What is my cat trying to tell me?

[Poledra]

Hi there. You lovely knowledgeable people were very useful when I debated taking on two older cats earlier in the summer (thread here), so I'm back for some more help. The boys have settled in very well, the children love them and all is going well.

However, every evening at some point between about 8 and 10pm, one of the cats comes back in from outside and meows and yowls at me. Quite a bit. He stalks around the house vocalising, begs to get upstairs to get on the kids' beds (not allowed, but only because he then gets up at 5am and wakes me up) then eventually deigns to get up on the sofa and settles down beside me and quietens down. And that's it.

Is there something bothering him? Or is he just telling me about his evening prowl? I've never owned a cat before so I'm not sure if I'm reading this right and some reassurance (or possible alternative explanations!) would be lovely. Thanks.

He's either hungry for some supper or communicating with you. Do you feed him or talk back to him?

If he's not asking for food, I think he's just reacquainting himself with you and telling you about the mouse/frog/sparrow/whale (delete as appropriate) he nearly caught that day.

But I might be way off the mark. Ours do it too, and once they've got it out of their system, they settle down and go to sleep.

I think the likelihood is that he wants a small nosh. (Mayve he got that in a previous life.) I'd try giving him a dessert spoon or so of wet food with a big ceremony and lots of chat to him. See how that goes for a few nights.

He shouldn't be hungry, as he gets fed at 8am and 6pm each day. They are both quite greedy, so I'm reluctant to give him more food .

I do talk back, telling him where I am and generally chatting nonsense to him. And I do look at him while I'm speaking so he 'knows' I'm talking to him. Once he gets up on the sofa, I give him a bit of a fussing then, as I said, he settles down for a nap. So I thought it was just him wanting some attention but wanted to make sure proper cat-people agreed with me.

Ooh, cross-posted, cozie. He gets a pouch of wet food at 6pm, so maybe if I give him a few bits of hard food as a little bit of supper he'll be a happier boy.

I'd still give him some extra food. He may not be actually hungry but cats often like a little late supper. Worth a try anyway. (And reduce the 6pm nosh in proportion if you're worried he might get fat.)

Both my cats have a chat with me about this time in the evening. They want a stroke and a chat. Can last up to 15 minutes.
Too often cats wanting a chat is misinterpreted as hunger.
Remember cats have over 40,000 sounds that they can make as opposed to dogs who have 16. They are a chatting animal.

40,000? That's positively Shakesperean! (Well it exceeds Shakespeare, actually.)

He is doing his evening patrol, and this includes inspecting the house? Like a nightwatchman doing the rounds.

Little old lady DCat patrols outside every night, even though she is mostly asleep inside or in the garden during the day, and I am also subject to spot inspections where she wants to go and check inside my walk-in wardrobe and the cupboard where the boiler is

She wouldn't want to go if you left the doors open.

He is carrying out his duties as a responsible owner of Humans. Making sure your children are safe, that he hasn't been deposed as Ruler of the House and generally throwing his (phantom) balls around.

My DH does the same when he comes in lat at night.

I snorted there!

Arf at mignonette.

Our ex Dubai street does this - well actually he talks pretty much non-stop throughout the day (v diff from dcat1 who does that silent miaow thing)

At first I thought he was complaining but he's not - he's just chatting - he just loves to talk!

I do give both of them a bedtime snack though which goes down very well - they seem to prefer having 3 small meals plus a few treats to having all their calorie intake in one go (actually dcat1 has to have her food in small amounts cos otherwise she scoffs the lot and then throws up - joy)

I'm used to cats who talk. All my boys have.

They also all prefer/preferred to have several modest meals per day to one or more large meals. It's been possible to do this in cozietowers because of work patterns. Not everyone can.

How is shuri doing? Is DCat1 tolerating him ?

Our boy cat does this exact same thing - blardy noisy if the kids are trying to get to sleep!!!

We keep our cats in over night (more RTAs happen in the dark) so once he's in for that they get their evening meal.

My Siamese does this, although at the moment whilst I'm off work his time of choice is mid morning. He rubs round my legs and gazes up lovingly at me and talks to me. It's not hunger, although he will accept a treat. He wants to play and talk and then curl up on my knee I think - well, that's what I've been doing with him.

Well Siamese are different. They need their ration of luurrve,

They sure do.

What sort of games do you play with the Siamese, Cozietoesie? Often it doesn't seem fun enough for mine, the usual feathers on a string etc?

I love it when kitten cat has a chirrupy chat with me!

We previously had a timid black cat who was definately 'my' cat, when I came in from work she would immediately start meowing and 'chatting' and go on for ages, DH used to say 'whatever she's telling you, it didn't happen!'

Don't really play games right now, I must confess. My health isn't great at the moment so we usually have love in snoozes.

Teddies of course.

is a cat w/ a lot to say.

Crikey!

Hope you feel better soon Cozietoesie

Thanks loopy. I'll be fine.