Kitten meowing while pottying

[Sugardroid]

Hi, my 5 month old kitten has been meowing while she potties since we adopted her a couple months ago. I suspected she may have a UTI so we took her to the vet, yet the results were negative so her pee is clear. the vet said they could do more tests like x-rays and to check if she has parasites but also it could be behavioral. I don't really want her to go through more testing so I'm chalking it up to her just being weird and wanting to be vocal.

should I be concerned? or are some cats like this? do some cats just like to talk when they go to the bathroom?

sometimes she is completely quiet but other times she meows before and during her potty. and she sometimes moves around to different spots before she can go. and she does this with both #1 and #2

 

[Azazel]

Meowing before or after or while digging can be normal. Meowing during can be a sign of pain. How’s her poop look? How frequent is it? What are the size of her pee clumps? I would pay more attention to exactly when she does it.

 

[lattiee]

It could be that she doesn't like the smell or feel of her litter . As I know when we ended up getting our cat many years ago his foster mom was using like pellet type of litter and gave us a bag of it as we learned that he didn't like that when he would be going to the bathroom around our apartment including on car seat covers when my son was using a car seat which was a way long long time ago as my son is now 15 . I also learned that he doesn't like gravel, rock , fragance , or crystal type litter either . He prefers the full sand type of litter. Also our cat came with a hooded cat litter box which he didn't like so I ended up getting one that was uncovered . So if you have any other cats I would suggest getting a new box for that kitten and try some different litter to see if she stops meowing during bathroom time otherwise if that kitten is the only cat their try new litter to see if she stops meowing then if she doesn't it is more likely the litter box is the problem like get one that isn't high and one that isn't covered.

 

[susanm9006]

If she has been checked and doesn’t have a UTI then I think it is just normal kitten crying while using the litterbox. Young kittens do it frequently before or while using the box and it is a little unusual but not unheard of in an older one. I don’t know what it means, but I think they might be calling out to their moms when they have to go.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. All the above are good suggestions/ideas. And, if litter is not the issue, monitoring exactly when she is meowing as A Azazel suggested is a great idea - and may help toward figuring out why she is doing this. The other thing - about the parasites, just to rule out that aspect - if you collect a stool sample from her (directly from the litter box, litter and all), most vets will accept it for testing without having to actually see the kitten/cat. Bag it and if you can't take it immediately to the vet's office you can refrigerate until you can get there - I think it is viable for several hours. You can confirm this approach with your vet.

 

[lucicat]

I was told this is normal kitten behavior. Although it seems unusual for it to have persisted till 5 months. Our little guy did it the first couple weeks he was here, but stopped by about 11weeks old.
foster mom said kitten a do it so their mama will clean them up.

 

[susanm9006]

You do, by the way, always want a parasite check since they are quite common and may not have recognizable symptoms. You don’t need to bring in the kitten, just a fresh poop sample for the vet to check. I would certainly do that regardless of whether the meowing stops or not.

 

[Sugardroid]

Meowing before or after or while digging can be normal. Meowing during can be a sign of pain. How’s her poop look? How frequent is it? What are the size of her pee clumps? I would pay more attention to exactly when she does it.

she does it before and sometimes does it during. sometimes she doesn't meow at all. her poo looks normal and she pees fully everytime. she definitely is peeing she's just very vocal before and sometimes during.

 

[Sugardroid]

It could be that she doesn't like the smell or feel of her litter . As I know when we ended up getting our cat many years ago his foster mom was using like pellet type of litter and gave us a bag of it as we learned that he didn't like that when he would be going to the bathroom around our apartment including on car seat covers when my son was using a car seat which was a way long long time ago as my son is now 15 . I also learned that he doesn't like gravel, rock , fragance , or crystal type litter either . He prefers the full sand type of litter. Also our cat came with a hooded cat litter box which he didn't like so I ended up getting one that was uncovered . So if you have any other cats I would suggest getting a new box for that kitten and try some different litter to see if she stops meowing during bathroom time otherwise if that kitten is the only cat their try new litter to see if she stops meowing then if she doesn't it is more likely the litter box is the problem like get one that isn't high and one that isn't covered.

interesting! thanks, I will change her litter and see how she feels. she currently has an uncovered one that's easily accessible and she is the only cat we have

 

[Azazel]

Are you sure it's during? Like is she squatting and pooping and meowing? That might indicate a bit of pain due to constipation. It's important to note during which activity it's happening (poop or pee).

 

[Sugardroid]

I was told this is normal kitten behavior. Although it seems unusual for it to have persisted till 5 months. Our little guy did it the first couple weeks he was here, but stopped by about 11weeks old.
foster mom said kitten a do it so their mama will clean them up.

so your kitten was meowing DURING peeing too? or only before..?

 

[Sugardroid]

Are you sure it's during? Like is she squatting and pooping and meowing? That might indicate a bit of pain due to constipation. It's important to note during which activity it's happening (poop or pee).

yes sometimes it is during. she squats to urinate, and sometimes meows during but not everytime. she does not meow during pooping, only before while she's digging.

 

[Sugardroid]

You do, by the way, always want a parasite check since they are quite common and may not have recognizable symptoms. You don’t need to bring in the kitten, just a fresh poop sample for the vet to check. I would certainly do that regardless of whether the meowing stops or not.

thanks! she goes back to the vet for more boosters so I will bring it up

 

[Sugardroid]

Hi. All the above are good suggestions/ideas. And, if litter is not the issue, monitoring exactly when she is meowing as A Azazel suggested is a great idea - and may help toward figuring out why she is doing this. The other thing - about the parasites, just to rule out that aspect - if you collect a stool sample from her (directly from the litter box, litter and all), most vets will accept it for testing without having to actually see the kitten/cat. Bag it and if you can't take it immediately to the vet's office you can refrigerate until you can get there - I think it is viable for several hours. You can confirm this approach with your vet.

yes I've been monitoring exactly when she does it and the vet said it could be behavioral and she really isn't sure why she's doing that since there is no urinary infection. I will bring up a parasite test when she goes back to the vet next week

 

[Sugardroid]

thank you everyone for the advice! she does not have a bladder infection, she eats and drinks normally, plays normally, does not act in pain. she only meows during urination, not during defecation. but she does meow before doing both. sometimes though, she is completely quiet. I will bring up the parasite test and change her litter and see what happens! hopefully, this is just behavioral. I'm hoping she will grow out of it as she gets older.

 

[jcat]

If everything else turns out to be normal, it really could be behavioral. Our last cat, who died just short of his 14th birthday, meowed his entire life whenever he used his box, usually just after he'd finished - but only when I was home. That seemed to mean, "Here's something to scoop!", or else he was looking for praise. He never did it when just my husband or a cat sitter was there.

A lot of the kittens at the shelter jump in the box while you're cleaning it or immediately afterwards - and purr or meow, probably because we praise them for using the box.