Cat Never Stops Howling

Hello - I just now signed up for this forum to possibly get some answers. I am starting lose my mind here.

I have a 2 year old male cat named Ollivander. Ollie is basically a big kitten - his baby face and demeanor haven't changed much since my ex husband and I found him outside alone at just a few weeks old. He is playful and affectionate, but has always had some behavior problems (breaking things, trying to eat things, getting into everything, playfully attacking my older female cat, etc). I thought the screaming was just part of that, or that he'd grow out of it after he was fixed. But as his overall behavior is getting better with age, the screaming is getting worse.

I love him to death, but he just never stops. He has always been a bit of a howler, but vets could never find anything medically wrong. It's gotten so much worse since my boyfriend and I moved into our apartment. I know stress from moving can cause this, but we've been in our new apartment for two months now and he still screams all day and night. If he isn't sleeping, you can hear him.

He has food and water, lots of comfy places to sleep, a cat tree, he gets attention as I only work part-time, he shows no signs of discomfort, he has toys and lots of windows to look out and watch the birds like he likes to. I shouldn't say it's always howling or screaming, sometimes he just meows or chirps constantly. He goes about his day in the way any cat would, just wandering around and doing his thing, but he just never stops making some sort of noise while doing it, no matter what he's doing. My other cat is silent unless she's hungry, thirsty, or can't get to her litter box for some reason. She'll come and let me know and take me over to whatever it is she wants. But now she's starting to vocalize more, I assume she's picking up this habit from him.

I have a cousin who is a vet tech who recommended a pheromone plug in. Said it reduces stress. It worked for about two weeks. I'd never slept so well! I'd find myself actually checking on him because he was so quiet. But then one day he just started up again. We were told that negative reinforcement does not work and to just ignore him, but if you ignore him he just gets in your face and screams louder. Or runs up and bites your legs and feet. He also seems to have extreme separation anxiety - follows me everywhere I go, always needs to know where I am. I can't go to the bathroom alone, and if I close the door while I'm in there he does everything in his power to try to get in, screaming and pawing at the door, even ramming himself against it to get to me.

We have a newborn baby boy due in 3 weeks, and I can't have Ollie keeping the baby up all the time with this. But I know he's probably just going to get more stressed with the new addition, and it may get even worse, if that's possible. I just don't know what to do anymore. If anyone has any personal experience, I would greatly appreciate any advice. Thank you for reading all of this!

Beautiful cat. I wonder if being removed from his mother and his litter mates so early causes some of the anxiety. I am assuming he is fixed? Possibly a buddy his own age or a bit younger to run and play with would give him something to do. I don't want to compound the number of cats before your new baby but it may help once he is taken through a slow introduction. Maybe a rescue group would allow you a few weeks trial of a cat they think might be suitable.

Summercats said:

Beautiful cat. I wonder if being removed from his mother and his litter mates so early causes some of the anxiety. I am assuming he is fixed? Possibly a buddy his own age or a bit younger to run and play with would give him something to do. I don't want to compound the number of cats before your new baby but it may help once he is taken through a slow introduction. Maybe a rescue group would allow you a few weeks trial of a cat they think might be suitable.

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Thank you, he is a pretty boy isn't he?

Yes, he is fixed, but was fixed late. He was under the care of my ex husband at the time until he threatened to get rid of him if I did not take him, unable to handle his behavior. He said before that he was going to get him fixed but never did, hence me having to take care of it later than it should have been done before I took him back. I'm wondering if that is a factor as well? He was over a year old I believe. Ex was also physically abusive towards me in the marriage, and I wonder if the stress in the household could have also contributed to Ollie's anxiety at the time.

Unfortunately my boyfriend and I only have a one bedroom apartment at the moment until our year lease is up, which not only likely would not accommodate 3 cats, but we also already signed a contract that said we wouldn't have more than the two in here. I'm told that Ollie had a sister left as well that someone else got before we took him in (all the others in the litter were killed by something) and I regret not being able to get her too at the time so they could grow and play together. I don't think his behavior problems would've been as bad if he'd had that outlet, since my older cat obviously wanted nothing to do with him, and still really doesn't.

Try desensitising him to being left alone. Theres a good article here Kitty Lonely When You're Gone? Tips to Help Her Separation Anxiety

Ceracera said:

Try desensitising him to being left alone. Theres a good article here Kitty Lonely When You're Gone? Tips to Help Her Separation Anxiety

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Definitely worth a shot - thank you!

It may be his breed, any kind of oriental breed and they are 'talkers', most of the time and loudly. Or a breed that is prone to high anxiety. I had a cat once that meowed constantly and was found to have brain damage, but that is not yours, because he did stop for that few weeks. I would take this to indicate anxiety. It may be time to introduce some anti anxiety medications, like Prozac, etc. Explain this to the vet and ask for a prescription of what they recommend. Give pills by cementing them to a piece of bacon or lunch meat with a tiny piece of a pill pocket, I have given meds for years this way. Remember too, that it takes several weeks, to months, for these kind of meds to take effect. There are 'calming treats' on Amazon that work well for my cat's vet visits, they work well. Gte him several toys, including a kickeroo (which all cats love) and rotate them by storing some in a catnip filled plastic bag. He is anxious for SOME reason, it's just a matter of finding it, I hope you find a solution before the baby is born.

I would try blowing on his face when he gets in your face and screams. It was how I got my punk to leave me alone when I sleep. My punk was a bit of a screamer when he was young and I said 'heck no, there is no way I'm doing this for 20 years!' So I taught him 'sush'. If they meow normally I respond and talk back. If they scream I gently/barely touch their nose with one finger, say 'sush', then ignore them. It works I swear. It took less than a month for my punk to get the message.

My Bruce talks a lot too. Like all the time and in all kinds of situations (playing, cuddling, watching birds). But it gets lowder and really anoying when he's bored.

I've learned here that some cats are harder to entertain than others. If you have a very smart cat, he might be bored. Have you tried interactive toys (like food mazes, and others alike)?

We have now a rainbow of toys for Bruce and we switch them up regularly so he has his fill of entertainment. Just looking at the window does not do for my boy, as it might for other cats.

And even so, he still wakes us up in the middle of the night to play. Go figure!

di and bob said:

It may be his breed, any kind of oriental breed and they are 'talkers', most of the time and loudly. Or a breed that is prone to high anxiety. I had a cat once that meowed constantly and was found to have brain damage, but that is not yours, because he did stop for that few weeks. I would take this to indicate anxiety. It may be time to introduce some anti anxiety medications, like Prozac, etc. Explain this to the vet and ask for a prescription of what they recommend. Give pills by cementing them to a piece of bacon or lunch meat with a tiny piece of a pill pocket, I have given meds for years this way. Remember too, that it takes several weeks, to months, for these kind of meds to take effect. There are 'calming treats' on Amazon that work well for my cat's vet visits, they work well. Gte him several toys, including a kickeroo (which all cats love) and rotate them by storing some in a catnip filled plastic bag. He is anxious for SOME reason, it's just a matter of finding it, I hope you find a solution before the baby is born.

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I don't think he's any sort of fancy breed, he appears to be just a DSH to me, but I guess since he was a stray anything could be mixed in there.

I was worried about it being genuine anxiety and going in for medication - just sounds expensive with the new baby and new apartment. But if it helps, then that is what we will have to do. I can hear him screaming as I type this (at 2am - we have neighbors in our building that probably hate us).

I tried the calming treats and he hated them, so I considered looking for a different brand, texture, or flavor. Or maybe the spray? But that seems like more of a temporary solution.

Thank you for your advice. Next step is to contact a vet! His last vet was in a different county so I will be finding him a new one.

madzoya said:

My Bruce talks a lot too. Like all the time and in all kinds of situations (playing, cuddling, watching birds). But it gets lowder and really anoying when he's bored.

I've learned here that some cats are harder to entertain than others. If you have a very smart cat, he might be bored. Have you tried interactive toys (like food mazes, and others alike)?

We have now a rainbow of toys for Bruce and we switch them up regularly so he has his fill of entertainment. Just looking at the window does not do for my boy, as it might for other cats.

And even so, he still wakes us up in the middle of the night to play. Go figure!

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May have to try new toys! He used to love to play, but my ex never played with him or paid him much attention once I left. He also used to go for walks in the park or on trails with a harness, and he stopped doing that with him too. I feel like he was used to more activity before, but I can't get him back in the swing of it because he seems so genuinely scared of everything now. I wish we had more time to work with him.

danteshuman said:

I would try blowing on his face when he gets in your face and screams. It was how I got my punk to leave me alone when I sleep. My punk was a bit of a screamer when he was young and I said 'heck no, there is no way I'm doing this for 20 years!' So I taught him 'sush'. If they meow normally I respond and talk back. If they scream I gently/barely touch their nose with one finger, say 'sush', then ignore them. It works I swear. It took less than a month for my punk to get the message.

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I could try! I usually just push him awa and don't respond, but he doesn't seem to get the hint that way. I don't feed when he's screaming, pet when he's screaming, even look at him when he's screaming. But yet he keeps going lol my mom keeps saying he's preparing me to have my little boy!

Smcw8 AHAH he needs harness walks!!! My punk (Dante) was insufferable. I was home & would play with him at least 6 times a day for 20 minutes and he was STILL driving me (& Salem) insane! So much so that my over protective self allowed him/trained him to stay in our garden-fied alley/'yard' for an hour or two every afternoon. He was still insanely hyper but it was manageable. When my divorce started, I moved in with my mom & he now gets free access of the backyard/ 'hunting' the birds during the day time n(usually an hour or so under the orange tree by the bird feeders.) Letting him outside calmed him down immediately! Before you try medications, please try giving him an hour to 'hunt' outside (with a harness and a long leash) and a bird feeder with a cat perch/open window with the a screen so he can bird watch. It helps I swear. Dante is the hyperest cat I have ever known. He was so bad as a kitten/teen he thought his name meant no

Do you think his howls are stress related or attention seeking? Sometimes it's okay to go with your gut feeling, if you feel when he howls it's stress related or he's being panicky, then maybe dedicating a few minutes daily to play with him and give him a relaxing scratch or massage, I've got an overly screaming female cat, who's just nervous, and when is started treating her tricks and making her focus then it reduced her meowing.

Cats will also react to how you feel, if you're feeling lately stressed or unwell, they'll mirror you.

He might calm down after your baby boy arrives!

If it's attention seeking I'd recommend doing what most above suggested.

Sorry if it wasn't much help, I'm not as experienced or knowledgeable as everyone else but I can definetly relate when Honey used to keep me up all night until she fell asleep and wake me up at 5.00

danteshuman said:

Smcw8 AHAH he needs harness walks!!! My punk (Dante) was insufferable. I was home & would play with him at least 6 times a day for 20 minutes and he was STILL driving me (& Salem) insane! So much so that my over protective self allowed him/trained him to stay in our garden-fied alley/'yard' for an hour or two every afternoon. He was still insanely hyper but it was manageable. When my divorce started, I moved in with my mom & he now gets free access of the backyard/ 'hunting' the birds during the day time n(usually an hour or so under the orange tree by the bird feeders.) Letting him outside calmed him down immediately! Before you try medications, please try giving him an hour to 'hunt' outside (with a harness and a long leash) and a bird feeder with a cat perch/open window with the a screen so he can bird watch. It helps I swear. Dante is the hyperest cat I have ever known. He was so bad as a kitten/teen he thought his name meant no

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I used to love taking him on harnesses walks but he's too scared now because my ex didn't keep up with it. I considered trying to ease him back into it, but little dude can RUN let me tell you lol