WWYD very vocal cat ruining our lives.

[Minimili]

This sounds so ridiculous but it’s been such a big issue for so long and I just don’t know what to do.

I rehomed my parent’s cat.
My dad absolutely adored the cat but after he died my mum had him, she died and I took him in as I knew how much they loved him and wanted him to have a good life.

This cat is the loudest cat you’ve ever heard, he’s also the hungriest.
Whenever he wants something he miaows incessantly at a loud volume that ends up escalating to howls. We feed him 4-6 100g cat food pouches a day and he stands by his bowl getting louder and louder till we feed him immediately.
He has started making a noise that’s like a loud high pitched howl mixed with a growling noise that I can’t explain but is really jarring and can’t be tuned out.
You can hear it even with earplugs.

The vet checked him multiple times saying he’s just a vocal cat but you really don’t understand his volume till you hear him.

He has started mioawing/howling through the night and my autistic DP just can’t cope. He works early shifts and is woken up often in the early hours of the morning from continuous loud howling. When the cat wants food one of us has to drop everything and feed him because DP gets so distressed by the noise. He can miaow/howl for hours with absolutely no reason anyone has been able to find.

The cat sometimes eats half his food but howls until we put more in his dish, we thought he was just eating the jelly but he eats it all when we have piled food in his dish. He won’t eat dry food no matter how long we don’t give him wet.

I started to put the cat outside when it starts at night but the neighbours started complaining and one said she gets less sleep from my cat then from her baby crying.

DP and the neighbours said they are constantly on edge waiting for it to start, I hardly sleep as the slightest noise means I need to wake up and feed him or put him outside before it ramps up.

I love cats, I’ve always had them and a lot of my friends do, I’ve never witnessed this from any other cat. People who visit always seem shocked and a friend who stayed with us as she was locked out ended up sleeping in her car as she couldn’t stand the noise. It’s often a case of being woken up by random high pitched sounds through the night for no reason.

My DP of 12 years said he’s moving out unless I rehome the cat, my neighbours have begged me to keep him quiet.

I really don’t know what to do and this has been going on for 5 years and is getting worse. The cat is 17 but in great health, he’s unlikely to be rehomed though. He was a rescue cat to start then moved when my parents died and they adored him so much I just feel so much guilt.
I fell out with my sister 3 years ago when I said I’d rehome the cat and she thought I was heartless, she has dogs the cat wouldn’t live with.

So far I’ve lost my sister, my relationship is suffering, my neighbours hate me, I get no sleep and I’m constantly on edge, I never wanted the cat on the furniture but gave in to shut him up so my sofa is trashed and it costs me a fortune in food.

I know it’s easy to just say rehome him but the guilt is so bad. I finally decided to post on here to get an unbiased opinion about what to do.

The cats miaow is literally like a high pitched siren so it jolts everyone from sleep through the night. I have tried so hard to train him by putting him out the second he miaows and other methods.

Would I be unreasonable to finally decide on taking him to a shelter and living a more peaceful life? People can suggest tips on how to stop this but I’ve tried so many suggestions from the vet and other professionals.
It’s 3.38 and I have insomnia so being woken up just after I’d just gotten to sleep makes me angry and tearful. My next door neighbour put her lights on as soon as I put the cat out so she was obviously disturbed too.

This is why it sounds like hyperbole when I say it’s ruining my life but it actually really is.

Not a happy cat, regardless of who has him. Time to PTS after a long life of loving owners.

The mind boggles at the voodoo cat thing / can’t envisage it!

Oh my goodness OP, you need to cut yourself some freaking slack - this is madness! I am a besotted cat owner, but even I would draw a line now.
I see you’ve tried Feliway already in your update just now - I’d dropped into the thread to comment and say I’d try about 3 Feliway plug-ins at once as a last-ditch Hail Mary, and then if that didn’t work, I would give him a lovely last couple of days of life, and then pay through the nose for the vet to come out and put him to sleep. 17 years is amazing. YOU are amazing!
Lack of sleep will be messing with your ability to make sane decisions. Don’t rehome him, he’d hate it. It’s time. You’ve done enough.

Has the vet heard the full force of the noise, have they seen videos of the disturbance in the night?

I would pts. It sounds too distressing for everyone.

I think I would do the same. It would be very unfair to rehome the cat at 17. So I’d let him go surrounded by love and peacefully.

My parents cat is also very loud, so I get it.

Absolutely preposterous. Rehome/PTS (a few years too late!)

Get a blood test for thyroid issues, maybe from a different vet.

That is not a happy cat, he/she is not having a happy life.

Try one more time to see if any meds from the vet would help otherwise it would be kinder to put to sleep or rehome.

If you’re exhausted and at genuine risk of losing your relationship with your DP I would record evidence of the noise and frequency and seek to euthanise the cat. Rehoming seems unrealistic and the cat is elderly.

After a long and vocal life, I think the kindest thing would be to put him to sleep (the cat, not your partner).
He'd end up stuck in a shelter, as no-one is going to rehome a yowling 17 year old.

This. Prolonging this or attempting a regime is far worse than the alternative. You need to let go of the guilt, give him a last day of every treat he enjoys then let him go. I suspect it's very bound up in the loss of your parents but you're all suffering and it can't go on.

Another vote for dementia. We're going through the same thing here, my 16 year old cat is deaf, has dementia and feels lost as soon as he can't see us and will howl. But he has enough good times still between this for me to consider he still has quality of life. It's ramping up in evenings though and I'm going to give him until Christmas I think before making a decision to PTS.

I would say if you've not had thyroid and kidney screening plus urine test etc then I would suggest getting that done to rule out pain and illness.

Fuck that. Rehome it (eta too old). PTS.

You have done more than enough and everyone, including the cat is unhappy. Put the cat to sleep.

Do not do this, it would be kinder to PTS than this! They shouldn't be used on dogs either!

Pts would definitely be kinder than rehoming. Nobody is going to give a 17yo cat a home, especially not one with issues. He’d be upset and confused and that’s not fair. I’d try the Prozac first but yes it could be a habit I guess. I have a very vocal young cat and he is so loud the neighbours complain. But even he doesn’t sound this bad.

I strongly suspect you cat has dementia and is distressed.

He sounds so unhappy :( You have tried everything you can and I think it's time. Maybe go to a different vet and get a second opinion first but his quality of life (mentally) is a massive struggle for him.

My cat was 16yrs and like this. He had thyroid problems and dementia.
He would also make a lot of noise and beg for more food. I got really cross with the vet in the end as they kept saying he was fine and needed more drugs. 2mnths later he was PTS as they confirmed dementia.
Unless it’s really poor quality food this behaviour isn’t normal. One of my cats is noisy and loves he’s food but we just leave dried biscuits out and he’s fine.

Editing to add that I had to tell the vet just how disruptive life was for us and the cat. We were due to have some building work done and the cat would have hated it. It was kinder to pts.

You will need to get him rehomed because it is affecting your life and the life of those around you. Think of your neighbours. They have not asked to be woken up or indeed have to put up with your cat yowling. I would be very angry if I was expected to tolerate the neighbours animals. A good home will be found for him, perhaps somewhere he can roam and a retired couple who can give him time.

Hi OP, just wanted to chime in with PP who have been saying that it would be kinder to put to sleep in a calm and loving manner at the vet than try to rehome at that age.
I’ve grown up with cats, always had them, adore them, but honestly in this situation once you’ve exhausted all the medical options I agree it’s the kindest thing to do.
The cat sounds distressed and maybe you’ll never work out what’s causing it, but it’s also affecting so many people you would be doing the right thing by everyone.
Obviously go with a second opinion from the vet first, but I just wanted to validate any decision you make and thank you for giving him such a loving home for this long 🩷

Snap we had 1 of these cats we ended up getting an automatic cat feeding he would literally start crack of dawn even if I went for a wee he would not stop he sadly passed last yr but my god he was the loudest cat iv ever known my other cat don't meow

People saying ‘get him rehomed’: that’s unrealistic. It’s improbable that ‘a good home will be found’.

The sad but realistic and justifiable option is putting the cat down.

I was coming on here to say possible dementia.

And as another PP said, go to another vet for a second opinion and be upfront that you are thinking PTS might be kinder. A relative's dog was in a poor state but they were waiting for the vet to tell them. They kept saying "the vet will know when it's the right time"

Your parents would be pleased that you have kept him as long as you have, but he’s now entered a new phase, he’s elderly and something isn’t right with him. As a cat lover, please give yourself permission to PTS and feel content that you are doing your best by him. 💐