i have a wonderful cat who was previously a stray raised by a friend. she is about 2 y/o i think, has had 2 litters of kittens in her life (before we adopted her,) so we got her spayed a few months ago. she usually stays at my dad's house.
i'm keeping her at my (and my boyfriend's) apartment for the next few days because he's going on a trip. we brought her yesterday, and she was fine - curious, happy, sweet.
she really is a wonderful cat, especially considering she was a stray previously. she isn't shy or skittish at all.
but all through the night she would not stop howling. (which she did the first night we adopted her, before she was spayed. understandable because she may have been in heat.)
so WHY IS SHE HOWLING NOW?? i barely got a wink of sleep. i ignored her howls for the most part. i understand she may be stressed about being in a new area, but it makes no sense. she howls even when i do give her attention. she's howling right now and it's 3 PM. she has been howling consistently since about 1 AM last night.
WHAT DO I DOOOOOooooo i love her but i can't deal with this for the next 5 days. she stopped doing this at my dad's house after she got fixed. i didn't think it would be an issue anymore. i praise her whenever she's quiet - but then she just starts meowing again!
HELP
edited to include pic of her and my boy being adorable:
i have a wonderful cat who was previously a stray raised by a friend. she is about 2 y/o i think, has had 2 litters of kittens in her life (before we adopted her,) so we got her spayed a few months ago. she usually stays at my dad's house.
i'm keeping her at my (and my boyfriend's) apartment for the next few days because he's going on a trip. we brought her yesterday, and she was fine - curious, happy, sweet.
she really is a wonderful cat, especially considering she was a stray previously. she isn't shy or skittish at all.
but all through the night she would not stop howling. (which she did the first night we adopted her, before she was spayed. understandable because she may have been in heat.)
so WHY IS SHE HOWLING NOW?? i barely got a wink of sleep. i ignored her howls for the most part. i understand she may be stressed about being in a new area, but it makes no sense. she howls even when i do give her attention. she's howling right now and it's 3 PM. she has been howling consistently since about 1 AM last night.
WHAT DO I DOOOOOooooo i love her but i can't deal with this for the next 5 days. she stopped doing this at my dad's house after she got fixed. i didn't think it would be an issue anymore. i praise her whenever she's quiet - but then she just starts meowing again!
HELP
edited to include pic of her and my boy being adorable:
Hahaha my cat is a jerk like that too. He goes through phases of screeching at night, lately it's not so bad.
First off, make sure their living conditions are good. Clean litterbox, they're fed and watered, and have a few toys and places to sleep. I find my cat typically likes to be around me when he naps, and he has a few places set out for him to nap - a blanket hamper by the radiator, a spot on the couch, and a cat bed under my desk. Not uncommon for him to wake up from a nap on the couch to come sleep by my feet for apparently no reason.
Your cat buddy hasn't been around for too long and she might be overwhelmed with how much freedom she's given. Try and contain her to the room you sleep in, or a room set aside for her. Too much unfamiliar space is intimidating.
When she starts yelling, bring your banshee to where you are sleeping and set her on the bed, pet them a while and see if they calm down/are comfortable with that attention. My guy will typically chill out and appreciate some attention and stick around to sleep.
They leave to go scream in another room, or to muck around with stuff to try and get you up? Get up and just bring them back to bed a few times. It sucks but sometimes they give up and there you go.
STILL howling? Get up and follow them to see what they want. Dumb cats usually lead you around to what they want - food (if the bowl is full give it a shake to make it seem 'new'), litterbox cleaning, to be played with, etc. If all they're doing is chirping at you and giving you stupid love eyes, try crooning and petting and guide them to the bed again. Usually if I have to do this, my dude acts like, "oh, hey, going to sleep was my idea, yeah sure I guess you can cuddle me in my giant people-size bed".
None of that works... earplugs.
Hahaha my cat is a jerk like that too. He goes through phases of screeching at night, lately it's not so bad.
First off, make sure their living conditions are good. Clean litterbox, they're fed and watered, and have a few toys and places to sleep. I find my cat typically likes to be around me when he naps, and he has a few places set out for him to nap - a blanket hamper by the radiator, a spot on the couch, and a cat bed under my desk. Not uncommon for him to wake up from a nap on the couch to come sleep by my feet for apparently no reason.
Your cat buddy hasn't been around for too long and she might be overwhelmed with how much freedom she's given. Try and contain her to the room you sleep in, or a room set aside for her. Too much unfamiliar space is intimidating.
When she starts yelling, bring your banshee to where you are sleeping and set her on the bed, pet them a while and see if they calm down/are comfortable with that attention. My guy will typically chill out and appreciate some attention and stick around to sleep.
They leave to go scream in another room, or to muck around with stuff to try and get you up? Get up and just bring them back to bed a few times. It sucks but sometimes they give up and there you go.
STILL howling? Get up and follow them to see what they want. Dumb cats usually lead you around to what they want - food (if the bowl is full give it a shake to make it seem 'new'), litterbox cleaning, to be played with, etc. If all they're doing is chirping at you and giving you stupid love eyes, try crooning and petting and guide them to the bed again. Usually if I have to do this, my dude acts like, "oh, hey, going to sleep was my idea, yeah sure I guess you can cuddle me in my giant people-size bed".
None of that works... earplugs.
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Hylozoist thank you for the tips!!
i read online to specifically avoid giving her any attention (they say it rewards the meowing) but since it works for you i might give it a try. even when i did give her attention last night, she would just keep on yowling. it seemed like she didn't want my attention much. i really don't know what she wants. she has food and water available and a pretty clean litter box, and she knows where it is. i'm mostly worried the neighbors might hear her too and file a complaint or something.
she's been quiet for the past 20 mins which has been very nice. i put her in the bedroom and she's laying under the chair - i guess she's finally sleepy after yelling all night long. i want to praise her but i'm so scared it will start the howling again D:
she's weird and doesn't much like high surfaces, so i'll put a pillow or something near the bed for her to sleep on if she wants to be near us. thank you!
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Hylozoist thank you for the tips!!
i read online to specifically avoid giving her any attention (they say it rewards the meowing) but since it works for you i might give it a try. even when i did give her attention last night, she would just keep on yowling. it seemed like she didn't want my attention much. i really don't know what she wants. she has food and water available and a pretty clean litter box, and she knows where it is. i'm mostly worried the neighbors might hear her too and file a complaint or something.
she's been quiet for the past 20 mins which has been very nice. i put her in the bedroom and she's laying under the chair - i guess she's finally sleepy after yelling all night long. i want to praise her but i'm so scared it will start the howling again D:
she's weird and doesn't much like high surfaces, so i'll put a pillow or something near the bed for her to sleep on if she wants to be near us. thank you!
I agree, she's still probably a bit overwhelmed with her new situation. Have you tried using Feliway diffusers/sprays to calm her? You can find them online for a ton cheaper than in stores. If you use a diffuser, pay close attention to the square footage to plugin ratio, and on keeping them filled. If your cat tends to howl in certain areas, try putting one there or spraying that area down once or twice a day. There's also 'calming' treats that you can find in stores or from vets. They don't sedate animals but they just help them relax and calm down a bit.
And I'm sure you'd probably have noticed by now, but is she able to hear? Sometimes cats will scream like that if they're deaf or hard-of-hearing (because they don't realize how loudly they're talking).
Otherwise, my next suggestion is to make sure she has PLENTY of mental stimulation. Play with her multiple times a day. Make sure she has lots, and a good variety, or toys she can play with by herself as well (maybe some toys that dispense treats?).
And...personally I'm going to say that rewarding her by giving her attention, like bringing her into your bedroom, when she screams is only going to teach her to scream. Why not, when it gets her something nice? You've got the right idea by giving her attention when she's quiet - cats thrive with positive reinforcement like that!
Sounds like she's just a vocal cat in general, too. I have one of those and while she knows better than to scream all night (because sleeping on the bed with me > screaming, to her), she does have a couple moments each day when she just has to wander around and howl at the top of her voice for no reason. Her favorite time is right after dinner; I assume she's letting everyone know how delicious it was! Even my quiet cat, who basically never makes noise, will have nights when he has to scream for a while. Sometimes cats just gotta cat, I guess.
I agree, she's still probably a bit overwhelmed with her new situation. Have you tried using Feliway diffusers/sprays to calm her? You can find them online for a ton cheaper than in stores. If you use a diffuser, pay close attention to the square footage to plugin ratio, and on keeping them filled. If your cat tends to howl in certain areas, try putting one there or spraying that area down once or twice a day. There's also 'calming' treats that you can find in stores or from vets. They don't sedate animals but they just help them relax and calm down a bit.
And I'm sure you'd probably have noticed by now, but is she able to hear? Sometimes cats will scream like that if they're deaf or hard-of-hearing (because they don't realize how loudly they're talking).
Otherwise, my next suggestion is to make sure she has PLENTY of mental stimulation. Play with her multiple times a day. Make sure she has lots, and a good variety, or toys she can play with by herself as well (maybe some toys that dispense treats?).
And...personally I'm going to say that rewarding her by giving her attention, like bringing her into your bedroom, when she screams is only going to teach her to scream. Why not, when it gets her something nice? You've got the right idea by giving her attention when she's quiet - cats thrive with positive reinforcement like that!
Sounds like she's just a vocal cat in general, too. I have one of those and while she knows better than to scream all night (because sleeping on the bed with me > screaming, to her), she does have a couple moments each day when she just has to wander around and howl at the top of her voice for no reason. Her favorite time is right after dinner; I assume she's letting everyone know how delicious it was! Even my quiet cat, who basically never makes noise, will have nights when he has to scream for a while. Sometimes cats just gotta cat, I guess.
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souer
Hm - yeah, I tried to ignore my screamer but living in an apartment building doesn't make that work very well and he gets some crazy annoying yowls if I don't respond. My bad for teaching him to be vocal with me...
It might help to get a bedtime routine going? Put her in your darkened bedroom an hour or so before you go to bed, as if you were going to sleep, and maybe she'll get the pre-sleep crazy out of her system before you go to bed too?
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souer
Hm - yeah, I tried to ignore my screamer but living in an apartment building doesn't make that work very well and he gets some crazy annoying yowls if I don't respond. My bad for teaching him to be vocal with me...
It might help to get a bedtime routine going? Put her in your darkened bedroom an hour or so before you go to bed, as if you were going to sleep, and maybe she'll get the pre-sleep crazy out of her system before you go to bed too?
I have a 20 yro cat who yoweled quite a lot when her best friend (my grandma's dog) passed away. They had been together for several years, and she'd squall looking for him in the nights mostly, when it got too quiet for her. She doesn't do it so much now, she knows where my grandma and I sleep, and so long as one of us is available to her she's fine.
She did it again last year when my grandma went on vacation out of state and left me alone with the cat. It was constant non-stop pounding on my bedroom door in the nights.
My grandma on the other side has a kitten that's a little over three years old now that she rescued during the winter and has been -if I'm being 100% honest- spoiled rotten ever since. When she moved into her new apartment after she remarried, the cat was completely lost and had no clue where she went and sat in the middle of the room absolutely terrified all night long, shaking and meowing out desperately. She wouldn't respond to me (I was sleeping on the couch), and wouldn't respond to anyone until she heard my grandma cough in the other room and then she went and screamed at the door and laid down really close to the door.
If she was a stray from the age of a young cat, she likely feels she needs someone to be with.
I have a 20 yro cat who yoweled quite a lot when her best friend (my grandma's dog) passed away. They had been together for several years, and she'd squall looking for him in the nights mostly, when it got too quiet for her. She doesn't do it so much now, she knows where my grandma and I sleep, and so long as one of us is available to her she's fine.
She did it again last year when my grandma went on vacation out of state and left me alone with the cat. It was constant non-stop pounding on my bedroom door in the nights.
My grandma on the other side has a kitten that's a little over three years old now that she rescued during the winter and has been -if I'm being 100% honest- spoiled rotten ever since. When she moved into her new apartment after she remarried, the cat was completely lost and had no clue where she went and sat in the middle of the room absolutely terrified all night long, shaking and meowing out desperately. She wouldn't respond to me (I was sleeping on the couch), and wouldn't respond to anyone until she heard my grandma cough in the other room and then she went and screamed at the door and laid down really close to the door.
If she was a stray from the age of a young cat, she likely feels she needs someone to be with.
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soeur
This might be a weird question because I know you've had her spayed, but is she showing any other signs of heat?
I only ask because there's something that can happen called ovarian remnant syndrome. It's rare, but it does happen - it happened to my old cat, in fact! She was spayed but started showing signs of heat a few months after her spay, including just
constant horrible yowling. It happens when ovarian tissue is left behind during a spay, which causes them to go through heat even though they can't get pregnant anymore.
It's probably not that - like I said, it's very rare. She's probably just having trouble adjusting to a new environment. But I thought I should mention it because you said she yowled like this before she got fixed, and it's rare enough that you might not consider it even if it's exactly the problem.
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soeur
This might be a weird question because I know you've had her spayed, but is she showing any other signs of heat?
I only ask because there's something that can happen called ovarian remnant syndrome. It's rare, but it does happen - it happened to my old cat, in fact! She was spayed but started showing signs of heat a few months after her spay, including just
constant horrible yowling. It happens when ovarian tissue is left behind during a spay, which causes them to go through heat even though they can't get pregnant anymore.
It's probably not that - like I said, it's very rare. She's probably just having trouble adjusting to a new environment. But I thought I should mention it because you said she yowled like this before she got fixed, and it's rare enough that you might not consider it even if it's exactly the problem.
great news so far - since around 4 today she's quieted down significantly! it's now 11 PM and not a peep - she's sleeping like a baby (which i was hoping for - she stayed up all last night and i've tried keeping her up today so that she'd sleep soundly tonight!)
fingers crossed that she doesn't just wake up in a few hours yowling again, but if she does, i'll do my best to ignore her and not lose my mind. she's currently in the bedroom with my boy and i, sleeping under a chair. we had company over today and she was as sweet as can be to everyone :)
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Dinogrrl I just ordered one of those feliway diffusers and reccomended one for my mom's cats as well, thanks to you! I hope they work out :) my mom's cats are hiders and get super stressed around new people. thanks for the advice! my kitty is not much of a bed sleeper, she likes to sleep on the floor underneath chairs or tables, but she definitely likes being in the same room as people. i don't think she's hard of hearing so far, but i'll look out for any symptoms. she comes running when she hears the food bowl get filled, though!
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Midnightrein i think you're right about her wanting company! she's quieted down a lot since last night and so far is actually quietest (but friendly and relaxed) when lots of people are around. she's definitely a people cat. glad to hear she's not the only one with the yowling issue, it must just be a sign of stress.
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Maltie i haven't seen any other symptoms, but wow that's strange! i didn't know such a thing could happen, i'll keep in mind for future kitties. i think my kitty so far is just stressed with her new surroundings, like you mentioned. :)
great news so far - since around 4 today she's quieted down significantly! it's now 11 PM and not a peep - she's sleeping like a baby (which i was hoping for - she stayed up all last night and i've tried keeping her up today so that she'd sleep soundly tonight!)
fingers crossed that she doesn't just wake up in a few hours yowling again, but if she does, i'll do my best to ignore her and not lose my mind. she's currently in the bedroom with my boy and i, sleeping under a chair. we had company over today and she was as sweet as can be to everyone :)
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Dinogrrl I just ordered one of those feliway diffusers and reccomended one for my mom's cats as well, thanks to you! I hope they work out :) my mom's cats are hiders and get super stressed around new people. thanks for the advice! my kitty is not much of a bed sleeper, she likes to sleep on the floor underneath chairs or tables, but she definitely likes being in the same room as people. i don't think she's hard of hearing so far, but i'll look out for any symptoms. she comes running when she hears the food bowl get filled, though!
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Midnightrein i think you're right about her wanting company! she's quieted down a lot since last night and so far is actually quietest (but friendly and relaxed) when lots of people are around. she's definitely a people cat. glad to hear she's not the only one with the yowling issue, it must just be a sign of stress.
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Maltie i haven't seen any other symptoms, but wow that's strange! i didn't know such a thing could happen, i'll keep in mind for future kitties. i think my kitty so far is just stressed with her new surroundings, like you mentioned. :)
Yes
My cat follows me around the house meowing whenever I pass by her. They also eat super random human foods too.
Yes
My cat follows me around the house meowing whenever I pass by her. They also eat super random human foods too.
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