Constant Meowing To Get Out

[catsins]

I need your help. I moved a month ago from a big city to a small town. My two cats Sirius (3y) and Remus (2y) took the move pretty well, the next day they were back to their usual routines and Sirius stopped attacking my hands (a problem I wrote about here). But the problem is that he wants to get out, and it's getting pretty bad.

Long story (somewhat) short: I adopted them almost two years ago, both were given to me as suitable for a life in apartment/indoors. Two months in I noticed that Sirius is very curious about getting outside, he would often scratch and meow at the apartment door and try to dart between my legs to get outside. Sometimes he would scratch windows too. He even managed to escape a few times but I usually caught him in the lobby and brought back. I was living in a big apartment building, busy city and I knew I do not want to risk him getting into any trouble. And since he usually got bored of meowing at the door within few minutes, I assumed it's fine. Time passed by and he would get more and more insistent about that door, he would often spend 15-20 minutes there, ignoring distractions (even his favorite toys and treats) and would not only meow but sort of yowl and sound like he's hurt. I actually took him to a vet at one point, but his health was fine. The vet said to keep ignoring him and that he would stop. He didn't, I guess I just got used to it.

So, I moved and my new apartment is very big and has a lot of fun stuff outside to watch, there are trees, birds and all kinds of interesting stuff, plus I have a balcony (cat-friendly, the previous owner had a cat as well) that cats and I were super excited about. Even Remus, who genuinely does not care about anything happening outside the apartment was super excited to sit on the windowsill and watch birds or sleep in the sun on the balcony. I was so happy my babies will have more fun and was hoping that it would satisfy Sirius' desire to get outside.

But it has turned into a tiny nightmare. Now Sirius really, really wants outside. His meowing, yowling and scratching at the door and windows have slowly increased every day, and now he spends most of the day doing that, most of the night as well. I cannot get any sleep anymore because he yowls so loud it wakes me up (I am waiting for my neighbors to complain any day now). He does still eat, drink, go to the box and naps. I did some digging and it turns out he might not have been suited for indoor life, meaning, he apparently was an outdoor cat for at least a few months before he was taken to shelter, he was living on the streets. The shelter people just assumed he was suitable for indoors because he seemed fine with indoors in the shelter.

Past five days he has meowed so much that his voice sounds all raspy and scratchy, took him to the vet again, and nope, he really is physically fine, just very persistent about getting out. The new vet recommended me to take him for a walk on the leash every day and try to see if that helps with his cravings, and I did two days in the row. Probably shouldn't have, now when I think about it since it most likely confirmed that outside is awesome, but I was desperate and wanted to listen to the vet. When he was outside he was so happy, he was running around, catching butterflies, sniffing everything, eating grass, purring in the sun and basically looked like he was in paradise. He looked like a different cat, honestly. But of course, when I took him back in, he started to mew and yowl again. I had maybe four hours of sleep last two nights as he kept yowling at windows and doors most of the day and night.

I know other cat owners in this building let their cats out (the building is sort of surrounded by meadows and trees and not close to the road), but I don't want to do that. I am scared he might get hurt or run away (and then get hurt), there was a reason I wanted indoor cats. I feel like I might need to find him a new home and it breaks my heart, but his sad meows and desperate yowls break my heart more. Plus, I work from home and I cannot get anything done anymore. Could he adjust to leash walks and stop meowing constantly or should I just start looking for a new place for him where he can live outdoors?

 

[Furballsmom]

What would you think of trying you-tube squirrel and bird videos and/or DVDs of nature? What about a calming product diffuser? You might need to use earplugs for a bit, try Mack's.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

This might have some ideas for you, The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside.

 

[ArtNJ]

Begging to go out is normal for indoor/outdoor, for converted strays, and for cats that have escaped. But this seems to go well beyond the realm of normal to me deep into obsession. I would go back to the vet with precise numbers re: the amount of time he spends doing this, and be clear that you have never given in. The vet needs to check again for health issues, and it would likely be appropriate to try medication. I'm no expert on this though -- I've mostly heard of obsessive behaviors in dogs. Still, I can safely tell you that this just doesn't sound right. A cat will scratch at a door for 15, even 30 minutes or longer at times, sure, and do it often if encouraged by your response. But for hours and hours, day after day, with zero encouragement from you? Outside of normal.

Is Sirius spayed/neutered? If not, might be an easy one.

 

[catsins]

He is neutered. The vet thinks it’s because he sees and hears all the cats outside (I see/hear them myself so Sirius definitely does), and because he does eat, sleep and play (he loves da bird and laser toys) that it’s “not that bad”. I called and asked my previous vet and she too is not worried as long as he still does his daily stuff. I don’t know, part of me agrees that it’s not normal, on the other hand, he always meows when he wants something, e.g. he hates car rides and when we moved he spent the whole ride (3h) loudly yowling and meowing. He will do the same when he is hungry or is upset with something (e.g., why is bathroom door closed?). And while I try not to directly encourage that behavior (the door stays closed but only until I need to use the bathroom) maybe he takes it that he won at the end (car ride eventually ends)?

I will try Feliway just because I haven’t but don’t give that much hope. Other than that he has plenty to do inside, toys, scratching posts, perches, I play with him as well. He is not interested in videos for cats or automatic toys, he’s very smart so he quickly figured out what’s not “real”.

 

[ArtNJ]

It can definitely be a big deal when neighbor/strays come to the yard. But how many visiting cats do you have really? You don't have a nearby colony or something do you? Not a vet, but just sounds over the top for this to take up most of his waking hours day after day.

Solutions...if the vet won't try meds...try pulling the shades down and forgoing the balcony for a bit? I know its summer and a drag, but if you can break the habit will be worth it yeah? Or the cat could live in a furnished basement or something like that for a bit. Failing that, there are other OTC calming products if Feliway doesn't help.

 

[catsins]

Not a colony, but I live in apartment building with 60+ apartments, on 2nd floor (so close enough to the ground that you can see and hear other cats). There are at least 4 cats that I see regularly right below our windows/balcony and a few more that wander around. They are all owned by people who live in this building and let them out. They are not outside constantly but might be enough to upset Sirius.

I bought Feliway today, will see how it goes. It says on the package that I need to wait at least 24 hours for it to start working. Sadly vets in my country are quite old-fashioned and don't focus enough on psychological issues in pets, most probably won't want to prescribe anything even if I ask for it. Do you know any other good OTC products?

I have to think about the shades solution. Since I recently moved not all windows even have curtains/shades, but I can see if I can find anything quickly to cover them up. He has been way calmer during the day today (meows for 3-5 min every 2 hours or so), but the nights are still spent yowling constantly and not letting me sleep, so I need to figure something out.

Thank you for all the ideas and advice! I really love him and want the best for him, so I am willing to try out everything.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

You can try chamomile tea. That's about as OTC as you can get. Just be sure to use the commercial tea bags from the coffee/tea aisle of your local market. That guarantees that you are using Germain chamomile, which is medicinal and non-toxic to cats in prescribed doses, rather than English chamomile (often found in gardens), which has no medician value to speak of and is toxic to cats. Just brew a cup, chill it in your fridge, and adminsiter 1-3 teaspoonfuls at a time, up to 3 times a day via syringe. It is gently calming without being "drugging," and might do the trick.

 

[catsins]

Quick update: I bought Feliway and chamomile tea. Cats no longer get access to balcony and I have blinds that roll down fully and are not see through. No more walks outside as well.

It's still not great, but better. Sirius has about 3-4 meowing sessions during the day and one or two during the night (10-15min). Most of them are when I come back home from being outside. Overall he seems more joyful, has started to play with Remus again and seems interested in other toys and things. Neighbors have complained a little bit about his meowing during the night (it's very loud, I can't sleep even with earplugs), but I explained what's happening and they seem sympathetic. But if anyone of them makes a noise complaint it will be an issue..

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, good. This is really more progress than it probably seems to be to you at the time. We're headed in the right direction with him.

Now, as for the night Opera performances, you can try using a wand toy and playing really hard right before bedtime. Try to get him to just lie down and pant for a few minutes. Then give him a feeding, and head to bed. That's going to play into his natural instincts to hunt/kill/eat/groom/sleep and may calm some of the late night issues a bit.