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Cat meowing all the time

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mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 00:53 GMT
I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
with water and yelling at him, taking him off the window sill, putting him in
a different room. Nothing is working. I read somewhere that we should ignore
it and reward him when he is being quiet. Is there anything else? Is there
some way to keep him entertained? We have another cat and he is just fine.
Any suggestions?
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 00:56 GMT
>I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
>pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>some way to keep him entertained? We have another cat and he is just fine.
>Any suggestions? He is neutered and goes outside daily. Im a stay at home mom and play with him and spend time with them as much as I can. Please help
mc - 24 Apr 2008 02:51 GMT
If you are sure there is nothing medically wrong with the cat, then I
would guess boredom may play a role. Do you play with the cat?
Interactive toys, such as a laser kitty light works well, as do the
toys on a string that you can tempt them with.

I am guessing the kitty just wants more loving ;-)
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 17:02 GMT
>If you are sure there is nothing medically wrong with the cat, then I
>would guess boredom may play a role. Do you play with the cat?
>Interactive toys, such as a laser kitty light works well, as do the
>toys on a string that you can tempt them with.
>
>I am guessing the kitty just wants more loving ;-)
We play with with a least twice daily. He plays with the other cat. He is
neutered. The Vet says there is nothing wrong with him. He is perfectly
healthy. we give him tons of love. The other cat is more independent and so
this cat gets the most of our attention.
cshenk - 24 Apr 2008 03:12 GMT
>I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> some way to keep him entertained? We have another cat and he is just fine.
> Any suggestions?

Lets assume you have a healthy cat here and no medical problems.

I'll start with this excerpt:  'It is important to know that some cat breeds
are just naturally more vocal than others. These breeds include the
Balinese, Burmese, Cornish rex, Japanese Bobtail, Korat, Siamese, and
Tonkinese.'

Is your cat perhaps partly at least one of these?

Now for dealing with it:  'Excessive meowing can be most annoying when we
are trying to sleep. Some cats have the habit of meowing and/or scratching
in front of the bedroom door until we let them in. The first rule of thumb
is do not respond directly to the cat's meowing. The cat is doing this to
get your attention. Getting up to see what the cat wants, shushing or
yelling at the cat is the worst thing to do because you are reinforcing the
undesirable behaviour by giving the cat attention. Your attention is its
reward. The easiest solution is to get a pair of earplugs. If you do not
respond to the cat's meowing it will probably stop within a few days.
If that does not work, you can try some of the following tips:
· Keep your cat extra busy during your waking hours and especially in the
evening with toys, extra play etc. This will help it sleep when you sleep.

(personal comment, this next one is not going to work for you as it's not a
night meower issue)· Squirting - Have a spray bottle ready and when your cat
wakes you with its meowing wait behind your closed door. At the very next
meow, spray the cat's paws from under the door. The cat will learn to
associate this behaviour with a squirting.
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 16:47 GMT
>>I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
>> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
>meow, spray the cat's paws from under the door. The cat will learn to
>associate this behaviour with a squirting.

I have tried spraying him with water, it doesnt work. He is a manx. He is
more vocal than the other cat we have but this is excessive, we tried the
earplugs  last night and it helped us sleep but even right now he is meowing
and meowing. We can ignore it for the most part, I am worried because we live
in an apartment complex and i know that they can hear him. We have been just
ignoring him. Any other advice?
cshenk - 24 Apr 2008 21:53 GMT
> cshenk wrote:

>>>I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day
>>>and
>>> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying
>>> him

>>I'll start with this excerpt:  'It is important to know that some cat
>>breeds
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>>
>>Is your cat perhaps partly at least one of these?

I see below Manx is the breed.

I found this as a specific on a manx who acted like this:  "You need to take
her to a vet. Most Manxies won't meow at all. Or least ours didn't. She
could be hurt inside or have worms if she's been outside. And if she's gone
from outside to inside only she may want out. Badly. They can be obnoxious
when they want something. That was another of Bob's traits. She was rotten
and always attention starved".  I do not know if this person was right, but
saw several others who had had similar reactions by their cats who it turned
out had worms.

Apologies but I didnt read all your messages so do not know if you have
already had this ruled out by a vet.

Here's a few other things I saw related, but they were not 'manx specific'.
They may help?

Feed on a regular basis.
 a..
 Try and feeding your cat at set times/regular intervals so they can
anticipate when they're next going to eat. You can also try leaving down the
dry cat food/biscuits so that your cat can nibble whenever they get hungry.
However, if you cat has a tendency to over-eat, this may not be wise.

 b.. Install a cat flap.

 Most cats can never make up their minds if they want to be in or outside.
My cat is in heaven during the summer when I can leave the back door open
and he can wander in and out at much as he pleases. If your cat is always in
and out, a cat flap is a great option. They are fairly cheap and easy to
install and you buy ones which have magnets on them so only YOUR cat can get
in.

 c.. Play.

 Some cats meow a lot because they want some attention and affection.
Stroke and play with your cat often to keep them from feeling lonely or
neglected.

 d.. Discipline.

 Don't let your cat drive you round the bend with excessive meowing - take
charge. You can either ignore them which will eventually make them stop if
you don't give in (very hard to do!) or you can try the old favourites of a
squirt with a water spray or a firm 'NO' and a clap of the hands. Eventually
your kitty will realize that constant meowing will get them nowhere. Please
ensure you remember to praise your cat and give extra attention to them when
they're not meowing.

(I'm not totally in agreement with the water squirt as you cn cause your cat
to develop other problems with this sort of negative behavior.  If you do
decide to try the spray route, have been told the nest way to go about it is
to spray just the toes and in such a way that they can't see 'you' do it,
such as from under a door with you on the other side).

One memory spark, one of the cats I had long ago, would meow quite loudly
all night if I didnt let her sleep with me.  Now, I didnt mind a cat
sleeping with me so was able to fix it that way.  Do be sure to rule out
worms first!

Oh on wormers, you may already know this but another may not.  It's best
(really) to have the vet check for which type of worms first.  Reason is
they dont all react to the same 'over the counter' meds and you could be
just making the cat sick with OTC stuff if it's heartworms or some of the
others.

Best I can do here as I know little more.
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 22:30 GMT
>>>>I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day
>>>>and
[quoted text clipped - 74 lines]
>
>Best I can do here as I know little more.

Thanks so much for the response. We do play with him constintely, I really
think he just wants outside all the time. We cant let him go outside without
a lease and harness we live in an apartment. He sleeps with us in between his
spurts of yelling. We leave the door open so he can roam and play. We do feed
him at certain times, people thinks its funny that he has meals but it works
for them. He has been a talker since we got him but has gotten worse. The Vet
says there is nothing wrong with him. We feed our cats organic food and
treats so we know its not a tummy ache. I think he just wants to run wild.
Thanks again for a response.
jmc - 25 Apr 2008 10:50 GMT
Suddenly, without warning, mrscomp4707 via CatKB.com exclaimed
(4/25/2008 7:00 AM):

> Thanks so much for the response. We do play with him constintely, I really
> think he just wants outside all the time. We cant let him go outside without
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> treats so we know its not a tummy ache. I think he just wants to run wild.
> Thanks again for a response.

Just because his food is organic, doesn't mean it can't give him a tummy
ache.

In this vein, it is possible, I suppose, that he might be allergic to
something in his food.  Have you tried completely (but gradually)
changing his food?  For instance, if you feed only chicken cat food,
find cat food with no chicken.  Or try changing brands.  Cat are often
allergic to grains, so you could try foods with no grains.

Does he stop meowing when you play with him?

Either he's sick (vet could have missed something - perhaps try a second
opinion?), as other posters have mentioned, or something you're doing is
reinforcing this behavior.  You have to figure out what.

If it's attention-getting you might try this:  Leave the room when he
meows.  Close the door to the room he's in, or go to another room and
close the door.  As soon as he's quiet for like 10 seconds, open the
door and praise him.  Rinse and repeat.

Other things to try:  Never initiate play or attention, or even talk to
him, when he's meowing, only when he's quiet  (even if he's quiet for
only a few seconds).  Make more of a point of ignoring his meowing, by
turning your back on him and refusing to look at him, until he's quiet.
 With this method, you might find that he's quiet, but when you look at
him or reach for a toy, he meows.  Immediately stop and go back to
"ignore" mode.  After a while, he'll realize that when he's quiet, he
gets attention, and when he's meowing, he gets pointedly ignored.
Talking too.  When he's quiet, praise him.  He'll figure it out.

And if all the suggestions you get here fail to work, seek out and hire
a reputable feline behaviorist.

jmc
mrscomp4707 - 25 Apr 2008 17:00 GMT
>Suddenly, without warning, mrscomp4707 via CatKB.com exclaimed
>(4/25/2008 7:00 AM):
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
>
>jmc
Thanks for your response but we have it undercontroll now. Hes fine thanks
anyway
cybercat - 25 Apr 2008 17:21 GMT
> Thanks for your response but we have it undercontroll now. Hes fine thanks
> anyway

Really? How did you do that?
jmc - 26 Apr 2008 10:55 GMT
Suddenly, without warning, mrscomp4707 via CatKB.com exclaimed
(4/26/2008 1:30 AM):
>> Suddenly, without warning, mrscomp4707 via CatKB.com exclaimed
>> (4/25/2008 7:00 AM):
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
> Thanks for your response but we have it undercontroll now. Hes fine thanks
> anyway

Please post your solution.  It could help other cat owners with
talkative/noisy pets!

jmc
deja.blues - 24 Apr 2008 03:59 GMT
>I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly

Would you want someone telling you to shut up if you had something to say?
Errr ok. You walk him regularly? How?

>and we have tried spraying him
> with water and yelling at him, taking him off the window sill, putting him
> in
> a different room.

If you did that to me I'd do more than just meow, I'd slash your throat as
you slept.

>Nothing is working. I read somewhere that we should ignore
> it and reward him when he is being quiet. Is there anything else? Is there
> some way to keep him entertained? We have another cat and he is just fine.
> Any suggestions?

He needs something that you can't or won't give him. If you care about him,
make the effort to find out whats bothering him instead of punishing him for
communicating in the only voice he has.
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 16:51 GMT
>>I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
>> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>make the effort to find out whats bothering him instead of punishing him for
>communicating in the only voice he has.

OK we walk him on a leash and harness. We walk him daily for like an hour.
When I say he meows all the time seriously it is for hours at a time. We have
been ignoring it. We have taken him to the Vets and they say he is perfectly
healthy. I am a stay at home mom and during the day I play with and walk him
and we play with him at night, he plays with the other cat we have. We live
in an apartment, I think he just wants attention but we are getting noise
complaints so whats your advice now!
Gregory Morrow - 25 Apr 2008 05:52 GMT
> >>I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
> >> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
> been ignoring it. We have taken him to the Vets and they say he is perfectly
> healthy. I am a stay at home mom

We need more info, having kids in the household might be a "factor"...

And "yelling" and "spraying with water" is *extremely* counter -
productive...

Signature

Best
Greg

honeybunch - 24 Apr 2008 04:27 GMT
> I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> some way to keep him entertained? We have another cat and he is just fine.
> Any suggestions?

I am uncertain about what you mean that you "walk him reguarly."
Spraying him and yelling at him is sure to make him nervous.  The best
thing to do would be to sing  to him.  Who are your favorite singers?
Do you like opera or Bob Dylan or 10 inch Nails or Rock of Ages?  It
really doesnt matter.  Instead of spraying the cat, just sing to him
when he meows.  He needs your love.
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 16:54 GMT
>> I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
>> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>really doesnt matter.  Instead of spraying the cat, just sing to him
>when he meows.  He needs your love.

Im a stay at home mom, I play with him during the day and at night before bed.
We give tons of attention. ANd tons of love. We walk him on a leash and
harness. He plays with the other. The Vets says that there is nothing wrong
with him.
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 16:55 GMT
>> I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
>> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>really doesnt matter.  Instead of spraying the cat, just sing to him
>when he meows.  He needs your love.

Im a stay at home mom, I play with him during the day and at night before bed.
We give tons of attention. ANd tons of love. We walk him on a leash and
harness. He plays with the other. The Vets says that there is nothing wrong
with him.
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 16:55 GMT
>> I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
>> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>really doesnt matter.  Instead of spraying the cat, just sing to him
>when he meows.  He needs your love.

Im a stay at home mom, I play with him during the day and at night before bed.
We give tons of attention. ANd tons of love. We walk him on a leash and
harness. He plays with the other. The Vets says that there is nothing wrong
with him.
Rene S. - 24 Apr 2008 15:57 GMT
> I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> some way to keep him entertained? We have another cat and he is just fine.
> Any suggestions?

1. Is he neutered? If not, his raging hormones are probably causing
the majority of his meowing.
2. Please DON'T spray him with water. He is trying to communicate with
you and this will only frighten him or cause other bad habits to get
your attention.
3. How often do you play with him? A male cat at that age has a lot of
energy and needs play sessions with you at least twice per day. Use an
interactive wand, cat dancer, or whatever other toys he likes.
4. Do you have a cat tree for him to exercise on? How about a bird
feeder near the window he can watch?
5. Rotate his toys every few days so there's always something "new."
6. Give him extra love and attention. He might just need more
attention than your other cat.
mrscomp4707 - 24 Apr 2008 16:59 GMT
>> I have a cat that is 2 years old and meows all the time. Almost all day and
>> pretty much all night. We walk him reguarly and we have tried spraying him
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>6. Give him extra love and attention. He might just need more
>attention than your other cat.

He is neutered. He has been neutered since he was a kitten. We have taken him
to the Vet and there is nothing wrong with him physical. We play with him
during the day and before bed. We walk him outside on a leash and harness.
The other cat is very independent and so if anyone doesnt get attention its
him. This cat that is meowing plays all the time. We have trees right outside
our window so he can watch birds. We have probably 50 different toys that we
do interchange them.
cybercat - 24 Apr 2008 21:18 GMT
> He is neutered. He has been neutered since he was a kitten. We have taken
> him
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> we
> do interchange them.

Here is what I would do. :)

In fact, I did this with my first cat when she engaged in a variety of
behaviors
(including loud vocalizing) that were clearly intended to get my attention,
and
defied medical or other explanation.

Whenever she howled, I went to her, picked her up, and loved all over her,
talked to her, ruffled her fur, hugged her, kissed her, scratched her ears,
turned her over and held her like a baby, put her up on my shoulder and
walked around with her, sang to her, and petted her all over.

She stopped howling pretty soon thereafter.

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