Get him a cat door.  If he is safe in the back yard and you are comfortable
with him back there. that is.
He isn't "meowing"...he is communicating.  He wants something and this is
his way of letting you know.  If it's at a time of day when he can't be let
out, tell him no and then do your best to ignore him.  No negative
reinforcement...just "no".
I talk to Sasha.  Not just kitty talk but real talk.  I tell her "No Sash,
no
going outside right now, I have to leave in 10 minutes but maybe when
I get back...etc.".  Obviously she doesn't comprehend all that but it
seems like she gets the idea.
I am assuming your cat is neutered.  (if not, that IS the problem).  Does
he have adequate toys and climbing stuff inside?  Could be he is yammering
all the time out of boredom.

AG

PS...Here is another link, that goes with the ones that I sent in my
previous post;  http://www.radiofence.com/cat_doors.htm

Cats are not like dogs - forget about this one.

If I got this treatment I'd meow too!

Why can't he have a cat door?

Rob,
How about you make your back yard escape proof and let him out there as much
as he wants? In order to save your sanity, I am sending you some really good
links on how to make your yard escape-proof for your cat. Provide him with
an indoor-outdoor door, and the meowing will forever stop.
I feel your frustration, but I KNOW that there is an answer to be found in
the links below. By the way, no reputable vet will "de-meow" a cat. A shock
collar could easily give him a heart attack. Tethering him to something
could lead to strangulation. Consider the below links;
http://www.just4cats.com/page7.html
http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/backyard.html

Screened-in veranda;  http://www.cat-world.com.au/Veranda.jpg

http://www.catfencein.com/http://www.catfence.com/pictures.htm

  http://www.feralcat.com/fence.html

http://www.friendlyfence.com/ff/prod_fence_cat_houdini.asp?OVRAW=cat%20fence&OVK
EY=cat%20fence&OVMTC=standard

Rob, let me know if I can provide you with any more help on this. One other
suggestion; How about a companion kitty for your cat? This is a sure-fire
solution.  Good luck! Carol  Take the nospam out of jmilamnospam@bak.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "rob" <not@chan.ce>
Newsgroups: alt.cats,alt.pets.cats,rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 10:19 PM
Subject: Help!!! Cats meows constantly

Put a cat flap in the door to your yard.  I would suggest getting one with a
magnetically operated catch otherwise you may encounter the problem (as I
did) of stray cats appearing in your house whenever they like.  Another plus
with these kind of cat flaps is that you can totally lock them at night so
your cat can't get out at all.

Jeannie

Hi Rob,
 How old is your cat and how long have you lived in your new house?
Letting him out at night is not a good idea even if your garden is
enclosed but what reason do you have for keeping him in during the
day?

working.We're

It won't work because he's not connecting his meowing to your
punishment. I'm sorry but I think this is jus plain cruel.
 If you've recently moved maybe the novelty of going out hasn't worn
off yet.  Decide what times you are going to let your cat out every
day and stick to a routine so he knows what's what. If he cries to go
out at other times you can distract him with interactive toys or if at
night put him in another room the moment he starts crying and ignore
him.
Alison

e're

Is there something outside that you may not have noticed?  other cats maybe?
or does he see some wildlife from the window?

rob at not@chan.ce wrote on3/25/04 1:19 AM:

First of all, 50 lashes and some appropriate penance for ever letting him
out in the first place if he was once contented to be an indoor cat.
Brought it all on yourself, etc., etc., blah, blah.

Now that we have *that* part over with, let me tell you what I would do.  I
would start leaving him out all day, with fresh water available at all
times, of course, and at night I would have him indoors during my sleeping
hours, bedroom door closed and earplugs or white noise machine so as not to
hear him if he meows. I would also create an indoor garden of sorts, with
plenty of cat-safe plants, a bit of grass to eat, even a bit of catnip.

The main rationale is twofold: (#1) he should satiate somewhat on being
outdoors if out for long periods, and become less gung-ho on needing to be
out; and (#2) perhaps he has more right to self-determination that you are
granting him.  Although being outside is risky, he seems to consider it a
quality of life issue.

The indoor garden may be very attractive to him and in time sway his
preference to the indoors.  And removing the "power struggle" aspect of the
whole situation may also in time make the outdoors less appealing.

I'm not at all opposed to mild forms of punishment such as water squirts or
air horns to startle, but as you're finding, these are not terribly useful,
or terribly nice on  your part, in the case of meowing, which is both "wired
in" and intelligent behavior. (He probably has some Siamese genes in him to
be so vocal!)  And tethering him will increase his frustration and
exacerbate the problem.

Please try the suggestions above for a few weeks.  You have nothing to lose,
as it sounds very much like he has his mind firmly made up, and you will not
have a happy cat (or a moments peace) until he is given more autonomy.

My suggestion -- let him be outside if he is safe there.  While you
are trying to bend him to your will, he is trying to bend you to his.
They  also love the "in and out game".  Quit all the punishments, the
shock collar idea and the surgery -- this just shows how inept your
training is.  Let him be what nature intended -- a cat.

Well, look at it this way at least you can let your cat out and there
is hope of shutting it up. My tomcat escaped about a month ago by
breaking through a screen window and ever since then he is convinced
that being an outdoor cat is his destiny. He cries all the time now
wanting to go out again and makes daily breakout attempts. The problem
is that we live next to (50 feet/20 meters) a major road with heavy
round the clock (even at 2 AM) traffic so there is no way that I will
let him out especially since he is a daredevil….

Rob:
I first suggest talking to a vet.  See if you can find one who is
familiar with natural remedies such as homeopathic and flower
essences.  If you don't know what these are, research them.  Animals
respond extremely well to these types of treatments.  One I would try
if the animal were mine would be the homeopathic, Ignatia amara (St.
Ignatius bean). You can get this at a natural health food store (not
GNC).  The people there may can help too.  I use homeopathics for my
cat and dog that have hot spots and it works great.  They stop chewing
their fur off!  Homeopathics work very well on emotional and
behavioural problems.  Also consider a cat cage (cattery) that opens
from a pet door or window.  Cats are cats and will often want to be
out.  You can give the cat a taste of the out doors by planting some
wheat or rye grass seeds in a pot.  They like to eat grass and will
sometimes have a fit to get to some.  Just be prepared for them to
throw it up at times.  Good luck. R

You can't shape a cat the same way you can a lab rat. Once you fail once,
(and you will) the cat will lose the plot.

Cats are also highly individual. To quote doc. Phil, "you need to work out
what their currency is".