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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Why is my cat SHOUTING all the time?

25 replies

LowLevelStabbing · 25/10/2011 17:43

Background in brief:

moved house, neighbour cat was getting through the flap and so our cat was weeing are around the house. Took her to the vet for check up and the vet said it sounded like stressed behaviour and she was marking her territory.

Vet advised, locking the cat flap so neighbour cat can't get in (and our cat can feel safe) - done. Multiple litter trays around the house - done . Antianxiety cat food Hmm - done.

So the weeing has stopped - yaaay! but she now shouts periodically throughout the day and - most annoyingly - at night.

MIAOOOW
MIAOOOW
MIAOOOW
MIAOOOW
MIAOOOW

When she shouts I go and check she has food/water/clean litter/wants to go out, but she just sits there, not tempted by anything.

When she wants to get our attention for strokes or anything she uses her sweet little tiny voice.

SO WHAT'S WITH THE SHOUTING??

OP posts:
TheOriginalFAB · 25/10/2011 18:44

She has something to say!

mycatoscar · 25/10/2011 19:23

My cat does this, we have a very thick kitchen door Grin

But seriously is the cat used to being able to go in and out when it fancies?

Original poster
LowLevelStabbing · 25/10/2011 19:27

She has always gone in and out freely (and she's 14 now). I feel it's to do with this, but then I open the door for her and she does nothing.

maybe she wants to go out, but is too worried about neighbour cat coming to bash her Sad

OP posts:
mycatoscar · 25/10/2011 19:30

Ah but you opening the door is not the same as her using a cat flap maybe? My cat hates me opening doors for him. What about a magnetically controlled cat flap?

noddyholder · 25/10/2011 19:33

I could have written this We have just moved and our cat is miaowing day and night.We are renting for 6 months and no cat flap so i let him in and out and he has litter at night but the neighbours cat has spooked him and he is tiny whereas my cat is huge it looks so funny seeing him trmebling by this skinny little thing!Maybe you could carry her out and see if that works? Feliway didn't work for us and ds who is 17 says he can't cope with all the 'talking'Grin I love cats they are a law uto themselves look at all the things she has had you doing trays special sprays food and still she suits herself!

Original poster
LowLevelStabbing · 25/10/2011 19:59

oscar, we have a magnetic flap, worked brill at old house, but this particular cat also has a magnetic 'key', so it's redundant. grrr. the next step is to get a flap that recognises a microchip £££££££ Shock oh, and get her chipped ££££££££ Shock

haha noddy, I do find it quite funny, but I agree with your DS at 5am!

OP posts:
suzi2 · 25/10/2011 21:50

With my cat, this shouting was an unhappy cry. Never quite worked out what he was unhappy about! But if he had a UTI he did the same shout. So I know it was his "man flu" yell.

Original poster
LowLevelStabbing · 26/10/2011 11:45

Awww, she's unhappy isn't she? Sad we're due back at vets next week for blood tests and urine sample.

Also, I messed up and neighbour cat got in last night. Guess we'll have some territory marking again Sad

OP posts:
nickelbabe · 26/10/2011 11:49

Cats do shout as they get older.
If she's 14, she'll not be happy about the move anyway, but with her new vocal talent, it'll sound worse than it is.

I don't know what to suggest about the neighbour's cat though. It won't help that she can't go in and out as she pleases.

stealthsquiggle · 26/10/2011 11:55

I have come to the conclusion that it is the cat equivalent of senile dementia. DCat is coming up to 20 and she has been randomly shouting for the last couple of years. It is very annoying but most of the time I think she is just checking that we are there - if you shout back (mostly "FGS SHUT UP DCAT") then she stops (for a while).

stealthsquiggle · 26/10/2011 11:56

(oh and on next door neighbour cat - DH resorted to lying in wait with a water pistol for bully-next-door at our old house, which seemed to work. Current neighbours cats are outdoor cats and don't bother DCat at all, thank goodness)

ColdSancerre · 26/10/2011 11:59

I was going to usggest age too. Onset of senility can cause it, as can deafness I think. Exactly as stealth says they do it for reassurance, my old boy used to wail and wail and then when you'd come running and he saw you he'd stop. Shouting at him didn't help as he used to pretend he was deaf.

nickelbabe · 26/10/2011 12:00

true, stealth
Our cats were quiet, almost silent, for most of their lives.
Seb started off going meh-'eh (like a cough) and now he sits in the house and randomly shouts for no reason (he also has reasons - "i've done a poo" "i feel lonely" "i'm hungry" "i've just had a drink" etc)
Johan only shouts when he "finds the water", and he sings when he needs to cough up a fur ball (or a mouse Hmm )

Original poster
LowLevelStabbing · 26/10/2011 12:00

Awww, I had wondered about senility, but thought it a big coincidence that it started when we moved. It could be that she forgets where we are couldn't it? Aww, this is making me Sad

I do use a rather excellent water gun if neighbour cat comes in the house Grin

OP posts:
ColdSancerre · 26/10/2011 12:01

nickel - Harry developed a wah-ah, wah-ah, wah-ah in his old age. They are funny. If noisy.

WhereBeThatBlackbirdTo · 26/10/2011 12:02

I agree with Stealth - I think its a form of feline dementia. My 18 yo cat shouted up the stairs until he heard his name, now my 19 yo cat doing the same - seemingly just shouting at the wall. When she hears her name she looks most upset that we've interrupted, but then she's not the brightest feline on the block.

Friend's cat does the same and her vet said it's called 'inappropriate vocalisation' - well, we'd already worked that out for ourselves!

nickelbabe · 26/10/2011 12:04

it's more funny in the daytime.
Seb also shouts when we've gone to bed Hmm
Grin

stealthsquiggle · 26/10/2011 12:12

If left in because DH is last to bed and can't be bothered to look for her, DCat tends to yell at about 4am Hmm but if shut out in the kitchen she probably still shouts, but can only be heard in the DC's bedrooms and they can sleep through a lot more than her shouting. More annoying is her need to "join in" with any stranger in the house - I have to shut her out to keep her from constantly pestering workmen, DD's violin teacher, babysitters, etc, etc.

SparklyCloud · 26/10/2011 12:20

has she got the run of the house, ie your bedroom? It would be easier to make her a nice bed in your room, take her up when you go up, and she might start to feel better, oh and keep a litter tray up there too.

JinxAndFluff · 26/10/2011 12:25

I agree old age. 17 yo DC stomps around the house, and I mean STOMPS like she is in some military troop, SHOUTING at the top of her voice. I feel like falling into line behind her sometimes. She even does it when she still has food in her bowl in the kitchen but she wants me to come through and watch her eat it. Which obediently I do.... I think it is old lady type bossiness, if you know what I mean, like when your Gran thinks she has a right to be heard because she's old and shouts all the time. I was going to try to 'succession plan' and phase in a new addition, a teenager, but I think she's stress a newbe into the ground. We had to take her to stay overnight at my parents and she reduced their MUCH larger, younger tom (who made the mistake of forcing his way into 'her' room) virtually to tears...he slunk off on his belly in his own house.....

suzi2 · 26/10/2011 12:31

lol @ these. My cat also liked me to watch him eat when he was old. Or he'd yell for me, only for me to go to him and then he'd look at me like I was mad. One thing I just remembered is he'd shout for drinking water. He always had water (in a pint glass, didn't like a bowl!) but preferred me to fetch fresh stuff for every drink. So if he was upstairs he'd shout and I'd fill up a cup that sat in the shower for him. Downstairs I freshened his water. Should have really bought him one of those cat fountains.

JinxAndFluff · 26/10/2011 12:38

Recently older DC has started refusing to drink water normally by lapping and now sits next to the bowl repeatedly dipping her paw in and drinking off it which results in flooding of the surrounding area as she's just not that good at it....

ColdSancerre · 26/10/2011 12:48

Yes, at having company while he ate too. Cats are nuts really.

stealthsquiggle · 26/10/2011 12:52

DCat would definitely like company while she eats, but since her bowls are in the utility room, she is out of luck there, I am afraid. My parents always insist on leaving her bowls of water for her when they feed her, but she never drinks from them (drinks from puddle / water feature outside) and DH and I fall over them and swear a lot

MrsVoltar · 26/10/2011 12:59

Jinx thats so funny! My old cat meows for her food then waits expectantly for me to lift her up so she is right in front of it (she is fed on top of unit because we also have a dog).

She also waits for us to come home (I think) to use her tray, think its so I will clean it up quick. She can be really annoying but is quite cute too.

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