Neighbours who spend hours calling for their cat each night?

[OohAahBird]

They stand at the front door calling for their cat, she is very elderly and I know she worries but its also keeping me awake every night when I am trying to fall asleep.
I can't decide whether to keep ignoring it while inwardly going 'its a cat!' Or to have a word with her daughter, if the cat doesn't come she leaves it 5 min then starts again, so just as you think it's finished it can start up, sometimes it can go on for over an hour and she doesn't stop till the cat is in so sometimes it can be really late.

What is the cats name?

Why do you think I have never said anything for years, but fully expect her to outlive everyone she was very elderly when we moved in 13 yrs ago, she has grandchildren older than me!

Poor cat will be busy killing wildlife and shitting in people's gardens.

She needs to get her cat on dreamies, my cats can hear the shaking of dreamies from miles away!!

Also surely she could get the cats in earlier?!

I think I would mention it and suggest she aims to have the at in from 8 pm. ...

I don't think you're being unreasonable to be annoyed, that sounds really bloody irritating, and I'm a cat lover and owner. Not sure what you can do about it though unfortunately, perhaps the above suggestion of asking them to start calling it in a little earlier?

Of course cats can respond to being called. One of ours spends a lot of time outside unless wet and cold and I used to think he roamed far and wide, I have come to realise that he spends most of that time asleep. When I call him I think it sometimes wakes him up because if he doesn't appear then he will do a few minutes later. I don't call him intensively- once an hour maybe. Being a cat he will sometimes do his own thing but he always looks at me before flicking his tail and disappearing. He can take care of himself though and if he breaks the curfew and stays out one night he is in sheepishly early the next. Dreamies might work, or dreamies and a clicker. Is the cat tame? Does it come in your garden? If you see it then scoop it up and return it before she starts calling.

Gawd that would drive me batty, too.
I have trained 2/3 cats to come when called (special noises they associate with food). Cat1 doesn't give a snuff & only comes if he feels like it, mind.

I know it sounds naff, but maybe you could help her train her cat to come to a food call? Sounds like nothing to lose!!

I’m afraid I do this, and I’m not old! But I couldn’t go to bed and leave dcat out.
I do try to call quietly though, and he does come - not always first time but eventually. I shake Dreamies too.
I think 9.30 is reasonable to be calling the cat, and she probably wouldn’t expect you to be trying to sleep that early, but midnight is obviously late to be making a lot of noise.
Warm summer nights are the worst as cats just want to be out playing.
Wish I had some advice. Perhaps just say it’s disturbing your sleep when she calls the cat late at night and ask if she can be a little quieter.

I won't sleep unless my boys are safe home tucked up. Both my cats will come in on command, but if they are facing up to the the neighbourhood bully, no amount of dreamies shaking will get them inside!

I love my kids, as well as my cats, I can't sleep unless it's know they are all safe. I'm also happily married, not quite the stereotypical crazy cat lady (although I'm working on it). Try living near people whom seem to have a party every couple of days! Much worst than a concerned owner calling her beloved pet in!

threelittlesoldiers
I was just going to post about the cat killer. The advice is to get them in early at night and keep them in.
My old cat used to respond to being called in but she obviously had to be within distance to hear it so sometimes it would take a few goes to get her in. I wouldn’t go to bed until she was in.

It’s not something I’d mention to someone as it’s just a general annoyance of neighbours I think. But if you do try it constructively with a solution. You could suggest a catflap that has a switch to one way so once cats in it’s in until you let it out. So if she changes it at 6pm it won’t be able to go out again. But I’d imagine you’ll still get the odd disturbance when the sods gone walk about on a hot night. But it might help.

Don't know how outing it will be but cats name is Daniel.
I think someone up thread who said its due to the cat being old may well be right, am trying to work out how many years she has been doing it.

There's no way it's OK for this lady to regularly be calling until midnight for her cat. The cat obviously doesn't come when called anyway or she would not have to keep calling! I understand she is concerned about the cat, but keeping your neighbours awake until the small hours is very antisocial. I would speak to her yourself unless there is some reason this would especially alarm or upset her, in which case speak to her daughter.

It used to be more common not to have a cat flap and to call the cat in for night - it was definitely a thing to be considered when naming a cat - how stupid you would feel call its name out loud in the garden.

Yanbu. Thats v annoying. We have a cat flap so cat can do what it likes. I thought cats were meant to roam at night

A one-way catflap is a good idea.

I can’t settle till my boy is home and sound.

It's been quiet for 10min now, I think he may have finally come in.

Daniel 😂

No, it’s very dangerous to let cats roam at night and recommended by vets, animal charities etc to keep them in at night.

@SuperSara if the cat's like my OH's cat - who is getting on - and a few other people's I know, it's probably curled up in a chair or lap in someone else's house who goes to bed later.

Oh phew OP - hope you have a lovely sleep!

Daniel. I love it 😁

I guess you could ask her if she would mind starting to try to get him in earlier and suggest some dreamies, but I personally couldn’t get too cross at an elderly lady wanting her cat in safe at night.

''I think yabu, the majority of people live in close promixity to their neighbours so you are likely to hear noises associated with their daily lives.''

jesus get a grip-have somebody outside your house calling at a cat loudly as you try to sleep then try to say that... and yea 'daily' lives does not connect to late at night. The op is perfectly reasonable here,night is for sleeping and it is common courtesy to keep noise levels down at these hours.

my cat responds to being called by name.

See that's no help your all about 50/50 about whether I should say anything or not and have been talking myself round in circles about whether to mention it or not, this was meant to help me decide

Ahahaha

I'd have to say something OP. It's not on to be outside calling at that time of night.

It doesn't have to be nasty, just say that it's waking you back up some nights and seems to be very late...... and perhaps she doesn't realise how far her voice carries.

Have you tried putting a fan on in your room, or leaving a radio on a sleep timer to drown her out in the meantime?