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Cat meow collar??

post #1 of 10
1/10/07 at 6:48am
Thread Starter 
Hello I am wondering if there is such a thing as a cat meow collar. I have read about Dog bark collars that are used to teach a dog when too much barking is excessive, and I was wondering if such a product was available for cats. I have tried everything to limit my cats excessive meows. I have tried squirtbottles, loud sound effects, vacuum cleaners, giving reward when shes quiet, etc. I've also tried ignoring her meows for days on end. NOT EVEN THIS WORKS! I do not want to invest in such a product that is cruel and dangerous, but I have read that the dog collar sends tiny shocks that are just an annoyance to the animal.

Harriet is a very sweet cat, who needs constant attention. If she isn't in the same room as I am she will do everything she can to get to me (kock stuff over, run around, scratch and.. oh yeah.. MEOW). I live in an apt. building that doesn't allow cats and my lease is up in a few months. I snuck Harriet in because shes part of the family (I refuse to take her to the SPCA and none of my friends or family will watch her until I can get a new apt.) I have to find a way to limit her ANNOYING and dangerous (for my housing) meowing.
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post #2 of 10
1/10/07 at 6:52am
I'm sorry but I agree that it's cruel, when dogs bark excessively it is due to boredom and/or training issues as far as I know, and this sounds like punishing a dog because it is poorly trained or out of its mind with boredom. Certainly wouldn't be appropriate for a cat, they cannot be trained not to miaow - some cats are naturally more vocal than others.

There can be other reasons for it which need to be ruled out - is it a new behaviour or has she always done it? Is she spayed? How old? Has she seen a vet to have health problems ruled out?
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post #3 of 10
1/10/07 at 7:02am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epona View Post
I'm sorry but I agree that it's cruel, when dogs bark excessively it is due to boredom and/or training issues as far as I know, and this sounds like punishing a dog because it is poorly trained or out of its mind with boredom. Certainly wouldn't be appropriate for a cat, they cannot be trained not to miaow - some cats are naturally more vocal than others.

There can be other reasons for it which need to be ruled out - is it a new behaviour or has she always done it? Is she spayed? How old? Has she seen a vet to have health problems ruled out?
SHes 10 months old so shes still in kitten mode. We've had her for 5 of the 10 months and she has been this way since day 1. She has also been spayed about 4 months ago.

I do not like the idea of the collar much at all but I'm desperate. I came across an "Ultrasonic Pet Trainer" which looks a lot better.
http://www.radiofence.com/ultrasonic_trainer.htm

Do you think this is any better or should I take a completely different approach? I feel as though she is too much of a rebel for anything else I've tried in the past.
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post #4 of 10
1/10/07 at 7:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by isockbull View Post
SHes 10 months old so shes still in kitten mode. We've had her for 5 of the 10 months and she has been this way since day 1. She has also been spayed about 4 months ago.

I do not like the idea of the collar much at all but I'm desperate. I came across an "Ultrasonic Pet Trainer" which looks a lot better.
http://www.radiofence.com/ultrasonic_trainer.htm

Do you think this is any better or should I take a completely different approach? I feel as though she is too much of a rebel for anything else I've tried in the past.
I still don't agree with it. Whether it's a small shock or a high frequency sound, you're still doing something that is stopping that cat from doing something it wants to do naturally, meow. The linked product says it stops "Misbehaviors". Since when is meowing a way of a cat misbehaving? I don't think of a cat meowing in the same way as a dog who excessively barks because some cats are just naturally more talkative. Reeses never shuts up it seems But I know it's just part of her personality.

It was your decision to take the cat in to an apartment that doesn't allow them and the cat shouldn't be punished for that. So really your only option if you don't want to give her up is to try and pinpoint why she's meowing so much and correct it. If it's just part of her personality there's nothing you can do though.
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post #5 of 10
1/10/07 at 7:15am
As she's that young, I doubt that it's thyroid problems then, that can cause cats to miaow a lot but usually affects older cats. It sounds to me as if you just have a talkative cat! Do you talk to her back? And does she get plenty of interactive play with you, she may be asking you to play with her? Oh and has she been treated for worms, perhaps if she has internal parasites she is miaowing because she is hungry? But probably it's just in her nature to talk a lot.

If you are worried about being discovered, I would leave a radio on all the time, tuned to a music station, to at least try to mask the miaowing a bit. In any other situation, I would say get her a playmate but I realise that is simply not possible in your case!
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post #6 of 10
1/10/07 at 7:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epona View Post
As she's that young, I doubt that it's thyroid problems then, that can cause cats to miaow a lot but usually affects older cats. It sounds to me as if you just have a talkative cat! Do you talk to her back? And does she get plenty of interactive play with you, she may be asking you to play with her? Oh and has she been treated for worms, perhaps if she has internal parasites she is miaowing because she is hungry? But probably it's just in her nature to talk a lot.

If you are worried about being discovered, I would leave a radio on all the time, tuned to a music station, to at least try to mask the miaowing a bit. In any other situation, I would say get her a playmate but I realise that is simply not possible in your case!
I do talk back with Harriet, and give her hours of play time every day (especially before bed time as she will surely wake me up early with shreaking meows). She was checked for worms and was given the dewormer months ago, and she never has an empty food dish (she eats about 1/2 cup hard food and half can of soft food every day).

I think her issue is that no attention is enough attention. I will play with her for hours and when I'm tired of playing and its time to do some housework she starts going nuts. I do keep my TV on 24/7 and LOUD to block her meows from the rest of the tenants (as well as the landlord).
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post #7 of 10
1/10/07 at 7:47am
You may just have to wait it out until your lease is up. At that point, would it be possible to get her a playmate? Kittens have endless energy and another one should keep her from getting bored, since you can't play with her 24/7.
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post #8 of 10
1/10/07 at 7:49am
I know, you can't ever play with an active kitten as much as they want you to - there aren't enough hours in the day! It sounds as if you're doing everything right, and everything you could possibly be doing to keep your little girl happy I hope the situation resolves, maybe she will quieten down a bit as she gets older.
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post #9 of 10
1/10/07 at 7:51am
Exactly - she wants another cat to play with. I've seen it over and over, and it works every time - even when the cats fight at the beginning, even when they don't become friends later on (but remain neutral) - it's as if they need to know there's another one of their own around (after all, imagine spending your whole life with another species alone).
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post #10 of 10
4/19/10 at 7:54am
Follow the following link. It isn't a shock collar, it uses aromatherapy. It is inexpensive, and it works fairly well. It is what I use on my burmese.

http://www.amazon.com/Sentry-Behavio.../dp/B0026JAKWG
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