Why does my cat yowl?

[FushandChups]

He is 6, neutered but quite new to the family (been here 1 month).. since I fitted my cat flap he obviously goes out much more.

The last couple of nights, we have heard him towing loudly out the back garden. The first time, I wondered if he'd got stuck so went to see and he was hanging out with another cat..

Tonight, I popped my head out when it started and there were definitely at least two cats having a yowl together.

Is it a territorial thing? Is he hurt? Is he just bored?

A quick google, similar to humans, implies if he might be ill so would love to hear a more anecdotal explanation.. so does your cat yowl?

When I had Siamese boys who went outside, they were terrible yowlers - and The Lodger would very occasionally let rip of a night if he was, unusually, being a dirty stop out.

I suspect that mostly, it's a precursor to/substitute for a full on scrap - a sort of 'Listen To My Huge Yowl And Beware' - but there might also be some element of 'showing off' to other cats. (When The Lodger moved in, I explained to him that the deal involved him staying in at night so I didn't get nighttime yowling from him more than a few times when he'd been caught outside and was preparing for a stand off. He was very peaceable with other animals in the daylight.)

Thanks Cozie - I thought/hoped he was just mouthing off but when I Googled, it did imply it could be all sorts of nasty things...

I keep him in from when the DC are in bed but this is as it's just starting to get dark (5ish) but there is another cat there so hope it's as you say, warning the other cat away from his pad (although I suspect my cat isn't very bolshy and it may well be the other cat saying that yes, they may not live in this house but they rather like having the back garden to themselves )

I think that the timing rather gives it away. (I'm assuming he seems otherwise healthy.) He's yowling in concert with another cat at dusk so while he may be a mature animal, it sounds rather like two teenage lads hanging out together. Hopefully it will calm down as they get to know each other and someone establishes dominance - although keeping him in at night remains a good idea, I think.