My mother has been in the hospital for the last 2 weeks and I came down a few days ago to stay in the house. She has a larger black and white male about 17 years old she got when he was maybe a year old. He is mostly an indoor cat now and may go out on the driveway for a few minutes and come right back. When he was younger he would stay out longer and go farther from the house. The biggest problem is his meowing. He often has a loud blood curdling sound to it which he may do for 5 or 10 times before stopping. If I go to him and pet him he stops and purrs so it doesn't appear he is in any physical distress. During the day I can take it but it's at night when I'm sleeping that the problem is. He sleeps on the bed where I'm sleeping and 2 to 4 times during the night he will get off the bed and eat something (there is dry food in the bedroom for him). When he is finished he will start meowing until I call for him at which point he will come back to bed and be quiet, at least for an hour or two. He has had these meowing episodes for years so its not something new since my mother has been away. Needless to say I'm a bit tired in the morning because of it. Any suggestions to stop this behavior? Someone suggested water bottle spraying him. He seems to be in good shape for his age otherwise. Also, how long can cats live these days in optimal conditions.
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Moms 17yr old cat's meowing is waking me up at night.
- Thread starter atikovi
- Start Date
Don't spray him - he won't really associate it with the meowing (so instinctive I doubt if he realizes he's doing it and may be half deaf too by now)) but will become afraid of you. Is there nowhere else you can sleep or something? He also probably is calling for your mother. Most indoor cats can live 15++ yrs, but the (very) odd one can make it to 25!
If possible, maybe you could try to not let your cat sleep with you at night...but make sure he has activities to keep him occupied. You could give him a snack before you go to bed or play with him till you tire him out...
Unfortunately you cannot spray a noisy cat with water. Whenever he mews, do a "shhh" sound or a "ch" sound... Don't do the sound with an angry tone, do the sound, then go back to what you were doing. He needs to learn when he can mew & when he cannot. Our cats get noisy too & we do those sounds, at times we pet them & tell them to be quiet. It works with our cats anyways...
Update us on how your cat is doing with his mewing...
Unfortunately you cannot spray a noisy cat with water. Whenever he mews, do a "shhh" sound or a "ch" sound... Don't do the sound with an angry tone, do the sound, then go back to what you were doing. He needs to learn when he can mew & when he cannot. Our cats get noisy too & we do those sounds, at times we pet them & tell them to be quiet. It works with our cats anyways...
Update us on how your cat is doing with his mewing...
I believe at the age of 17 he loses his way at night. He might be afraid until he hears you voice. You might consider moving his food into the bedroom for the night snacking. This cat probably is very upset over his caretaker being gone and slightly disoriented at night. I think it is wonderful that you are so concerned.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Thank you for being so caring; and I hope your mom recovers soon and is able to reunite with her beloved furry guy, who IS probably lonely for her. Instead of punitive action, I think giving him some loving would be more appropriate -- after all, he misses his meowmy! Will he sleep on the bed with you? If so, try stroking him and saying a few soft, reassuring, loving things to him after he eats; he may settle down and not feel so lonely after a few times of this. My 18-year-old is loud and vocal, too; I am a light sleeper, but it really doesn't bother me, because first and foremost, I love my Nikki!
