Why does my cat meow so much lately?

[Attica1962]

I have an 11 mo cat which I raised myself (rescued when he was about 8-10 days old). Normally he's very independent, and only seeks human company when he wants to sleep o play. Sometimes, when we leave the house, he meows heartbreakingly for about one minute or two, and then he stops and goes about his day. He spends most of his time at the window where people walking by the street can play with him (there is a net, so there's no physical contact). He reacts very positively with some people, and he hides from other people that he fears or doesn't like.

Lately he's meowing more than normal, even if we are at home and not paying attention to him. Sometimes, even if we try to entertain him. My neighbour next door has two cats, a some 4 year female and a 2 year male, both neutered, and who don't meow, or play, or anything. I don't know if my cat "feels" them and is calling them, because these meows seem very different from the "I don't want to be alone" meows.

Ever since he was about 3 mo old I wanted to take in another cat, because he was a baby when his mother lost him and he couldn't have siblings to play with. My husband is adamant that we should not have another cat. I think his life would improve (cat's life, not my husband's) if he could have a feline companion.

What is your opinion? Is it a good thing to have just one cat? Is he meowing so much lately because he misses a companion? If so, what can I do to convince my husband that it is the right thing to do?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. You probably need to look for, and log/chart, when he is meowing, to see if there is a patter that could shed any light on the matter. It could help narrow down the possibilities. If your neighbor's cats have been around his whole life, I am not sure why he would just start reacting to them now. Unless something different is going with their routine/behavior/health. Maybe less people have been coming by and/or not paying as much attention to him, and he misses the interaction? Do you have any interactive toys he can play with on his own? Perhaps, get some videos of birds/squirrels/etc. for him to watch?

Get a log going to see if that helps you any, and then go from there. If that doesn't reveal anything, and you can't determine there have been any changes to the neighbor's cats, make sure you don't see other changes in your cat (eating/drinking less, sleeping more, etc.). He is pretty young to have a health issue, but it is possible.

I have had 3 cats - all solo. I don't think they suffered in any way by being raised alone. So, until you can rule out all other possibilities, another cat may not be the solution anyway.

 

[Margot Lane]

Is your cat fixed?

 

[neely]

Is it a good thing to have just one cat? Is he meowing so much lately because he misses a companion? If so, what can I do to convince my husband that it is the right thing to do?

Our past 3 were solo kitties and so is our present cat. None of them acted like your cat, i.e. excessive meowing. Prior to them we had multiple cats, as many as 4 at once. Two were bonded but the other two were not. It's really hard for us to tell if your cat would like a companion. I thought the same for our last cat but I was wrong. We adopted an 8-10 mo. old kitten, as sweet as pie, non-aggressive and not a mean bone in his body but our cat hated him. Just his mere presence upset her. She preferred our dog as her companion instead. So what I'm trying to say is a lot depends on your cat's personality and the temperament of a second cat.

Just out of curiosity, when was the last time your cat went to the vet? As noted above, is he neutered? If not, this could be part of the reason for his constant meowing.

 

[Attica1962]

Yes, he was neutered last December. And he's due for his vaccines in June. The excessive meowing started last week, and I think (though I'm not sure) that it is because he wants to play. Some time ago, my husband used to play with him for about an hour each day, with balls and bags and canes. But the cat isn't interested in them anymore. He wants to chase and fight US. And we don't want to play that with him, when we start to play he doesn't hurt us but as play progresses he becomes more and more excited and aggressive. He seemed to accept that we are not his toys, but now we have the meowing episode.

Or maybe it's just because it has been raining and there're not people to play with in the street? Or just because it's spring and he feels more energetic? Or just because he's a cat?

 

[Attica1962]

Hi. You probably need to look for, and log/chart, when he is meowing, to see if there is a patter that could shed any light on the matter. It could help narrow down the possibilities. If your neighbor's cats have been around his whole life, I am not sure why he would just start reacting to them now. Unless something different is going with their routine/behavior/health. Maybe less people have been coming by and/or not paying as much attention to him, and he misses the interaction? Do you have any interactive toys he can play with on his own? Perhaps, get some videos of birds/squirrels/etc. for him to watch?

Get a log going to see if that helps you any, and then go from there. If that doesn't reveal anything, and you can't determine there have been any changes to the neighbor's cats, make sure you don't see other changes in your cat (eating/drinking less, sleeping more, etc.). He is pretty young to have a health issue, but it is possible.

I have had 3 cats - all solo. I don't think they suffered in any way by being raised alone. So, until you can rule out all other possibilities, another cat may not be the solution anyway.

Well, I think I've found out why he meows so much these days. Sometimes he meows because he doesn't like his food (some days he cherishes fish and other days he won't eat it), other times because he wants to drink from the faucet (even if he's got his own fountain and two different bowls of water). He meows because the terrace door is closed and he wants to go out, or because he hears my neighbour's cats but he can't see them. And also when he wants my husband to play with him, but he's working and not paying attention to him (I play with him from time to time, just for a few minutes in a row and then I keep about my business). So, I think that he does meow when something it's not to his liking.

Does this mean we have spoiled him too much?

 

[Alldara]

Some cats are just more vocal. Meowing is how they talk. He doesn't have another way to tell you he wants or needs something!

You could try setting up a couple of recordable buttons for him to request things. But you'll have to teach him how to use them which can take a few months.

 

[Hellenww]

Does this mean we have spoiled him too much?

There is no uch thing!

He's just learning how to let you know what he wants. If he hasn't already, he will likely make different sounds for different things and people. Sometimes just responding helps. Most of my cats have learned "later" means it's not going to happen now. Sometimes it's accepted and they did something else. Othertimes I got no peace.