Cat Meowing All Night

[Feste]

We adopted a Maine Coon mix kitten, almost a year as the best guess-timate, last month. We didn't realize that he had been a mostly outdoor cat (and we are an indoor cat except for harnessed explorations of the yard and local park). He meows all night long, starting around midnight.

We play with him throughout the day, especially right before bed, take him out to the fire escape in the evenings on his harness or to a park during the day, and feed him right before bed, and we've tried giving him some "claming treats" right before bed, but they don't seem to work. We've an older tortie cat, who has warmed up to him, finally, and they play together. We can't ignore him, or the neighbors will hear him, as our apartment has thin walls. Any suggestions or advice?

 

[di and bob]

I take it he is neutered, if not that would help a lot. If it's behavioral, a month is not long at all in a cat's world, and it will just take time for his schedule/routine to match yours. Outdoor cats do their hunting and spend their time awake during the nighttime. You are extremely lucky to have your cats like each other in a month! The only suggestion I have is to try to keep him awake more during the day and give him the maximum calming treats to help him relax. you might call your vet and see if he can suggest anything better.

 

[neely]

Your new kitten reminds me a lot of our last cat who we suspected was also an outdoor cat. All we knew is that she was an owner surrender to the shelter. I guess that should have been our first clue. But we weathered through it and I have to admit there were times when my husband and I went to work on very little sleep. As di and bob said above, give it time. One thing that helped us which we didn't try right away was to give our cat her own room at night including a litter box, food/water bowl, toys, cat bed, etc. This helped tremendously and she was perfectly comfortable.

Here is an Article with some tips and advice that might be helpful for you:
How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (step-by-step Plan) – TheCatSite Articles

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. The other thing you might consider doing is talking with your neighbors and briefly explain the situation, tell them your are working on a resolution, and ask for their patience. Sometimes, just letting others know that you are aware of an issue goes a long way in 'keeping the peace'.

 

[Feste]

Thank you everyone for the ideas and advice! neely, I empathize, as we haven't had a night without waking up multiple times. We will try giving him his own space. Thank you for the advice. We kept him awake as di and bob suggested and will see if he can sleep through some of the night. I don't think the warm weather has been helping. And FeebysOwner, thank you for the suggestion to talk to the neighbors! Time it is then.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Keep us posted!!

 

[Feste]

He was quieter last night. We put his mat near a window and kept him up all day. He still got us up at 5 am, but I can take that over waking up every hour to quiet him. Thank you!