Cat Is Lonely And Keeps Meowing

[TheFartingCat]

We just got our 6 month old kitten a couple days ago. He’s super friendly, and has adapted quickly to a new home, but whenever we go to his room to play with him, and then leave, he starts meowing like crazy. The moment you go back into the room, he stops. We think this is because he has never been an only cat before. The person we adopted him from had 3 of his brothers, as well as 6 other cats. He likes to meow at night, and I’ve tried tiring him out, then feeding him, as well as a lot of other ways to stop cats from meowing like just ignoring him, but he still meows, and in the end, we have to bring him to the first floor and make him sleep there. If this persists for more than a couple weeks, we might consider just adopting his brother (whom he is very close with, and the person we adopted him from suggested we could do). I don’t want to have to do this, because alothough two cats would be fun, the workload would definitely increase, and we don’t have that much time to care for two cats. Any suggestions for what I should do?

 

[ArtNJ]

If you ignore these behaviors and don't reinforce them, they normally go away, eventually. Night-time meowing can be harder, because its harder to ignore, but I assure you that if you get up and feed/pay attention to the cat it will continue.

You can use timed feeders if food is the issue, which it sometimes is, but this sounds like good ole fashioned "hey this works for attention".

A second kitten would not necessarily solve this and could bring other difficulties like noisy 4 am play sessions.

 

[di and bob]

I think adopting his brother would help immensely. As for increasing the work load, not really. Two cats are easier to care for then one, no extra playtime/company from you, and less destructive behavior because of boredom. They keep each other company, they have a built in friend and companion, the vet only charges one office visit if you bring them both in, and all the cat food would be eaten, no waste! To me, the benefits far outweigh the bad. But don't wait too long, over a week or two and they will start to forget their siblings and you will have to do introductions. Two boys are buddies, a little girl will usually not be as close when they get older. Little girls turn into divas and rule the roost. Your little one will forget in time, it will take several weeks, but you are right,m he is very lost and lonely right now. All the luck and keep us posted!

 

[TheFartingCat]

Thank you guys so much for the quick reply. I will decide to get his brother or not very soon.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Just keep in mind, you've only had the kitten for a few days, correct? Usually takes a little longer for a cat to get used to his new surroundings. I hope, once he's been there longer, that your plan is to let him roam the house - and, have access to your bedroom - that might just solve the meowing altogether.

 

[TheFartingCat]

He'll be able to roam the house soon, but during the night we're going to have him sleep in his room, and I'm worried he'll continue meowing once he's alone in the room. Maybe you're right about the fact that it usually takes longer for cats to adjust, but he got comfortable in our house so quick that maybe I’m overreacting to his meowing.

 

[FeebysOwner]

He just flat out doesn't want to be alone. If you plan on always having him in his own room for sleep time, you will probably just have endure the meowing until he figures that out.

Maybe you could start taking him out of his room to play before bedtime, and then put him back in his room to sleep? Perhaps, that will help train him that his room is for sleeping when it is night time? If he has a cat bed, place him there when you put him back in the room. Not that he will stay there, but he will learn that is what is meant by bedtime. Just throwing out ideas...

 

[war&wisdom]

I just wanted to jump in to say that I adopted sibling kittens, and I'm so glad that I did. It's not significantly more work (although it is significantly more food), and in fact, it eases my mind to know that they always have each other and are never truly lonely. They're playmates and sleeping partners, and if I have less time to play with them on certain days, I don't have to worry, because they'll just play with each other. We allow them into our bedroom at night now that they're a bit older, but it was so much easier to lock them out together when they were too small and rambunctious.

 

[TheFartingCat]

I am trying to spend more time with him during the day, but this is a bit challenging, since I have a very busy schedule. I am still not sure if I want to adopt his brother or not because the food we're using is a bit expensive if we had two cats (purina beyond), and I want to feed my cat good quality food. Does anyone know any more affordable, but good quality cat foods? (no by-products, canned)