My emotional support cat makes TOO MUCH noise at night...I don't want to lose my home

[Alldara]

Pumpkin has wand toys but it's difficult to keep him interested in them. He has a penchant for forbidden things like chargers, my keys etc. I try not to let him go crazy with those because it could be dangerous. There was a time when he used to attack electrical cords and I had to get those cord protectors but he stopped doing that before I had a chance to put them on.

Pumpkin loves catnip! I can get him toys stuffed with catnip but I can't get him the loose kind because of my asthma. As for a routine, that's been established for awhile. I get up first, start my chores and he gets up soon thereafter. He'll have a snack, use his litter box and return to bed. Sometimes he will let me brush him, which I prefer to do twice daily but he doesn't always cooperate.

We had a cuddle in the kitchen this morning. The counter where i prep his food and medicine is a new favourite hangout for him.

I use a wheelchair and would need to take a special bus to get him to the vet. That isn't normally a problem and i already have money saved up for his kitty ekg and echo. Problem is, my wheelchair has been acting up and it's not safe to take it on the bus. We could get stranded. I'm still working with the manufacturer to get this resolved. It's a replacement chair for one I purchased two years ago. Imho this particular brand/model is defective, period. I want to get his heart checkup taken care of first, preferably, before taking him for his annual checkup so his vet and I can go over the heart test results. She said she heard an irregular heart beat the last time he was there.

Thank you!

Yes that would be horrible if you were stranded!

That's why I wondered if you had someone who could drive just your cat, and the vet could call or video chat you. If it's his health condition, you may not be able to solve the issue behaviourally. It would be unfortunate to have to wait for your chair.

 

[ladytimedramon]

Question. Have you looked into mobile vets in your area? In the past I've seen vets that come to houses. There are some listed in my area. You would have to google it in your area. It might be a helpful option for you.

Also, ask your neighbors if they actually hear your cat. My cat will suddenly start meowing at my bedroom door at 4am because she wants attention. My upstairs neighbors never hear them, and I don't hear their baby crying downstairs (though I hear every single thing they drop on the floor, and when their visiting dog runs across the floor, and every thing that hits their floor/my ceiling).

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Letting Pumpkin meow w/o giving him attention is very difficult, esp. when I'm trying to get sleep. I've been sleep deprived and I believe that's one reason that my panic attacks have increased. I am always tired and have so many things going on like this wheelchair.

I know it will be extremely difficult to ignore him completely.. but I can promise you if this is not a health issue and you can ignore him it will help..
I have a 2 year old who asks us for the front door to be open every day.
She used to meow incessantly between 1 and 5 in the morning just for the door.. we had to ignore her for about a week. The first 2 or 3 nights were the hardest.. we would let her meow with no attention from us.
I used noise canceling head phones it helped.
Then after the 6th day (once she stopped meowing completely and didnt ask for the door until 8 in the morning which is way after we were awake) we changed her door time.. When it came to be anywhere between 5 and 530 i would get up go wake her up and give her the door... She finally understood that we would not give in to her but we would still let her have what she wanted but when we wanted to give it to her. Now she will meow anywhere between 5 and 530 (its usually right at 5:10 lol) which is fine because we get up at this time she is like our little alarm clock now which is kind of cute. She is the best little alarm clock she will start meowing and get in my face and give me a couple licks then I'm up and she gets the door open.

Once she understood we would not give in to her she stopped the meowing. We waited an extra day to make sure the 8 am meowing was going to stick which she did it 2 days in a row. Then I had to wake her up between 5 and 530 for a few days until she realized (like hey... this is when I can ask and get my door time)

So I promise it works you just have to hold out for about a week.. with him being a senior though it could be a medical issue.. do you have a vet that could come to your house? Or a friend who could take him to the vet for you? I know he needs to see a specialist maybe your friend can take him to that appointment?

 

[Alldara]

(though I hear every single thing they drop on the floor, and when their visiting dog runs across the floor, and every thing that hits their floor/my ceiling).

Bass sounds travel further than other tones

I don't hear my neighbour's child much, but I always hear them vacuum.

 

[Hellenww]

yowling spree near the front door of this apartment.

He probably smells the dog at the front door. I have a few ideas to change the scent of your front door. There would still be a doggy background but calming (I hope) foreground. My asthma requires an inhaler when exposed to med pollin count, perfumes, and smoke. Maybe one of these is safe and effective for you.

The Feliway spray has less affect on my breathing than a diffuser. I usually spray it on beds or carriers with my face an arm lengths away. Experimented, sprayed, then put my face close to it. I have slight pain in my sinuses.

I have chamomile tea in a spray bottle that I use for powdery mildew on plants. It often blows in my face with no breathing issues.

Put a drop of pure vanilla extract on the back of his neck and disolve some in warm water in a spray bottle. The idea here is to make the door smell like him. I put vanilla in my hot tea and have never had a reaction to inhaling the steam.

Windows: There are a lot of pretty cling type privacy films available on amazon. Not too expensive, easily removable, but you would need someone to put it up for you. If there are ferals setting him off this could help. I'm guessing you'd probably have to run it by the apt mangemant.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=window+privacy+film&crid=2Y6X1543YEKSW&sprefix=window+,aps,100&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_7

Sound: There are a bunch of white noise machines for under $25 on amazon. I've been in Drs offices that used them and they worked great. Pumpkin's hearing is much better than a humans so I don't know if it would help with the dog sounds.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=white+no...107&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_5_12&tag=thecatsite

 

[IndyJones]

A white nois machiene could have the opposite effect too. The noise freaks some cats out.

 

[Alldara]

A white nois machiene could have the opposite effect too. The noise freaks some cats out.

I've never used a machine so that's fair. I usually just run the vacuum (mine aren't scared of the vacuum), or put something on like rain sounds or run a fan.

An actual machine might make some noises that are different because it's a recording of noise, rather than the noise itself.

 

[dianajune]

Yes that would be horrible if you were stranded!

That's why I wondered if you had someone who could drive just your cat, and the vet could call or video chat you. If it's his health condition, you may not be able to solve the issue behaviourally. It would be unfortunate to have to wait for your chair.

I have a couple of friends in this building who might be willing to do that but I would prefer to go with him. I could try a video chat with the doctor but he still has to go in for tests - the special vet near Syracuse who'd do the ekg and echo, and then his regular vet who'd do his bloodwork, etc etc.

Pride Mobility sent a repair guy to look at the chair today and he declared it was the motor on the right side of the chair that's making this noise. However, when I posted about this on a wheelchair user's forum online, there were a couple of members who disagreed with his assessment. I'm going to email all of this to the company and ask for clarification. He also said he noticed a wobble in the right wheel but when I videod myself in the chair this afternoon, I didn't see a wobble.

He did tell me it would be ok to take the chair on the bus for my doctor's appt this week. He told me he'd speak Pride about giving me new motors even though the warranty has expired. I would prefer this to be resolved before I take my kitty on the bus with it.

Life has been very hard as of late. This evening I had to take a short nap because I am exhausted and sleep deprived. Pumpkin woke me up with very loud yowling...I have no clue why. I woke up so fast I had a really bad leg cramp that didn't want to stop. I tried to go back to sleep and he yowled loudly again. Maybe that stray cat was running around again, I don't know. He's been relatively well behaved until this evening.

I desperately need a good night's sleep.

 

[dianajune]

Question. Have you looked into mobile vets in your area? In the past I've seen vets that come to houses. There are some listed in my area. You would have to google it in your area. It might be a helpful option for you.

Also, ask your neighbors if they actually hear your cat. My cat will suddenly start meowing at my bedroom door at 4am because she wants attention. My upstairs neighbors never hear them, and I don't hear their baby crying downstairs (though I hear every single thing they drop on the floor, and when their visiting dog runs across the floor, and every thing that hits their floor/my ceiling).

My next door neighbour, who's bedroom is right next to mine, says she doesn't hear a thing. The other neighbour next to my apartment has serious hearing problems and most likely doesn't hear him. The neighbour who's upstairs over me said she never hears anything. i rarely see my new one across the hall (with the dog) but will ask next time I see her.

I'm guessing he's doing this to get my attention or maybe that other cat is wandering around outside again. I don't know if it actually has a home or is a stray.

 

[dianajune]

I know it will be extremely difficult to ignore him completely.. but I can promise you if this is not a health issue and you can ignore him it will help..
I have a 2 year old who asks us for the front door to be open every day.
She used to meow incessantly between 1 and 5 in the morning just for the door.. we had to ignore her for about a week. The first 2 or 3 nights were the hardest.. we would let her meow with no attention from us.
I used noise canceling head phones it helped.
Then after the 6th day (once she stopped meowing completely and didnt ask for the door until 8 in the morning which is way after we were awake) we changed her door time.. When it came to be anywhere between 5 and 530 i would get up go wake her up and give her the door... She finally understood that we would not give in to her but we would still let her have what she wanted but when we wanted to give it to her. Now she will meow anywhere between 5 and 530 (its usually right at 5:10 lol) which is fine because we get up at this time she is like our little alarm clock now which is kind of cute. She is the best little alarm clock she will start meowing and get in my face and give me a couple licks then I'm up and she gets the door open.

Once she understood we would not give in to her she stopped the meowing. We waited an extra day to make sure the 8 am meowing was going to stick which she did it 2 days in a row. Then I had to wake her up between 5 and 530 for a few days until she realized (like hey... this is when I can ask and get my door time)

So I promise it works you just have to hold out for about a week.. with him being a senior though it could be a medical issue.. do you have a vet that could come to your house? Or a friend who could take him to the vet for you? I know he needs to see a specialist maybe your friend can take him to that appointment?

I pray it's not a medical issue. Pumpkin seems fine otherwise. He has a good appetite and uses his litter box. He doesn't yowl while he's in it but usually after. He seems to act as though he's telling me something like "Mommy, I used my potty!"

I just couldn't let him yowl this evening w/o saying something. I've had a very stressful day and am sleep deprived again. I had to get up this morning after just 4 hours of sleep because I had to get ready for the wheelchair guy to check out my chair. I took a short nap this evening but Pumpkin woke me up with excessive yowling when I was asleep for about two hours.. Sometimes if I wake abruptly I get horrible leg cramps, which if course, just had to happen tonight after everything I've been going through.

I went back to bed and he started yowling again. I want to scream. I love my cat to pieces but he's driving me nuts. I wish that I had someone here who could help me with him but i live alone and have no relatives nearby.

 

[dianajune]

He probably smells the dog at the front door. I have a few ideas to change the scent of your front door. There would still be a doggy background but calming (I hope) foreground. My asthma requires an inhaler when exposed to med pollin count, perfumes, and smoke. Maybe one of these is safe and effective for you.

The Feliway spray has less affect on my breathing than a diffuser. I usually spray it on beds or carriers with my face an arm lengths away. Experimented, sprayed, then put my face close to it. I have slight pain in my sinuses.

I have chamomile tea in a spray bottle that I use for powdery mildew on plants. It often blows in my face with no breathing issues.

Put a drop of pure vanilla extract on the back of his neck and disolve some in warm water in a spray bottle. The idea here is to make the door smell like him. I put vanilla in my hot tea and have never had a reaction to inhaling the steam.

Windows: There are a lot of pretty cling type privacy films available on amazon. Not too expensive, easily removable, but you would need someone to put it up for you. If there are ferals setting him off this could help. I'm guessing you'd probably have to run it by the apt mangemant.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=window+privacy+film&crid=2Y6X1543YEKSW&sprefix=window+,aps,100&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_7

Sound: There are a bunch of white noise machines for under $25 on amazon. I've been in Drs offices that used them and they worked great. Pumpkin's hearing is much better than a humans so I don't know if it would help with the dog sounds.
https://www.amazon.com/s? k=white+noise+machine+for+office+privacy+&+noise+canceling&crid=18Y67K0XM3L91&sprefix=white+noise+,aps,107&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_5_12&tag=thecatsite

I will look into what you suggested. Getting the privacy cling films w/b easier and I'm sure that someone here could put them up for me if management says it's ok. As for white noise machines, oddly enough someone gave one way a couple of weeks ago. They have give aways once a month in our community room and one was there. I should have grabbed it but didn't think it could help.

I don't know what else to do to get him to stop. I've got so much going wrong in my life I'm wondering if he can feel my stress. I would hate to think it's rubbing off on him. I don't want him to be sad because of me. I love him very much and I am at the end of my ropes with this issue. All I want to do is cry, especially after he woke me up this evening. Twice.

 

[dianajune]

I don't know what happened to my response to one of the messages here. It disappeared.

Nothing is going right this evening. I have no clue what happened to my post. It disappeared into thin air.

I don't know how much longer I can continue with everything going wrong in my life. I always want to cry. I feel like I'm a horrible mommy to my baby because I am not able to handle all of this stress in my life. I hope that Pumpkin knows i love him.

 

[catdadMI]

I don't know what happened to my response to one of the messages here. It disappeared.

Nothing is going right this evening. I have no clue what happened to my post. It disappeared into thin air.

I don't know how much longer I can continue with everything going wrong in my life. I always want to cry. I feel like I'm a horrible mommy to my baby because I am not able to handle all of this stress in my life. I hope that Pumpkin knows i love him.

He knows. Do you have a therapist or someone you can talk to? I mean this with no judgement, but it sounds like you aren't doing well and might benefit from talking to someone. I don't know your personal situation but cost is frequently a barrier. Many therapists will provide services on a sliding scale based on income. You may want to call and ask about it. I hope nothing but the best for you and pumpkin.

 

[dianajune]

He knows. Do you have a therapist or someone you can talk to? I mean this with no judgement, but it sounds like you aren't doing well and might benefit from talking to someone. I don't know your personal situation but cost is frequently a barrier. Many therapists will provide services on a sliding scale based on income. You may want to call and ask about it. I hope nothing but the best for you and pumpkin.

I do have a counselor, but her office has been very negligent with respect to my mental health needs. I have PTSD, depression, anxiety etc and need medication management. They tried to put me on maintenance meds but so far none of them worked. They refuse to give me anything stronger for emergencies like Xanax or Klonopin. The primary care side is horrible too. My pcp has taken months to do paperwork I need including a cardiac referral.

I will have to keep looking. It's hard to find a good healthcare provider in these parts. Imho Pumpkin's doctors are better than mine!