Opera shows in the basement

[SDerailed]

I have a multi cat household. Since we rescued Skooma he would go into the basement and just yowl and sing his fool head off at night. We chalked it up to him being a feral cat and he has slowed down his Opera performances. However, Tormund has started screaming like he is on fire in the basement. It's very startling and sounds horrible.(Which is actually the same sound he makes when he brings me a stuffed mouse he hunted. The few times I go to see what is going on (I have limited mobility and stairs are a challenge) he looks at me like 'What do you want? Why are you here?'
What is going on with these two? Both have had full lab work recently. Tormund is only 2, and Skooma is...maybe 8? Is it ghosts? Are they calling out to tell the other cats 'hey look, I'm down here having the time of my life'. What is going on?

 

[susanm9006]

Its a common thing that some cats do, especially as they get older. I call it “singing the song of their people” and pretty much all of my cats have been singers, and usually in the basement. It is noisy but harmless and I don’t think he is expecting a response from you so ignore it as best you can.

 

[vince]

I have one that goes downstairs at night and calls. Usually, just a "meow" on my part shuts him up. I think he loses track of where I am and calls out for me. Definitely not as persistent as yours.

Most of my cats have been quiet at night.

 

[susanm9006]

This morning, as I was listening to Willow howl, I was wondering whether the yelling is another form of the zoomies. Just a way of releasing energy vocally when they don’t quite feel like racing around.

 

[Caspers Human]

Are they neutered?

Yowling is often a mating behavior for both males and females. Females often do it to "advertise" that they are in heat and ready to mate. Males sometimes do it just to say, "Hey, girls! I'm the Big Kahuna in this neck of the woods!"

Another reason is the same reason why coyotes howl. It's because they want to let others know where their mates are and to show that they are part of the group.

On the other hand, some cats do it just because they like to hear the sound of their own voice.

Getting a cat neutered will help stop the yowling if it's done early enough before the behavior becomes habitual. Even later, it will probably lessen the frequency and duration of the yowling.

Not saying that you haven't gotten your cats neutered. Just putting that out there, if you know what I mean.

 

[danteshuman]

I have a talkative cat that likes to yodel in my big handicap shower (he is neutered.) For years I couldn’t figure out why but I did learn if I talked to him and called him he shut up in a couple of minutes. I finally figured it out; he wants to play. See he is a little terror that play attacks legs while the human is on the toilet. For 6 months I tried to get him to stop and finally gave up & went for distraction. So now I have a few wand toys hanging by the toilet that I wave around as I pee (his litter boxes are in the bathroom, I live alone so my bathroom door is open 24/7.) When he yodels I still call him to me and distract him then a couple minutes later play with him.

In your case neuter them if they aren’t already fixed. I would just lock them out of the basement at night or for a month out of the basement 24/7. It could be rats or Community cats in your yard in front of a basement window. Short of setting up a camera you may never find out. If it is community cats we can help make your yard unappealing to feral cats. If it mice or rats, call an exterminator.

 

[SDerailed]

Yes everyone is neutered.

I think there may be something to the theory of zoomies as I've started watching him and he seems to have increased energy around his opera times. Tormund has now started to scream upstairs since we adopted two kittens and I think he is trying to get them to play.