Any cat whispers out there???

Rhea

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Ok I have a really cool cat. Like we love him and he’s great with my aggressive 5 year old (like deals with his ****) and crazy shih-tzu . He’s great during the day and bam- 2AM he meows his butt off. I mean loud meows! Like the house is on fire meows. We jump up to check water and food. I pet him. I comfort him. I even will stir his stuff so it looks like I did something for him! But He’s a total drama king. We are at our wits end. Sleep is sparse the way it is and having a cat whine all night doesn’t help. My husband got sick of it and puts him outside. I hate that idea. The cat chills for awhile but then we can hear crying an hour later to let me in! We do and boy he’s like 1000 decibels louder! It’s like every night this happens. We created a pattern! And now how do I stop it?
Side note- he was a stray/dumped cat I took in. I fixed and vaccinated him. He lived awesomely inside for 6 months and now this started about 3 months ago. He did run away or got lost for 20 days in March. I put up flyers and joined every lost pet site around and we found him 10 miles away. I actually got a call from someone seeing my flyer!

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leigti

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Play with him a lot and make him really tired so that he will sleep a little more at night. A trip to the vet might be warranted.
 

Rhea

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Yvonne he was! We really don’t know his age but vet believes 4 to 6 years of due to the connective tissue in his testicles. His teeth had hardly any plaque which usually helps in determining age also. So vet was like I really don’t know??? He seems like an old soul! Very mellow. Never has his claws out when my sons playing with him, which amazes me. He’s a cat that will enter a crowded room and chill at my feet.

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Yvonne G

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He's very pretty. And he looks quite contented in that picture. From the 'net: Cats yowl for attention, due to stress or from medical conditions. But my personal opinion is it has become an ingrained habit from his un-neutered days. Male cats roam outside yowling for a female. Can you give him something to do during the night so he won't be thinking about yowling? One of those circular things with a ball that they bat around and around in a circle, some little fluffy mouse toys, little balls, etc.
 

wellington

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All good ideas given to try. I also would not let him outside again. Getting the taste of the outdoors will get a forever indoor cat the taste of wanting to be out.
You can also try feeding him closer to night time, being careful that he doesn't get over weight from eating and then sleeping. Maybe instead, feed his all time favorite healthy treats but hiding them in places he has to search for.
I think if you don't give in by letting him out and try one or several of the ideas you can break this. However, one time giving in, and it's back to the beginning.
Good Luck
 

Levi the Leopard

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Many years ago we adopted a female cat that had been producing litter after litter in my friend's apartment complex. The vet guessed she was 2-4 years old. We spayed her and took her into our home to be a house kitty. She was the friendliest, most tolerating of my toddler cat ever! But come spring, boy did her night behavior drive us nuts! Loud meowing, breaking blinds scratching at the windows, etc. Like yours, my hubby couldn't take it and would let her out. After constant night issues we gave up and let her be an outdoor only cat. We fed her, provided shelter for her and treated her for fleas.
A few years later we moved out of state and left her with a friend until we could get her back. That friend has had her indoors exclusively for 3 and half years now with no issues! No night meowing, no fighting at the windows, nothing. I was so confused! But she has 3 other house cats. Our assumption is that having the other cats indoors occupies her enough to not need to be outside.

Want more cats? LOL

We do plan to get our kitty back btw. But we have to buy a home before we can do that. So, her foster momma is a great friend for keeping her so long! ;)
 

Tom

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First thing I would does a vet check to eliminate anything medical. I have a cat that gets constipated and he goes around mewling like that when he has to take a super dry poop.

If everything checks out at the vet and he's pooping normally, give him a negative consequence for the noise. Something he doesn't like. This has fallen out of favor in recent years, but that is a bunch of emotional drivel. I'm not saying to beat the cat. I'm saying make something happen so that mewling in the middle of the night brings a negative consequence for him.
 

KarenSoCal

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First thing I would does a vet check to eliminate anything medical. I have a cat that gets constipated and he goes around mewling like that when he has to take a super dry poop.

If everything checks out at the vet and he's pooping normally, give him a negative consequence for the noise. Something he doesn't like. This has fallen out of favor in recent years, but that is a bunch of emotional drivel. I'm not saying to beat the cat. I'm saying make something happen so that mewling in the middle of the night brings a negative consequence for him.
A good squirt bottle with a strong stream works great!
 

WithLisa

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If it's not a medical problem you should think about getting him a friend. Most behavior issues occur in cats that are kept alone.
 

Tom

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If it's not a medical problem you should think about getting him a friend. Most behavior issues occur in cats that are kept alone.
That can work some of the time, but it can also create even more problems.
 
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