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.

There you go OP. Give him to this poster, sorted (hope she’s not my neighbour)

Potentially but given he’s on at least his fourth owner and it’s not normal for rescue centres to age cats below where they think they are (because it makes them less appealing and sometimes means they get a lower donation), it’s unlikely.

PTS - no animal is worth this amount of distress.

I think op is the second owner.

Vets can estimate pretty well how old a cat is within 2 years or so if they are older, much easier when they are younger (im a stray cat/dog collector and transporter in my spare time so speak to a lot of vets). It sounds like ops parents had the cat for a while so likely the age is pretty accurate.

So my original point stands that as this started when cat was around 12 (from what op has said), that is a very young age for dementia.

Putting a very old cat to sleep to avoid the cruelty of rehoming it at it's advanced years when it's incredibly unlikely to find a home and is very likely to be stressed by going to a shelter, is not the same as pressuring a pregnant woman into an abortion. It's a bit worrying that you need that pointing out, tbh.

I misremembered the original post and thought he’d originally come from a rescue centre. The OP’s father was the original owner and then her mother had the cat (I assume they aren’t together or else he would have just been her parents’ cat along) so the OP is the third owner.

Vets can roughly age a cat but it’s only a guide.

He was a rescue cat to start then moved when my parents died

This is in opening post so I though he was a rescue cat, then OP dad then when he died her Mum continued to look after it then five years ago OP stepped in - and the loud yowling has been getting steadily worse over last 5 years.

Now her DP of 12 years is threatening to leave her due to the cat and her neigbours are complaining about the noise.

I would like many PP try another vet -ask for more tests try automatic feeders, food puzzels and more dense food. I would also make clear the current situation isn't sustainable to next vet so PTS and rehoming if nothing improves are sadly on the cards - so they know it's serious and to get their take on what realistic options there are.

Personally PTS t would be an absolute last resort as I'm sure it would be for the OP - but the OP in a pretty impossible situation and trying to guilt someone potentailly facing an awful choice is just nasty.

I have a parent with dementia. Been in a care home for 5 years and for 4.5 of those doesn’t know who she is let alone anyone else. Now sadly bedridden and can’t talk or know anything about anything. No life at all and she certainly wouldn’t want to be like this. Beyond cruel so yes, that would be an option if the world allowed it.

Hi, I’ve had a similar situation with an elderly cat who had dementia. Cats can have dementia just like humans, they can get confused and depressed. In my situation it didn’t go on for that long as my cat had other medical issues too that meant he sadly had to be put to sleep. I would start by asking your vet if this could be dementia and for some advice.

He's always been a talkative cat, but the yowling all night is NEW.

Noisy cats are cute, but a cat standing on his back legs scream - growling incessantly all night is NOT. And he's not a happy cat.

He’s probably deaf or having hearing issues. Have you tried picking him up and cuddling him when he’s making a racket?

So she's supposed to pace the hallway all night with this cat like a mum with a colicky baby?

PTS and don't feel guilty. The cat has had a good long life and you and your family matter more too

Jesus Christ, these situations are so far apart they aren’t even in the same universe. Comparing a woman being pressured into an abortion, to euthanising a SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD CAT is absolutely ridiculous. You need help, if you genuinely think these situations are comparable

He needs to be put to sleep. It’s a shame, but he’s had a good run. No animal is worth this amount of stress and suffering. It’s ridiculous that it’s gone on for so long.

It could be worth trying a couple of different things like a better food/food on a timer regularly, supplements to calm him but ultimately if it's dementia then he's just going to get worse in which case I would opt to PTS sooner rather than later.

Maybe give yourself a time frame of say 6 months to try the different options but if his behaviour continues then consult your vet r.e. PTS.

It's sad making the decision, nobody wants to do it but sometimes we have to because it's the right thing to do.

A couple of years ago I rushed my cat into the emergency vets after finding him paralysed and struggling to breathe. The vet told me that it was likely a blood clot that had come lose and he was suffering from heart failure and whilst he couldn't say for certain without extensive research (causing stress to an already unwell cat) it was the most likely situation and whilst if it was we could buy time we would ultimately be in the same situation within 6 months to a year and in his opinion the kindest thing to do would be PTS then and there. He was only 4 so it was a hard thing to do but the right thing.

At 17 he's not going to live much longer and if nothing helps his distress then saying goodbye earlier rather than later really is the kindest thing to do for everybody. I 100% advocate for euthanasia amongst humans with dementia too, it's a horrible thing to go through and no life for anybody.

If you're in the Nottingham or Derby area, or within driving distance, I'd be happy to take him. I have experience with elderly and problem cats 😊

I love cats but I wouldn't let one ruin my life, my family's life and my neighbours' lives. It sounds like you've tried everything and euthanasia is the kindest option now.

I'm not sure what you think is awful? Our basement is a proper room - I spend 8 hours a day there and she had everything she needed. Just not her normal run of the house.

It's awful your cat caught hepatitis in those circumstances. Nightmare fuel for any pet owner.

Worms can cause extreme hunger.

Have you wormed him with a proper wormer? (Not one off the supermarket shelf).

He sounds very lonely and stressed as well.

Do you give him lots of attention, or do you just lock him out/away?

As with many threads, it's frustrating that so many people don't even seem to have read the OP's original post, let alone the updates!

My cat is like this when I've been out for the day. I WFH and have two young children so she is used to having as much attention as she likes. Given that cat was with your Dad before, could it be a lack of attention? My MIL takes in old cats like this all the time and has many friends that are the same. Before considering PTS I would try to find someone with more time that could give your cat lots of attention to rehome to.

You could always embrace the noise and the freaky and turn him into a TikTok star

Ah, apologies for misunderstanding.

I felt guilty for many years as she was a rescue and I have always wondered if she felt abandoned again. But she had aged a lot in her last few months and I think was just her time. We still miss her though. She was one of those special cats.