Constant Meowing at kitchen door

[LetsGoMango]

Hoping someone can help me here.
I’ve two cats, had the one in question 3 years and he’s around 3.5
2 years ago we moved in to a new fist and whilst my cats are allowed free rein if the rest of the place we typically keep the kitchen bathroom and one of the bedroom closed off.

At some point last year my cat began sitting outside the kitchen door meowing to get in. We weren’t cooking anything so I don’t think it’s a smell thing and he doesn’t do it with any of the other closed doors and there are several because we have a couple of storage cupboards too.

But it’s become a habit
He will go to the kitchen door and meow his head off but if you so much as move to get up to see what he wants he runs away and hides them goes back and does it again.

He’ll have periods where he doesn’t do it then it will start again seemingly for no reason.

I’ve tried letting him in, to see what he wants and he just wanders about and then comes out but still sits and cries if it’s closed again.

But now we are getting a new kitchen fitted so it’s not safe for it to be open while we are mid build and ideally I don’t want the cats in the kitchen anyway.

The cats were in a cattery whilst the bulk of the work was done, but unfortunately the renovation is running behind so they’ve had to come home with it unfinished. There’s somewhere safe they can be out of the way when the work is going on so that’s fine.

But within ten mins of being home said cat was at the kitchen door absolutely howling to get in.
Again he runs if you try to go near him but goes straight back and cries once he’s sure you’re sat down again.

And now he’s been doing it all night. He is usually chilled at night and barely a peep from him but he has been meowing very high pitched on and off all night at that kitchen door and I’m at an absolute loss how to stop it. Or what he wants.

He has an issue with his bladder from time to time and sometimes needs medicine when it’s bothering him and I did theorise once that maybe he was crying at that door because we keep the medicine and the accompanying treats in there, but I’m not sure if that’s even relevant or if he just happened to be crying at the door while also suffering with his bladder.

Does anyone have any tips?
The vet said it could be attention seeking so we try to ignore it
And make sure when he isn’t doing it that he gets lots of stimulation and affection
But it doesn’t seem to make a difference and it’s very hard to ignore, particularly when it’s keeping me up all night.

See attached photo of the offending cat looking all cute and innocent.

Have you actually given the medicine to see if it stops that behaviour or just wondered if you cat could be trying to tell you they’re suffering?

Id start with that and if it doesn’t make a difference then it’s probably just a cat being a cat. Either leave the door open or put up with it.

No help, but our cat hates a shut door. He’s not shut out of any rooms (but is closed into the kitchen for bed) and would never go into the bathroom, unless I have a bath - then he will sit and wail outside until I leave the door off the latch. Once I do that, he won’t be fussed. Likewise we had a load of snow last week which the cat was furious at. He didn’t (understandably) want to go out, until DP went out to clear the patio - cue wailing sadly at the back door, until it was opened for him, then outrage that the snow was there.

@TheresGlitterAllOverMyHouse

He has his medicine twice a day when it’s needed. But it is a powder that has to be put in to something,
So he will always temporarily stop crying and then sleep because he’s had something yummy

So he could be crying initially to indicate pain, but equally he could be crying because he knows it brings a treat. The cattery had been monitoring him tho and he wasn’t presenting with any retention issues while there (our vet runs the cattery so they’re aware of his history),

I would just open the door normally but it’s unsafe at present due to the renovation.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses My other boy will cry the place down if I go in to the bathroom without him him but he couldn’t care less what’s behind a closed door unless it’s a person.

If you can’t or won’t open the door then you’ll just have to put up with it.

That's not very helpful @snoopythebeagle . The OP is asking for advice. I do think OP that toughing it out is the only thing you can do. Maybe earplugs at night? It will eventually stop (probably) and he will move on to another probably equally annoying quirk! That's what always happens with our cat anyway.

How isn’t it helpful? It’s true

The solution is to open the door which OP says she can’t do at the moment - so the only thing she can do is accept that the closed door is causing the noise and get some earplugs.

I wouldn't call closing the bathroom, kitchen and bedroom as your cats having free reign. Cats are narurally curious creatures and the majority hate closed doors.