Why to cats meow?

[Tanya]

I know this sounds a really silly question, but why?

I will try to explain why i am asking...

Basically Oli has started to meow all the time and im not really sure why! He meows to be fed so i feed him. He meows for some fuss and he gets it - alot of it! He also meows when he has done a poo in his litter when i am out the room - so i always clean it as soon as i discover the poo!

The really annoying thing is that he meows like crazy in the mornings. For the last two mornings he has woken me up between 6 and 6.30am and meows really, really loudly until i feed him. I make him wait until 7am because thats the time he has always had his first meal of the day. I feed him his breakfast and then try to go back to bed to make up on my lost sleep. But Oli has other ideas. He walks around meowing and decides he needs to make something bang every morning, to get me out of bed.

I have also been trying to do a big essay for the last few days and everytime i get my books out and sit at my laptop he meows.

He isnt being ignored because my boyfriend lives with us too. He is well fed, has lots of toys to play with, has lots of fuss, has a clean litter tray, access to the windows but he just keeps meowing....

I know cats meow, but he seems to be doing it alot more lately. Any suggestions?

Sorry about the essay & thanks in advance xx

[Fran]

meowing is a cat's way of communicating. Some are more vocal than others. It sounds like he is indeed trying to tell you something...Has enough to stimulate him? Is an only kitty? If so do you think he would he appreciate a buddy? Does he have access to outdoors? How old is he?

[Tanya]

Oli is 7 months old. He is an indoor cat, (i have tried taking him outside, but he seems to be scared of the wind, rain etc!) he has lots of toys (mice (small & big), several balls (bells, fluffy, velvet - you name it he has it!), catnip toys, toys on string, toys that hang off a stick with a bell & a big scratch post - with two bases, a box and two scratch posts included!

Im pretty sure he is stimulated enough!

I do plan on getting a little friend for Oli - but not yet! We live in a one bedroom place, so i dont think it would be fair (due to lack of space) on either of the pets! He will have to wait until Sept/Oct time for a friend.

Do you think this is why he is meowing so much? Any suggestions to what i could do until i get another kitten?

Thanks

[charliebubs]

I was going to say the same as Fran..........perhaps he wants to communicate with another feline friend!!!

Until then, could you get him a cat climber/scratching thing that he can play on?

I would also say that if he thinks meowing is getting him what he wants i.e. food, cuddles etc, then he will keep on doing it as he is being rewarded for that behaviour. It's definitely a good idea to make him wait for his breakfast and not get up as soon as he starts meowing!!

One other thing.......is he neutered? He could be looking for a lady-friend if not!!!

[Tanya]

He has a big scratch post with two tiers on it & was neutered when he was about 5 months.

Looks like he wants a friend then?

[alexgirl73]

Hmm, when I was at the cat show the other week there was a product on sale which I thought was amazing. It is a soft toy for pets who have been ill or injured, kittens fro when they are first brought home and cats who generally are a bit unsettled. The thing about this toy is that it has a heartbeat!!! It is really fluffy and when you hold it close to you, you can feel the beat against you. Perhaps this might be worth looking into for Oli, giving him something furry to cuddle into. Just a thought, hope you get some sleep soon, lol!

[Tanya]

I have bought him a furry cat that meows when you press his tummy. Oli rolls around the floor with it and play fights with it too. He seems to love it!

But, if i get him a toy with a heartbeat, it wont need me pressing a button to keep him amused.

I will be looking on the internet for one of those later. Thanks for that advice

[jenny]

Hi tanya,
it sounds like your cat has trained you to respond to his every request.

by responding to him every time he meows, like charliebubs said, he is being rewarded. You need to stop responding to this behaviour if its really bothering you. Only give him attention/food etc when he is quiet. which may be quite hard if he is constant.

Have u ever heard of the 'attention cue' method used on dogs? it has been successfully used with cats also by many behaviourists.

this requires you to put up some kind of signal, such as a windchime, or a towel over the door etc when you are busy doing something.
When you wish to interact with him, whether it be to feed or play, you need to take this down and then proceed to interact with him. When you then want to go and do your own thing, make sure you put up the signal straight away and completely ignore him, dont even talk to him.
Again, everytime you want to interact, even slightly, take down the signal, interact with him, then put it back up and ignore him.
He will very quickly learn to only ask for attention when the signal is down and leave you alone when the signal is up. he will learn it is unrewarding to ask for attention when the signal is up.

You need to be consistent tho and make sure u ignore any attempts to get your attention when the signal is up.

this can work very successfully, but u do need to be consistent, which will be very hard initially, but if you stick to it, he should quickly learn to not bother u when the signal is up.


hope that all makes sense, its late!

edited to add: also make sure he is being stimulated in other ways, such as scratchers, toys etc so that he isnt just completely bored.

[dinahsmum]

That's intersting Jenny - and logical. All the 'training' ideas are simply logic when you think them through

[jenny]

hi dm, there was a cat this was tried with that learnt that if he pulled the towel off the door he could meow as much as he wanted,lol. so a different signal had to be used.

cats are cleverer than we think,lol