Does anyone have any advice for excessive demand meowing (3+ hours)?

[catqs]

Hello! I made a couple of posts a few years ago asking for advice about one of my cats. (She's 4 years old, half-bengal (might be full)). Things have gotten a lot better and she is overall a great cat. There is one huge remaining issue though that's been driving me up the wall so I'd love any suggestions. I have two cats (the other one is male, also 4 years old). They're on an automatic feeder with dry food 3x daily, but for lunch I give them wet food with extra water because I want to make sure they're hydrated. One of the cats will just decide at some point during the day that they want lunch and start demand meowing, and then both of them meow nonstop. My girl is the worst because she meows rhythmically (about every 3 seconds) for hours until feeding time.

Here are the things I've tried:

1. Only feed at a specific time: This was the rule for years; it used to be 2:30pm=lunch time. They did not care. Sometimes, they decided they wanted lunch at 11:00am and started demand meowing from then until 2:30pm. Sometimes they only started a half-hour before. This ended up changing recently because of my schedule and I went with option #2 below.
2. Only feed when I get home: This is my current method ± #3 and ± #4. I stopped being home all the time and it seemed like the 2:30pm lunch rule wasn't working anyway, so I decided to feed them as soon as I get home (3-7pm). This worked great at first because the cue for lunch was me coming through the door, and they are quiet and wonderful after eating. It's a major issue if I have a half-day. Unfortunately they assume I am going to feed them at 10:30am, which I can't do or they start meowing again later in the day as if the first feeding didn't count. This also does not work on the weekends when they go back to deciding their own schedule.
3. Completely ignore them and go about my day: Most common piece of advice and it unfortunately does not work. I don't look at them or interact with them. They seem to be rewarded every time I walk toward the kitchen (because I am also snacky) and it encourages them to meow even louder for longer. I still do it on principle but really it doesn't make much of a difference.
4. Lock myself in the study and ignore them: They do generally stop, but then they start up again every time I move even a little bit. Honestly not super feasible and it doesn't make me feel great to lock myself in a room in my own apartment and just sit like a statue.
5. Feed them once when they first ask: This was the first thing I attempted (years ago) and it was a really bad idea. Obviously they just moved up the mealtime and would meow at me any time I did anything. Gave up on this one after about 3 days, horrible time.
6. Say "no" when they meow: Lol, predictably didn't work.
7. Play with them more: Sure, very nice, bonding, etc., but doesn't actually have any effect on the mealtime demand meows.
8. Get them more toys: They love the toys and play with them on their own, but not when they decide they want to eat.
9. Separate them: This does actually help a little because my little guy is pretty quiet when I put him in the bedroom and just goes to sleep. However, my girl just keeps going undeterred. If I try to put her in the bedroom instead she starts meowing at the top of her lungs so it just makes it worse.
10. Put some of their dry food in a puzzle toy to keep them busy until lunch: My male cat loves solving these but my bengal girl doesn't care. She just watches him and steals any of the food that falls out. In the end she is neither intellectually stimulated nor satisfied, and he is pretty pissed because he barely got any of the kibble. They promptly start meowing again as soon as there's no more food in the toy.
11. Took them to the vet: Clean bill of health for them both.
They're both spayed/neutered.

I don't know what to do. It's been an issue almost ever since I got her as a second cat, they egg each other on. I'm in med school so I'm pretty stressed and my mental health is rocky at the best of times, and being meowed at for hours nonstop makes it so much worse. I've been really grateful this rotation because the hours have been amazing and I actually have the time to study for once, but I cannot focus with the meowing. I feel like I can't breathe and can't relax in my own home. I'm kind of desperate so if anyone has been in a similar situation I'd love any advice.

 

[arr]

One idea that would be easy to check, just as a starting point, is could they for some reason get especially hungry at that time of day? You could try doing a wet food breakfast, as much as they want to eat in one sitting. Maybe if they got really filled up with protein and moisture at the start of the day, it would hold them until lunch.

All cats are different. I have a friend whose cat doesn’t want to eat anything until noon. Conversely, my cats definitely eat the most in the morning, so I really fill them up with a lot of wet food, and they eat less for lunch and dinner.

I know as a human, I’m much hungrier early in the day, especially around lunch, and I need to eat a bigger breakfast to keep from feeling starved by 10:30 am.

 

[lollie]

It would be best for your cats to get a wet meal 3x a day. Some cats crave dry food the way we do McDonald’s fries and others don’t care for it much at all and want wet. Especially with a Bengal, who is more closely related to her wild ancestors, she probably is craving a meatier dish. There are feeders you can get for timed wet food if you have an issue scheduling. She knows you have wet food in the house, and she wants it. I will have the same issue when my cat decides she hates the flavor she loved for lunch. They are not stupid, they know what’s in the cupboard.

 

[Alldara]

C catqs Oh my goodness. I was actually just speaking about this re: Magnus.

The major advice is to ignore it and you know what he does? He has the ability to scream for over 8 hours , multiple days in a row and make himself hoarse.

First, I will consider that she's a larger cat, so she might actually need a bit more food based on activity level.

I've done a couple of things:
1- make a strict schedule and stick to it. Set an alarm for the wet food. For the cat, that makes them think it's not you who sets the schedule (now after a bit I can adjust the alarm slightly and he will follow it for wake up time)

2- Try AAC buttons. She'll likely still be demanding but it's not screaming so that's an improvement. (Like Bunny and Stella the Dogs/Billie the cat)

3- Decide how much is enough. Magnus is allowed 2 shouts and whatever kind of other vocalness he wants. Then, we close the big door if it's at the screen etc. You'll have to decide if you want this step or if it's suitable to you.

My most recent trick is that I decide if he was screaming at the door (he screams to go outside, not for food like your cat), that he obviously forgot where the couch was. So I pick him up and place him on the couch.
It worked really well so far. Because he's not getting the reward he wants for screamies. But also because I'm not letting him sit and get himself all worked up.
He gets really worked up and disregulated with the ignoring method. It made him scream more and during more times of the day.

I don't think we will ever get to no screaming, but having it down to just a few hours spread out through the day is much relief right now.

 

[maggie101]

My cats are fed wet only 8 am,4 pm,10 pm. One of my cats eats many small servings her first meal.
The canned food will make them feel more "complete" partly because of the moisture . my cats Maggie and coco do not finish their bowl. They just eat what they need.