Kitty Suddenly Very Needy And Yowling

[SarahB1863]

Hi everybody,

I have a 2 1/2-year old kitty named Charlotte. I adopted her as a stray when she was about 5 weeks old. She's an only kitty.

She's always been sort of skittish and nervous and seems to need attention all the time - and when she doesn't get it, she alternately meows and jumps on the nearest piece of furniture and starts knocking stuff off.

Up until recently she'd do this and when I've ignored, eventually stopped doing it and just meatloafed either on the floor near me or on my bed (I'm a writer and my computer is in my bedroom, so I spend a lot of time there).

I work full time and when I get home I play with her for about 20 minutes, and then for about 20 minutes before I go to bed. Despite this, she gets angry when I actually go to bed and will follow me down the hallway, grabbing my ankles, and once I'm in bed she'll pounce on me from the floor and bite my arm.

Up until last week she left me alone after one or two pounces, but since about the middle of last week, after I turned the light off she started wandering the apartment and whimpering, then yowling. This has lasted intermittently through the whole darn night.

I haven't gotten up because I don't want to encourage this behavior, but I don't know what to do about it. I'm afraid the neighbors will start complaining. I could try getting another cat, but A. it's expensive, B. I have no idea if Charlotte will tolerate another cat and C. if she doesn't and I have to take the new kitty back, I'd feel terrible.

I'm working on the second edit of my first book and Charlotte will not leave me alone to write - she whines, paws at me, and then starts knocking stuff off the bureau. I could shut her out of the room but then I feel like I'm punishing her and that's not going to make this problem go away.

Any ideas? I'm actually starting to think she might be better off with someone who can give her more attention than I can. But then I feel like a horrible cat mom. :-(

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Why feel like a bad cat mom when your concern is for her best health and welfare? If that turns out to be with someone else, that's kudos to you for putting her first

Has she been in to the vet lately?

She does sound bored. Can you try MusicForCats . com?

Also, there are these;

19 Best Interactive Cat Toys: Your Ultimate List (2019) | Heavy.com

Home - the Ripple Rug

Food Puzzles for Cats

Favorite Cat Toys?

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats)

 

[Mamanyt1953]

A couple of more articles for you:

How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night (step-by-step Plan)

How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat

The Dos And Don'ts Of Cat Behavior Modification

My cat, Hekitty, kept me awake off and on all night long for EIGHT YEARS. LOL, I've become so accustomed to sleep deprivation that I'm having to readjust now that I found the answer to the nightly Cat Opera performances. What did the trick for her was simply leaving a light on low in the living room. WHO KNEW? This won't, of course, work for every cat, but it's worth a try!

Now, if you try EVERYTHING, and NOTHING works, and you have to seriously consider re-homing, think of it like this...most mothers who put their babies up for adoption don't do it because they DO NOT love them, but because they DO, and want them to have the best life possible, even while their own hearts break. Just be sure you screen potential adopters very carefully, and find her a true Forever Home, which is what you so hoped yours could be. IF it comes to that, let us know, and we'll do all we can to guide you in finding the right place for her.

 

[di and bob]

She DOES sound incredible bored. A cat tree would be nice, you might want to research some interactive toys. a second cat would fit teh bill, tehy really are no more trouble than one, and keep each other busy and entertained. In yoru case I would recommend a smaller kitten, not an older one. Female cats accept them much more readily. Males are friendlier and not as territorial as females when tehy are neutered. Females like to boss boys around, but often clash with other females. Good luck!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. You've gotten lots of good information/advice above!!

But, I just want to follow up on a question that Furballsmom asked - when was the last time Charlotte had a health check up? There just might be an underlying health issue going on that could be attributing to her behavior. I am only suggesting this aspect because her behavior is elevating.

Environmental changes could also be causing the behavior to increase. New cats in the area, changes in your home, new noises/people around your house?

Have you considered a baby cam to video her when you are not there, just to see what she does in your absence?

 

[SarahB1863]

Hi everybody,

Thanks so much for all the great replies! I went out after work yesterday and bought $75 worth of cat toys, but they didn't make a dent. She started yowling as soon as the lights went out last night.

I have a vet appointment for Thursday, so we'll see if there's any medical reason for this. It's just so weird!

 

[Maria Bayote]

Sorry if I have missed it, but is she spayed?

 

[SarahB1863]

Sorry if I have missed it, but is she spayed?

Oh - sorry, I should have included that. Yes, I had her spayed as soon as she was old enough.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... My cat, Hekitty, kept me awake off and on all night long for EIGHT YEARS. LOL, I've become so accustomed to sleep deprivation that I'm having to readjust now that I found the answer to the nightly Cat Opera performances. ...

8 years!

... What did the trick for her was simply leaving a light on low in the living room. WHO KNEW? ...

This works for my cat too, for the most part. It's amazing. Give it a try!

 

[SarahB1863]

I did try the low lights, didn't do a thing, sadly. She was acting strange this morning too, wandering around and meowing and stuff which she usually doesn't do; but then one of the toys has catnip in it and she might have just been stoned!

 

[Furballsmom]

Try some low volume music, there's classical harp music, or MusicForCats . com. There's also an app called Relax My Cat.

Hang on to those toys, they may become interesting in the future

You could look into these;
product called Just Relax Calming spray with essential oil (catnip oil).

There are also treats, collars, and diffusers made by many companies.

There's this one, be sure and scroll all the way down the page;
Bach Flower Remedies - Rescue Remedy Pets Dogs Cats Horses Birds

Music can be useful in helping a cat to relax (not 24 hours a day though, just now and then for a couple hours or so).

You could try one of these, only a small selection of a fast-growing section of pet products;
Richard's Organics Pet Calm-this one is drops that you put on the tip of the tongue. Also, Quiet Moments Cat treats, there is Calming Care, Calm-o-mile, Sentry, Natures Miracle calming spray, Vetri-Science's Composure is another item to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is yet another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has calming products, Pet Naturals also has one I believe.

Also Thunderease has diffusers as does Sentry, Comfort Zone and feliway although diffusers are expensive and not always the answer.
If it's legal where you are, you might want to check with your vet but some people have good results with CBD oil, plus there are vet-prescribed calming products too.
Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course chewy, also there's Petwishpros, animaleo, Petco and PetSmart, and other pet stores.

There is also a product called a lickimat which could be helpful, as cats can be calmed by the process of licking. The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats

This discussion's post talks about some other products;
Calming Treats For A Very Picky Cat

 

[Molly&Marvin]

When you're going to bed or working try putting some YouTube videos of mice or fish on your phone or TV
My kittens seem to love those and watch them entertained for hours

 

[Hellenww]

I did try the low lights, didn't do a thing, sadly. She was acting strange this morning too, wandering around and meowing and stuff which she usually doesn't do; but then one of the toys has catnip in it and she might have just been stoned!

For about 10 days our normally silent 12 yr old was making a strange noise day and night and bouncing his 15lb on my back all night. Went to the vet had senior blood work and all was fine. He understands "show me" and will usually lead me to what he wants but just looked at me and made the weird noise. I woke up one night and heard my partner making the noise in her sleep. She started taking allergy meds, stopped making the noise and so did Yoshi. So aside from lack of sleep how are you feeling?

 

[SarahB1863]

For about 10 days our normally silent 12 yr old was making a strange noise day and night and bouncing his 15lb on my back all night. Went to the vet had senior blood work and all was fine. He understands "show me" and will usually lead me to what he wants but just looked at me and made the weird noise. I woke up one night and heard my partner making the noise in her sleep. She started taking allergy meds, stopped making the noise and so did Yoshi. So aside from lack of sleep how are you feeling?

Not too bad, thanks. :-) Just frustrated that I can't figure out what's going on! As I said, Charlotte's always been a bit on the nervous side, so maybe she's just anxious? I could try the diffuser sprays and whatnot, although I'm not sure how well they're going to work in my 1200 sq. ft. apartment. I hate to medicate my cat, but I wonder if there's any kind of a mild kitty downer the vet can prescribe? She's always flinched and ran at any loud noise, and I hate that she's so scared. I just want her to calm down and feel safe!

 

[Hellenww]

We started giving our nervous boy Bach's Rescue Remedy (a drop each morning and evening) about 2 wks ago. He usually will only let me pet him for a few min in the morning. He's begun to go into full rem sleep with us in the room and has asked for brushing a few afternoons. I can't say it's miraculous but has helped him a little.

When kittens annoy a sleeping Mamma they hold them down and lick their head till they sleep. I have used a gentle bear hug with adult cats that try to wake me up too early. It's a different way to go if she doesn't bite or get more stressed from it.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Let us know what the vet says. If there are no underlying physical or medical issues, then you might look into the Jackson Galaxy line of herbals, as well. One of the members here has had very good results with it. Of coure, as with humans, differnt cats react differently to different remedies, but there are enough out there that you have a good chance of finding THE one that your cat responds to!

 

[SarahB1863]

Let us know what the vet says. If there are no underlying physical or medical issues, then you might look into the Jackson Galaxy line of herbals, as well. One of the members here has had very good results with it. Of coure, as with humans, differnt cats react differently to different remedies, but there are enough out there that you have a good chance of finding THE one that your cat responds to!

I sure will, thanks! Herbals might be the route I end up having to take, nothing else seems to be working. She's ignoring the toys and right now she's wandering up and down the hallway meowing. I've tried getting her to play but she doesn't seem interested. I'm stumped! I did buy a canister of Meijer brand "calming chews" but I can't get her to eat even one. Mixing it in Sheba cat food didn't help. Argh!!

 

[Furballsmom]

If I didn't know better, she's distracted by animals that she can hear. What about music?

 

[SarahB1863]

I also tried the calming music, but it just seemed to make her more agitated. Great suggestions, though, keep 'em comon

If I didn't know better, she's distracted by animals that she can hear. What about music?

I tried that, but unfortunately it seemed to agitate her more than anything else. She kept walking around as if she was trying to figure out where it was coming from.

 

[Furballsmom]

but it just seemed to make her more agitated.

hmmm, no kidding...., so, she's really trying to hear something from outside, I think. What about white noise, like from a fan?