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

Puccini the Opera singing cat

92 replies

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 11:31

Dear God, I'm being driven slowly bonkers by our cat singing at 4 in the morning Hmm

It's proper singing too, not yowling, he's not distressed at all.

Roughly translated it means 'This is my hooooooooouse, I have people and I loooooooove them ,they give me fooooood and I quite fancy some now I wish they get up and feed meeeeeeeeeeee and plaaaaaaay.....'

We've had him since Christmas, he was a stray and just turned up in a dreadful state and he took a long time to get tame but he's gorgeous now and super tame.

He used to go out at night when he was semi feral but now sleeps on the spare bed on a special fluffy blanketBlush

He's only about a year old,and either fully Bengal or a cross. Very, very vocal, in the day he chats away , it's like a proper conversation. It's just the singing at night that's keeping us up, it's like having a new born, we're EXHAUSTED!

we put food down, play with him until he's had enough, Feliway diffuser- any other suggestions?

I have ear plugs but if they come out his singing wakes me up. I could gaffer tape them to my head...Grin

Will he settle down as he gets older?

Other than that he's gorgeousGrin

Puccini the Opera singing cat
OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 27/06/2016 11:34

He's clearly telling you he needs to come and live with me.

RubbishMantra · 27/06/2016 11:45

By gum, that's one gorgeous cat. I think he's singing to say thank you.

Have you tried dried food or a timed feeder for him to snack on?

I really, really want you to record his operatics, and post them on Youtube, with a link, so we can all enjoy his singing.

If it's any consolation, my youngest wakes me up at first light, chattering and nickering at the birds.

BettyDraper1 · 27/06/2016 11:47

Our cats all go out at night. We live in the country and we've got outbuildings so they can find somewhere snug to sleep if they want to. They are all well rounded and happy but they couldn't stay in at night because they were like frickin' gremlins afters midnight. In my experience, all the cats I've ever owned are at their most active between 1am and dawn. So could you a) put him or b) put him in a room with toys that he likes to quietly play with?

He's lovely by the way, really gorgeous and your post made me laugh :)

BettyDraper1 · 27/06/2016 11:55

*put him out, I mean

cozietoesie · 27/06/2016 11:59

What a gorgeous boy. Smile

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 12:28

Betty- he has a cat flap and can come and go as he likes. Quite often he will sing just OUTSIDE the cat flap.

I've thought he was being murdered in the past as he was yowling and singing so loudly but he was just sitting on the drive way content as anything Confused

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 12:30

We used to just stick him out at night as dh is up at 5.30am for work anyway and he didn't use to make any noise at all , it's since we adopted him properlyHmm

OP posts:
BettyDraper1 · 27/06/2016 12:48

Ha! Oh god, I've got literally no advice for you then! Maybe as he grows up he'll grow out of it. Some cats are just vocal aren't they? Mine only do that when they've caught something and they want the whole village (and the wider country beyond) to know about it. What about a bit a whole bag of catnip in his dish at night, to make him a bit sleepier?

BettyDraper1 · 27/06/2016 12:50

like the really strong Canadian catnip maybe (as opposed to the weak stuff you get in Tesco)

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 12:54

Hang on you can FEED them cat nip???? Tell me more!!

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 27/06/2016 12:58

The trouble is that you can't always predict the effect of catnip. (And given Dame's luck so far..........)

It might just make him hyperactive and more vocal. Grin

NarcyCow · 27/06/2016 13:03

One of ours used to sit on the stairs at about 9pm most nights and give a performance. If we called her during it, she'd pop straight down the stairs, jump onto someone's lap and purr happily. We think she might have been singing that she was sad because she couldn't find us.

She was never the brightest cat.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 13:04

Oh perhaps not then!! He did love rolling in it when I spilled a packet, he went all dopey and just lay there. Maybe I'll put some down before bed and it might chill him out a bit but not feed it to him.

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 27/06/2016 13:08

The joys of bonded Siamese. Smile They might get a tad grumpy if you don't go to bed on time but at least they sleep through.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 13:13

I've waited soooooooooo long for a cat as dh has always been against pets but this little fluff ball has wheedled his way into our lives so trust me to get the noisiest cat EVER!

OP posts:
RubbishMantra · 27/06/2016 13:14

Mine go all spooky and paranoid on catnip. So sadly it's banned in this house.

I did try valerian toys, but by God, the smell! Imagine trench-foot, marinated in mouldy stilton.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 13:16

Blerk!

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RubbishMantra · 27/06/2016 13:23

Reminds me, there was a band playing at the local pub, 3 doors down. I thought the backing singer had an unusual singing style. Turns out it was Little Monsieur, singing along like this, WEE-ooo, OOooo-WEE.

I love singing cats! Maybe they should form a band. Grin

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 13:26

Ha ha ha Grin

OP posts:
BettyDraper1 · 27/06/2016 15:11

I buy mine a MAHOOSIVE bag of Canadian catnip at Christmas and sprinkle some in their bowls every now and then throughout the year and they love it. Mo, my big tom cat loves the catnip yoghurt treats they have at Pets at Home. I get him the catnip/yoghurt santa at Christmas and he dribbles all over it, rubs himself over every wall/ floor surface and then goes to sleep for about 83 hours. This might be your solution. Although, as Cozie points out, it could go either way...

like this

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 27/06/2016 15:40

I think it might be worth the risk just to break the habit of yowling....

Will report back later!

OP posts:
BettyDraper1 · 27/06/2016 16:22

RubbishMantra how do yours act paranoid on catnip?! I'm trying to imagine Grin Do they go all jittery and start putting duct tape over the webcam camera, etc?

BettyDraper1 · 27/06/2016 16:22

Grin Grin Grin

Fluffycloudland77 · 27/06/2016 21:40

It's typical Bengal behaviour. Ours is calming down now he's 7.

I'd keep him in at night with a hot water bottle. He looks snow Bengal to me.

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