# Loud meowing in early hours



## Tortie9 (Sep 27, 2012)

Hi, we have a 15 year old cat who is very affectionate and much prefers to be in with us than outside. There is a cat flap though so that during the day she can go out.

Over the last 12 months she has gradually started to meow very loudly outside our bedroom door, in the early hours. It started about 12 months ago and was restricted to when she had just been in the cattery - it started to take her a while to settle back down and she would cry for a week then be ok (at night).

This has now become a nightly occurrence; once I get up and cuddle her and take her back to her room, she then stays quiet for the rest of the night. We wondered if it was a bit of senility or disorientation when she wakes, so got a night light and left the radio on low for her but neither make any difference.

I don't want to shut the door on her in her room (she sleeps in the spare bedroom/study) because I feel mean doing that and I would want to know if she was meowing even more and I may not hear her. 

If anyone has any advice I would be grateful. Oh - forgot to mention - we have had her to the vet and she has had a full blood test with no abnormalities except a very slight reduction in kidney function commensurate with her age. So we are fairly satisfied the cause is not medical.

Thanks in advance - I realise that getting up and reassuring her is maybe not the right thing to do because she is getting a result each time she does it... but the loud meowing is so upsetting that I can't just ignore it. She is not a voluble type cat and never has been... she prefers the silent miaows usually! So this behaviour at night is worrying as well as stressful.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

I would just let her sleep with you from the beginning - she has decided this is what she wants and now knows how to get it. If you aren't amenable to shutting her away that's all you really have left. She's old and she knows what she wants.

You may find once she is allowed in she won't bother as much.


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## Tortie9 (Sep 27, 2012)

spid said:


> I would just let her sleep with you from the beginning - she has decided this is what she wants and now knows how to get it. If you aren't amenable to shutting her away that's all you really have left. She's old and she knows what she wants.
> 
> You may find once she is allowed in she won't bother as much.


I am sure you're right - she would be totally quiet if we let her in the bedroom. Unfortunately she often brings up fur balls and we don't really fancy sharing the bed with those.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Brush her lots, use malt paste for furballs OR put up with the miaowing


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## auspiciousmind (Sep 2, 2012)

I have to agree with Spid letting her in your room in the first place would probably be the best idea.

Button is very vocal about what she wants and no matter what you do she won't stop! We lock the cat flap at night time so she doesn't go out when were asleep she got smart to this and went out at 6pm and at 3am YES 3am she still wasn't in after us searching the street, calling her , shaking treats etc.. We both had work in the morning so in the end locked the cat flap (Sounds horrible but we've had other cats coming in eating, puking and poo'ing all over our house , and LIVE country (So HUGE) rats running around in our house after allowing her to go in and out all night. We opened the summer house so she had somewhere warmer and shelter to go.. She sat out for 2 and half hours meowing as loud as she could continuously until one of our neighbours nearly smashed our front door down to tell us she was out there keeping him awake LOL 

Moral of the story ... Cats just don't ever seem to give up if they really really want something lol


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## Tortie9 (Sep 27, 2012)

Thanks both. Malt paste.. not heard of that one before. We find feeding her tinned tuna in sunflower oil now and then (not too often) cuts the frequency of fur balls though. 

Yes, we keep the flap locked from about 10pm so we know where she is! LOL!

This miaowing has definitely come on with age... strange that she calms down for the rest of the night though after I've got up and paid her some attention. I have tried ignoring her and letting her miaow - although she shuts up for a while, after an hour or so she will start again.


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## auspiciousmind (Sep 2, 2012)

Tortie9 said:


> Thanks both. Malt paste.. not heard of that one before. We find feeding her tinned tuna in sunflower oil now and then (not too often) cuts the frequency of fur balls though.
> 
> Yes, we keep the flap locked from about 10pm so we know where she is! LOL!
> 
> This miaowing has definitely come on with age... strange that she calms down for the rest of the night though after I've got up and paid her some attention. I have tried ignoring her and letting her miaow - although she shuts up for a while, after an hour or so she will start again.


Button was apparently a really quiet cat until I arrived and took her daddys (my OH) attention away 2 years ago. She now miaows from the moment she comes in the cat flap .. across the kitchen , across the front room until she is on one of our laps.

The first time you got up and showed her attention when she was meowing probably cemented the whole thing for her. She realized if she did it she'd get attention.. now she's not going to stop!

We have a kitten (Romeo) who's in a safe room until his 2nd jab is done (today) and we can start introductions.. He was ill after we got him so I would go in and check on him every time he meowed in case there was something wrong with him.. He's now realized this and has perfected his meowing so well that he sounds like a newborn baby crying. Smart are cats!! lol


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## Tortie9 (Sep 27, 2012)

Yes they certainly know how to manipulate us don't they!

She sleeps most of the day now, then is up and around a bit early evening. She spends time on my knee whilst we watch TV and then has her supper and goes to bed. But only till the early hours! LOL!

Having her on the bed would probably keep us awake alot too so I don't know whether that is a possibility.


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## nightkitten (Jun 15, 2012)

Wilbur used to wake me up every single night between 2am and 4am. It was exactly the same as with your cat, once I cuddled him a bit he would be quiet for the rest of the night.

So I let him sleep on the bed now and at least he has a peaceful night/s sleep. I'm a bit squashed as he takes up half of my side but I have got used to it


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## catgeoffrey (Jun 28, 2012)

We used to have this with Geoffrey (he's only 7months old!) so eventually we started leaving our bedroom door open and now when he wants a cuddle he just comes in, jumps on the bed and cuddles up to me (not OH ) and then goes to sleep. He wakes at about 6 and then goes for a walk and settles on the landing then until we get up! 
I'd open the door and enjoy your sleepy cuddle! Much less noisy!


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## Tortie9 (Sep 27, 2012)

catgeoffrey said:


> We used to have this with Geoffrey (he's only 7months old!) so eventually we started leaving our bedroom door open and now when he wants a cuddle he just comes in, jumps on the bed and cuddles up to me (not OH ) and then goes to sleep. He wakes at about 6 and then goes for a walk and settles on the landing then until we get up!
> I'd open the door and enjoy your sleepy cuddle! Much less noisy!


Yep I guess you and nightkitten and the others are right.... it may be the only way to stop her getting distressed.


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## CharleyRogan (Feb 20, 2009)

Notices how you are all bowing down to your kitties  Spoilt kitties!

Dax used to sleep in bed with me, but now he has a new cat tree, i've been shelved. Although this morning he was sprawled over the bed making me close to the edge! Cheeky!


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## catgeoffrey (Jun 28, 2012)

We are all very well trained slaves that bow to their every whim!


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## kr00t0n (May 10, 2012)

We won't give in, and silicone earplugs are working a treat


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## Tortie9 (Sep 27, 2012)

kr00t0n said:


> We won't give in, and silicone earplugs are working a treat


I just hate to hear her meowing so loudly though when she doesn't normally miaow much - the thought that she is distressed makes me get up and go and see her. Probably not the right thing to do but hey....


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## fortunesfool (Feb 11, 2012)

kr00t0n said:


> We won't give in, and silicone earplugs are working a treat


I think this is our next option - we get door scratching at around five and if we let them in we get things knocked off the chest of drawers!!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Tortie9 -- up until one point all my cats had developed a habit of meowing loudly in the middle of the night/early hours as they became *senior* cats. I believe it is to do with cats feeling more frail and less confident than their younger selves, and needing reassurance. 

For years I put up with disturbed nights with one cat after another as they aged. Then when I acquired 2 kittens I decided they would be shut in the sitting room at bedtime and I stuck to this always so they were used to it. I think it gave them a sense of security being settled for bed at night in their own room. When those same kittens grew up, and then aged into senior cats, I had no problems with them being noisy at night. 

But I think it is too late to do this with your 15 year old cat, as she would get distressed being shut away from you when she is not used to it. I'd let her in with you at night.


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## WelshYorkieLover (Oct 16, 2011)

I hate the loud meowing! It sounds like they're dying! We leave our bedroom door open all night so our two can come and go as they please. We have no choice, Séamus has a thing about open doors! He hates it! And he just opens them!! We have had to turn the handles upside down on some of the doors so he can't open them but we can't do it on our bedroom door. And there's no point on putting a lock on it as you know how persistent they are he would be trying to open in all night and it's VERY noisy!!! He sleeps at the bottom of the bed (my side) a lot of the time and if I stretch out and kick him during the night accidently I know about it! He bites!! We also have our pooch sleeping with us every night so I have become a contortionist fitting my legs where ever I can between them! Our other cat likes to sleep with us too sometimes but luckily he'll sleep in the laundry basket or windowsill. They are sleeping downstairs right now she we have had a peaceful nights sleep!! Except for one scarily loud thunder clap! Oh and the daily dancing around the bedroom floor my husband does while putting his trousers on! But he has just left for work, the boys are sleeping soundly downstairs and so me and Millie are going get a little bit more sleep lol.

Oh dear I spoke to soon the bin men are doing their rounds!


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## koekemakranka (Aug 2, 2010)

Tortie9 said:


> I am sure you're right - she would be totally quiet if we let her in the bedroom. Unfortunately she often brings up fur balls and we don't really fancy sharing the bed with those.


I think let her sleep with you guys. She's elderly and needs human companionship. Perhaps she gets anxious on her own, poor love. Hairballs aren't the end of the world and can be reduced through daily brushing and malt paste.


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