# HELP! Cat doesnt stop meowing!!



## Sweetcake (Aug 8, 2017)

Hi guys, 

So I'm after some help/ advice...

I have a 3 year old male cat; he is fixed, he always has water down, he is in a routine with his meals, he has toys and he is well looked after. The only problem is.... he doesn't stop meowing! its just a constant irritating meow. The only time he stops is if he is sleeping. He is driving me and my partner nuts!
There isn't anything wrong with him, vet check is fine, he is eating, pooing etc properly. I've tried changing his toys, talking to him, ignoring him, catnip, I've tried seeing if he'll take me and show me what he wants he just wanders around meowing at my feet. I pick him up he has a 10 second cuddle then wants to get down and is back to meowing. If I shut him out the room at night he meows at the door. If I let him in he just wanders around the room meowing until he finally decides to lay down with me and go sleep. He's not bored because he has things to do and I've tried cuddles, games, new toys, rotating his toys, treat hunts 

I literally don't know what he wants from me and I don't know how to curb the behaviour but he is getting on my wits end.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

How much actual play time do you give him where he has your undivided attention with games which get him running around chasing toys/balls anything that you can do together '
He sounds to me as though he is bored and wants to play.
Do you have any wand type toys to get him chasing pretend birds etc, something like this.............https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Da-Bird-In...sy-Pull-Apart-Rod/1204164343?iid=322435878169..
You also say that he has water down and has a routine with his meals,is there a possibility that he is hungry.
How much does he eat a day and what sort of food are you feeding him.
Some will disagree with me but I'm not a believer in fixed meal times for cats,my own boy is fed 4/5 meals a day as I think this suits them far better spreading the meals over a day rather than 2/3 set mealtimes.


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## Sweetcake (Aug 8, 2017)

Hi @buffie 
Thanks for your reply .

When i get home from work he gets cuddle while i have a cuppa and then after dinner i play with him until he gets bored (which doesnt normally take long). He lies down as if hes going to sleep so i get up to sit back on the sofa and hes back at my feet meowing. We tend to play for various amounts of time throughout the evening whilst me and my partner watch TV we play with him at the same time, or if he wants cuddles he gets that. He has a variety of different toys; cat scratching tower, balls, mice, the wand thing u suggest he has 2 different types, laser light, he has like a rats tail that moves about in different speeds. He also plays a game on my phone where he catches the bird. I rotate his toys so their not all out at once/ same toys we play with. They're all different colours, textures etc.

I wouldn't say hes hungry as hes fed a good amount morning and evening and always has done; i'm at work during the day so don't have the ability to feed him 4/5 times a day but also i personally don't agree with feeding him throughout the day encase he become custom to always wanting food. He knows when he is fed and goes to his bowl at dinner times. his food varies again as he will have raw chicken tips, cooked chicken, tinned food, biscuit. Obviously not all at once, i rotate his meals so he doesn't get bored of the same thing day in day out and mix it with proper meat as i don't agree with tinned food constantly. He loves his food and the vet doesn't see a problem with his diet.

Thanks for your reply x


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## Mirandashell (Jan 10, 2017)

What breed is he?


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## Sweetcake (Aug 8, 2017)

Mirandashell said:


> What breed is he?


He looks more like an american shorthair but most likely british shorthair.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Sweetcake

If he is a BSH, he is probably a well built chunky cat? Two of my previous cats were BSH and I can say for sure the male would not have managed on 2 meals a day. He had a big appetite and was often hungry.

Cats who are often hungry do seem to get into the habit of wandering around crying a lot, partly in the hope they will be fed, and also as a way of comforting themselves I believe.

You say you don't want to get into the habit of feeding him more than twice a day because he will get used to always wanting food. With all due respect that is implying human behaviour to a cat (i.e. being anthropomorphic). The fact is it is far more normal for a cat to eat 4 or 5 times a day, than to eat twice a day. So by restricting your cat to only 2 meals a day you are imposing unnatural behaviour for a feline on him.

Research has shown that feral or wild cats hunt as much as 10 times a day. Basically. left to their own devices a cat eats when he/she is hungry, they are not guided by what the clock says. Nor are they greedy like humans. Humans often eat for the sake of eating. Cats, as long as they are not bored, do not.

Cat are crepuscular animals so are at their most active, and would hunt most, at dawn and dusk, therefore are likely to be most hungry at those times. Providing you feed your cat in the early evening, then at bedtime, then at dawn, and then at breakfast before you go out, the chances are he won't need to eat in the day time, he will be asleep.

He will manage with 4 meals a day, which is very reasonable for an adult cat. The only meal you would need to put in an autofeeder would be the dawn meal, timed to open around 5 am at this time of year (if you are in the UK, i.e).

If you insist on not feeding him more than only twice a day then he should be allowed to go outdoors (in a cat proofed garden if it is not a safe area) and top up his food with whatever prey he can catch. This is what happened in the old days when I was a child. Owners fed their cat twice a day, the cats went out 24/7 and caught rodents to supplement their diet. That is why our cats never went hungry.

These days with so many cats kept indoors 24/7 they are not able to hunt to supplement their diet, so food needs to be offered more frequently by the owner to compensate.

If he is allowed to go out, (safely) it will also give him plenty to occupy him, and the constant miaowing indoors may stop or at least lessen.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Has he been with you since he was a kitten or is he new to you?

I agree to go to three or four meals a day. They don't have to be evenly spaced, and the timed feeder comes with an ice pack so raw or canned can be left down timed to open when he's due to be fed.

I work full time, my cats are fed 4 times a day.

However, there are some cats who are relentless meowers, it's just the way they are programed. My mother had one. Her name was Aubrey and she never ever stopped meowing.

You can try adding Rescue Remedy to some of his meals to see if that helps. 

I also agree with cat proofing your garden so he can go out. Not just to hunt, and for a change of scene, but to give you some relief from the constant noise!

One more thing you mention that he gets tired of Games quickly. Once a cat is past kittenhood it does become more challenging for the human to come up with Games kitty will play. With kittens, everything is a Game. Adult cats are more particular and it may take some time to work out what the likes. They want more challenge, more brain work. I wrote a post on this a while back and I think I saved it, I'll go hunting for it and post it here, later.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

I have one similar; it's as tho' she's wandering round talking to herself most of the time. Even if I am in a different room, I can hear her . . . not always a miaow, sometimes she just squeaks (in fact we've changed her name to Squeak and she answers to it). It stops when she gets on to my bed, but then she gets as close as she can and purrs at the top of her voice.


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## Sweetcake (Aug 8, 2017)

@chillminx - Thanks for your reply. He is a chunky cat and definitely not under weight. All my family and friends feed their cats twice a day so its not uncommon and they don't seem to be harassed with meowing so I really cant see that this relates to food. You could say that I imply he has human characteristics, but all I am doing is training him to know when dinner time is - the same as a human, to train where to go to the toilet, what he is allowed and not allowed to have or do.
He's not starved or anything so I wont be upping his meals. I genuinely don't think this relates to food. And at this current time it is not appropriate for him to be going out. He doesn't seem bothered by this either.

@lorilu - thanks for your reply. As I put above I don't think this is food related behaviour, hes not starved and if anything a little too chunky. Its not uncommon for cats to be fed twice a day where I am and friends and family don't have a persistent meower. I've had him from a kitten but originally was very very shy and it took a lot of work to stop him from hiding away. From what I can remember he was always noisy once out of his shell but perhaps not as much as he is now. I just thought he was (unfortunately) a very vocal cat and I did wonder if he needed a friend to play with as he grew up with 2 other cats when I lived with my mum.

@Calvine - Thank you for your reply. Yep sounds very much like my cats behaviour. I think my cat is very needy as if I go into another room he meows so loud as if somethings wrong, I go back into the room and he just meows quietly, I leave and hes so loud and eventually comes and finds me himself. He sits on the sofa and meows at me or my partner. He just craves attention but then meows during that attention. As I said above, perhaps he misses having a friends to play with or keep him company and is just needy and craves attention.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

We didn't say increase his food, we said increase the frequency of his meals. 

Same amount of food (or less if he's overweight, until he is a healthy weight) just more meals. 

That "other people" only feed twice a day and their cats don't meow, doesn't mean a thing. Every cat is an individual. Feeding three or four meals a day is worth trying. So is giving him a cat safe outside outlet.

If you aren't willing to try any of the advice given, looks like you'll just have to learn to live with it. There are no quick fixes. If you want change, you need to be prepared to make an effort.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

I can still post the Game ideas if you want. They will take some patience on your part.  Adding another cat is something to consider, but remember that cats don't usually take to one another right away, introductions will need to be done, it can take a few weeks or months for them to become accepting of each other.


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## Sweetcake (Aug 8, 2017)

lorilu said:


> We didn't say increase his food, we said increase the frequency of his meals.
> 
> Same amount of food (or less if he's overweight, until he is a healthy weight) just more meals.
> 
> ...


Sorry i read that wrong. However i still wont be increasing his meals. He has always been fed twice a day and hes not hungry. with the meowing - it isnt a food thing. I know that.

I am willing to try advice but as i am certain its not hunger im not about to jump and change his meal times after 3 years of routine. The vet doesnt see an issue with his feeding times and habits. 
Other advice was a wand toy - he already has 2. Im looking into the rescue remedy as iv never heard of it before - im not disregarding that. I dont have the ability to cat proof my garden as i already said its not appropriate for him to go out at the moment. As for putting something onto the window for him to go outside into im not able to do so due to my landlord.

If you do have at that link to hand il take a look.
Thanks.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

Eating satisfies psychological needs as well as physical needs. Instinctively, a cat knows he needs to eat more than twice a day. Depriving him of that satisfaction is just plain unfair to him.

A cat's digestive system is very short. That's why they can eat raw meat. It also means they need to eat more often than every 12 hours.

It's quite possible he loses interest in playing because he is hungry and just doesn't have the energy for sustained play. A three year old cat should be thundering around the house and getting up to all kinds of games, most of the day.

And a cat going 12 hours without food is hungry, for at least 4 or 5 hours, twice a day. Depending on the diet, possibly even longer. If the diet is dry and high carb for instance, the cat is probably hungry again only an hour or so after eating because the high carbs cause a sugar spike and drop.

Hopefully, since you schedule feed you have him on a high meat content wet diet?

And finally, when their tummies are empty for too long, it hurts. Acid builds up in there. It's not healthy for them. And it's just not nice for the cat.

Regardless of what your family and friends and vet think.


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## claire8234 (Mar 8, 2013)

I don't understand why you are so reluctant to try feeding him 4/5 times a day. You say the meowing is annoying you and yet aren't prepared to try the suggestion being given. How are you certain it isn't food if you haven't tried feeding him more frequently?? Just because its what friends and family do or what you have always done, it doesn't mean it is right for him.

My cat is fed 4-5 times a day and on the days I work I am out the house 9hrs. When I recently picked him up after 4 days in the cattery he drove me mad with miaowing - the cattery fed morning and evening. He was not happy with this at all! 

After a couple of days of being allowed to graze he stopped. 

Just give it a go!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I agree with Claire and lorilu.

The advice given is good advice from experienced cat owners. It may help your cat, and you won't know until you try. Why just dismiss it out of hand ? 

Like the others I have also explained the biological reasons why cats need to eat more often than twice a day. Brushing aside such facts as though they are of zero consequence, is not going to help your cat.

Your friends or family members who feed their indoor-only cats only twice a day are not being cat-centric, so I really wouldn't be guided by them. If you were to demonstrate the correct way to feed cats, according to their needs, and not according to human needs, you might find your cat-owning friends follow your example and thank you for enlightening them.

Note: vets are not usually experts in cat behaviour. If you want a professional POV about your cat 's excessive miaowing, engage a qualified cat behaviourist. If you have pet insurance you will be covered as long as the vet makes the referral.

Here are some good UK organisations:

http://www.apbc.org.uk/

http://www.vickyhalls.net/

http://capbt.org/findabehaviourist.php


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Sweetcake said:


> Sorry i read that wrong. *However i still wont be increasing his meals. He has always been fed twice a day and hes not hungry. with the meowing - it isnt a food thing. I know that*.
> 
> *I am willing to try advice but as i am certain its not hunger im not about to jump and change his meal times after 3 years of routine*. The vet doesnt see an issue with his feeding times and habits.
> Other advice was a wand toy - he already has 2. Im looking into the rescue remedy as iv never heard of it before - im not disregarding that. I dont have the ability to cat proof my garden as i already said its not appropriate for him to go out at the moment. As for putting something onto the window for him to go outside into im not able to do so due to my landlord.
> ...


So we are all wrong then , seems a bit pointless to ask for help/advice when ,if it doesn't suit you ,you dismiss it out of hand .


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## jasperthecat (Aug 5, 2017)

Sweetcake said:


> Sorry i read that wrong. However i still wont be increasing his meals. He has always been fed twice a day and hes not hungry. with the meowing - it isnt a food thing. I know that.
> 
> I am willing to try advice but as i am certain its not hunger im not about to jump and change his meal times after 3 years of routine. The vet doesnt see an issue with his feeding times and habits.
> .


Please don't take my observation as remotely offensive as it's certainly not intended to be but it would seem that perhaps it's yourself that is in the routine rather than your cat!

Cats can be extremely irritating when they are continually wowling on for no apparent reason though invariably there is a sound reason for it and usually an indication of distress in some form, which very often is hunger. If you've excluded the possibility of illness being the cause I would consider trying everything to find the cause, including experimenting with his feeding habits.

From your description of his behaviour, changing his feeding habits etc is hardly going to make things worse and if his behaviour doesn't ameliorate after changing his feeding habits, then you can rule it out completely but if you're unwilling to even try it, then you might just be overlooking the primary cause of his distress.

I have a just over three month old kitten and currently he has access to dry food and water 24/7 and is also fed small amounts of meats and kitten milk a couple of times during the day which I will be changing soon as I wean him onto wet food. 
He was the runt of the litter so had a bit to catch up but is now thriving and happy, putting on plenty of weight with lots of energy. The last time I had a cat was over 30 years ago and she always had access to food 24/7. She was a very contented cat and never ate too much or put on too much weight and lived until she was around 20 when she sadly succumbed to tumour on her brain. My experience with cats suggests that they eat when they are hungry and will invariably leave food once their appetite is satisfied, but as you must know yourself, hunger between meals invariably causes distress in humans so it's quite possible that your cat too is feeling distressed through too big a gap between meals.

Personally speaking, I don't think one can simply apply anthropomorphic rules to animal feeding. Most animals, if food is readily available, will eat as and when they are hungry and providing the food intake is balanced and healthy, they are unlikely to feel hungry or over eat and therefore have more energy and be more contented. Certainly worth looking into.
Tony


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## Smitherooney (Sep 15, 2010)

lorilu said:


> Eating satisfies psychological needs as well as physical needs. Instinctively, a cat knows he needs to eat more than twice a day. Depriving him of that satisfaction is just plain unfair to him.
> 
> A cat's digestive system is very short. That's why they can eat raw meat. It also means they need to eat more often than every 12 hours.
> 
> ...


Maybe, a bowl of dried food/sweeties as I call them put next to a bowl of fresh daily water, put down so he can have a nibble whenever he feels like it. i feed mine their breakfast in the morning and leave it there til i get home at night, when they have their dinner, again left there for them to nibble whenever they like.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Smitherooney said:


> Maybe, a bowl of dried food/sweeties as I call them put next to a bowl of fresh daily water, put down so he can have a nibble whenever he feels like it. i feed mine their breakfast in the morning and leave it there til i get home at night, when they have their dinner, again left there for them to nibble whenever they like.


This is an old thread and the OP (Sweetcake) hasn't been on the forum for over 18 months so may not see your post.


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## paul2013 (Jun 5, 2016)

In need of a companion ?


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## Mrs Funkin (Mar 12, 2018)

Old thread but really interesting, I like it when the old ones pop up from time to time as I’d miss interesting information otherwise


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