie, ripping apart furniture, etc.)

Does he have a window to look out of? A cat tree to climb? You can also
leave a radio on to a soothing station (like jazz or classical) while
you're away. You can also leave out a new toy for him now and then to
mix up the routine, or my cats' favorite: catnip. Variety is the spice
of life!

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