Cat meowing all night - help!

[M5tothesouthwest]

DCat (well kitten really- he’s 7 months) has recently started meowing all night and it’s driving us nuts.
We’ve had him and his litter mate since they were 9 weeks old. The all-night meowing has started in the last 6 weeks or so but seems to be getting worse.
Both cats are shut in the kitchen-diner overnight but have free access from there to the garden at this time (catflap). They still have litter trays indoors but aren’t using them much now - preferring to go outside. They have a comfy bed and access to food and water. I feed them a pouch of wet food between them before we go to bed and usually a small amount remains in the morning so I don’t think he’s hungry. They also have unlimited access to dry food (which doesn’t get eaten much either overnight). There is a scratch post and some toys for them there too.
So he’s not hungry, he can go out, has somewhere to sleep, has his sister for company etc. so I assume it’s an attention issue.
We ignore his cries and he might stop after say 20-30 mins and start again an hour later. We’ve never gone to him at night when he’s crying.
He’s generally quite a ‘meowy’ cat and meows a lot by day - he’ll just sit next to us meowing but again, not sure why as he always has food, access to the garden etc.
He’s worse than a newborn baby and DH is getting . Any ideas?

Let him into your bed? Maybe he is missing you.

Maybe they want to be upstairs with everyone else. My two come upstairs when we do and sleep in various places overnight.

And its not always the beds they sleep on. Computer chair, under the clothes airer, the hall next to the banister, the bedroom floor next to the laundry basket, etc

Coming into my bed is not an option as he a) doesn’t wipe his paws when he comes in from outside b) might bring me a furry / feathery present and c) will poke and paw at me to make a fuss (from experience when I let him once before when DH was away )
If we let them have the run of the house, they either disturb the kids if they can get in to their rooms, or scratch at the carpet if they can’t.

Is your cat flap the type other cats can come inside? Maybe he s getting spooked by bigger ones roaming around at night outside. I block ours off at night as mine stay in after dark but I once came down to a massive black and white tom in my kitchen knocking things over and scaring my girls!

Mine are in overnight but then i don't have a catflap

Cats should ideally be in at night. Is he neutered?

Yes he’s neutered (since 4 months so not recent either).
The cat flap is a microchip one so no other cats are getting in. There are a few other cats in our area but they don’t seem to make a fuss if they’re in the garden at the same time as the kittens.
As for going out at night, isn’t that when cats are naturally active? Wouldn’t keeping them in overnight not be a bit mean? We’re very rural here - minimal roads to worry about etc.

Lock him out at night?

Put the radio on

Radio could be a good idea

Cats are not nocturnal they are crepuscular. This means they are active at dawn and dusk. My cats spend a lot of the night asleep

The meowing is possibly because she's anxious about something. Cats are better off indoors at night, as it's said to be the most dangerous time of the day for them. Do you think she could be ill? Maybe a trip to the vet for a check up and some advice?Do you play with her before bedtime to tire her out? I'm afraid to say, it's probably because she wants to be with all of you at night time. Some cats just feel lonely and want to be with the family all of the time.

I used to let mine out at night but I m terrified of the M25 animal killer now as he or she has killed close to me 😢 so they stay in with litter trays

Afaik, by law, cats are supposed to be kept in at night for their own welfare and to protect birdlime at dawn, as that is when they tend to be most active as PP said. Our microchip cat flap lets them in, but won't let them out at night. I would not let mine go out at night, because of the M25 killer either - two decapitated rabbits have been found in the last few weeks here!

However, we let ours have the run of the house at night, and they mostly sleep on my bed! (They are very needy cats - they tend to follow me around like little dogs all day)

there is no law about keeping cats in at night. Mine do stay in though

Checklist, that's near me too. It was in the local paper and it's horrible. I just don't feel safe letting them out past dusk. Luckily they both love the warmth and the youngest didn't really like the cold today

My elderly cat aged 16 is very attached to me and follows me round the house all day if I am not working. She even comes to the toilet with me. I'd rather she slept downstairs as she bats her felt mouse around in the early hours or insists I look at it at 3 in the morning!
I try to keep her in the dining room at night to get some sleep but I've had to relent as all hell breaks loose and the neighbours say they can hear her hollering through the adjoining wall.
So we're back to all night cuddles and mouse batting. I've just given up now.
Your kitty babe just wants to be with you, he loves you.

Yes, I've just looked at this

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69392/pb13332-cop-cats-091204.pdf

And it does not say they have to be kept in at night, although M25 killer apart, neither of mine are big enough to take on a fox either!