My cat keeps crying

danafin22

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Hi everyone,

I have 2 indoor male cats from the same litter, both just turned two. They're extremely cuddly and affectionate however they are both extremely vocal. This never really bothered us until the last six months or so, when one of the cats in particular just seems to meow really loudly all the time.

We've tried everything, feeding him, changing their litter, changing their water, playing with him, or cuddling him when he starts. These only make a difference for about 2 minutes then he starts meowing again. He's not in pain - has been given the all-clear from the vet and doesn't seem distressed. It just seems like extreme attention-seeking, because the minute we stop playing or cuddling him he's back to screaming.

I'll also add that they're both neutered. We did get the cats in September 2019 and around 6 months later we were in lockdown. We've been indoors with them due to lockdown for the majority of their lives so this could be the issue. However, we would really really love any advice at all on how to get him to stop meowing, or any ideas on what he might want. Getting rid of one or either of them isn't an option at all as they really are our babies.

Sorry, this was so long, but thank you in advance for any and all advice.
 

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solomonar

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My tomcat got a gastritis return during pandemics exactly because we share the same home day and night.
He is also very vocal, just because he loves to meow :-).
If I talk to him, he "talks" to me. If I keep silence, he is silent to.
 

maggie101

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Hi everyone,

I have 2 indoor male cats from the same litter, both just turned two. They're extremely cuddly and affectionate however they are both extremely vocal. This never really bothered us until the last six months or so, when one of the cats in particular just seems to meow really loudly all the time.

We've tried everything, feeding him, changing their litter, changing their water, playing with him, or cuddling him when he starts. These only make a difference for about 2 minutes then he starts meowing again. He's not in pain - has been given the all-clear from the vet and doesn't seem distressed. It just seems like extreme attention-seeking, because the minute we stop playing or cuddling him he's back to screaming.

I'll also add that they're both neutered. We did get the cats in September 2019 and around 6 months later we were in lockdown. We've been indoors with them due to lockdown for the majority of their lives so this could be the issue. However, we would really really love any advice at all on how to get him to stop meowing, or any ideas on what he might want. Getting rid of one or either of them isn't an option at all as they really are our babies.

Sorry, this was so long, but thank you in advance for any and all advice.
At what time of the day/night does he get more vocal?
 

Cat McCannon

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When he's vocal, completely ignore him. What until he's silent for 10 seconds or more, then give him a small treat/praise/play. Next time wait a little longer. This teaches him nothing happens when he cries, but good things happen when he's quiet.

Have at least one play session a day that wears them out. This play session is most effective if done just before feeding time. With our cat Belle, I do this first thing when I get up in the morning. The routine is, I get up, brush Belle, have a good play session, then feed her. It works best if you stop all free feeding. Belle gets three meals a day and an occasional snack.
 

maggie101

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Hi everyone,

I have 2 indoor male cats from the same litter, both just turned two. They're extremely cuddly and affectionate however they are both extremely vocal. This never really bothered us until the last six months or so, when one of the cats in particular just seems to meow really loudly all the time.

We've tried everything, feeding him, changing their litter, changing their water, playing with him, or cuddling him when he starts. These only make a difference for about 2 minutes then he starts meowing again. He's not in pain - has been given the all-clear from the vet and doesn't seem distressed. It just seems like extreme attention-seeking, because the minute we stop playing or cuddling him he's back to screaming.

I'll also add that they're both neutered. We did get the cats in September 2019 and around 6 months later we were in lockdown. We've been indoors with them due to lockdown for the majority of their lives so this could be the issue. However, we would really really love any advice at all on how to get him to stop meowing, or any ideas on what he might want. Getting rid of one or either of them isn't an option at all as they really are our babies.

Sorry, this was so long, but thank you in advance for any and all advice.
My apartment is totally catified. 72inch tower,lots of chew toys, pop up cubes for hunting, verticle,horizontal,vertical,, square scratch posts. That should help keep her entertained!
 
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danafin22

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My apartment is totally catified. 72inch tower,lots of chew toys, pop up cubes for hunting, verticle,horizontal,vertical,, square scratch posts. That should help keep her entertained!
He generally gets louder in the evenings. He has a massive cat tower, his brother to play with and plenty of toys. We sometimes pop youtube videos of birds etc on the tv for him to try keep him amused when he starts getting vocal. Nothing seems to hold his attention for more than 10/15 minutes
 
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danafin22

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When he's vocal, completely ignore him. What until he's silent for 10 seconds or more, then give him a small treat/praise/play. Next time wait a little longer. This teaches him nothing happens when he cries, but good things happen when he's quiet.

Have at least one play session a day that wears them out. This play session is most effective if done just before feeding time. With our cat Belle, I do this first thing when I get up in the morning. The routine is, I get up, brush Belle, have a good play session, then feed her. It works best if you stop all free feeding. Belle gets three meals a day and an occasional snack.
Thank you for your advice! I'll deffo try ignoring, then positive reinforcements with snacks. Hopefully, that'll work! Also, try changing their routine a bit to make it a bit more solid (breakfast at this time then brushing etc). Thanks again!
 

Cat McCannon

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An excellent
He generally gets louder in the evenings. He has a massive cat tower, his brother to play with and plenty of toys.
Excellent!

But how much time do you spend playing with your cats? Cats get more satisfaction from play when they play with their guardians.


We sometimes pop youtube videos of birds etc on the tv for him to try keep him amused when he starts getting vocal. Nothing seems to hold his attention for more than 10/15 minutes.
Stop trying to amuse your cats when they get vocal. Pay attention only when they've been quiet for at least ten seconds. When you try amusing them when they get vocal, you're rewarding the behavior. Cat thinks "When I'm annoying, my guardians pay me the attention I want."

When you ignore them, they eventually get the idea "Well, that's too much work for nothing."
 

Cat McCannon

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Thank you for your advice! I'll deffo try ignoring, then positive reinforcements with snacks. Hopefully, that'll work! Also, try changing their routine a bit to make it a bit more solid (breakfast at this time then brushing etc). Thanks again!
You're welcome. Just don't give in. They'll get the idea. Remember, you're the parent. You're the Keeper Of The Tinned Mice.
 
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danafin22

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An excellent

Excellent!

But how much time do you spend playing with your cats? Cats get more satisfaction from play when they play with their guardians.



Stop trying to amuse your cats when they get vocal. Pay attention only when they've been quiet for at least ten seconds. When you try amusing them when they get vocal, you're rewarding the behavior. Cat thinks "When I'm annoying, my guardians pay me the attention I want."

When you ignore them, they eventually get the idea "Well, that's too much work for nothing."
My fiance and I spend an hour each playing with them. So they get played with around 2 hours each day. They're definitely not lacking attention. We'll start trying positive reinforcement and hopefully it'll work :)
 

Cat McCannon

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My fiance and I spend an hour each playing with them. So they get played with around 2 hours each day. They're definitely not lacking attention. We'll start trying positive reinforcement and hopefully it'll work :)
You're good cat parents. You'll get this figured out.
 
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