Very Loud, Deep Meow. Almost a howl...

Mine all howl like that when they think they are being neglected or not fed at the 'proper' rime. Da Lip is the worst as he gets up on something close to my face and starts shouting and even almost silent TIppy can make a meow that will carry across the whole yard.; inside he lets the rest shout for him.  

Tumbles howls like this frequently.  He's a talkative chap, especially if he wants attention, but he sometimes does this particularly deep, throaty, gutteral howl when he needs to poop.    He's fine health-wise, just feels the need to announce his intentions.

I once had a cat that reached maturity before being neutered, therefore he learned to caterwhal (or however it's spelled). Tom would sit on my front porch every morning at 5:30 wailing an almost unearthly meow/howl "heh-whoa" (sounding like a cat attempting hello) greeting me and demanding breakfast. I miss that cat, he sure was chatty.
I just think some cats like to make noise and communicate "verbally" more than others. But I'm just a cat lover, by no means an expert.

I am so happy to find this website. My cat does this weird howling, too. She wakes us up all night. She does it in the basement, the bathroom and not when we can see her. She stops when we are near, so I can never catch her doing it and see what she does. She is 20 years old and has done this for several years, although it has gotten worse in the last year. I thought she was searching for my other cat after he died.  Then I thought she was ill or scared.  Now, I do think she is confused and searching for something.  I would love to hear more about your experiences.

boobunny12 said:

I once had a cat that reached maturity before being neutered, therefore he learned to caterwhal (or however it's spelled). Tom would sit on my front porch every morning at 5:30 wailing an almost unearthly meow/howl "heh-whoa" (sounding like a cat attempting hello) greeting me and demanding breakfast. I miss that cat, he sure was chatty.
I just think some cats like to make noise and communicate "verbally" more than others. But I'm just a cat lover, by no means an expert.

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Tumbles was neutered long before reaching adulthood, but didn't start this howling thing at night until he was about a year old.  After we've gone to bed, sometimes I hear him howling.  He's usually walking around with his woobie in his mouth bringing us his "catch".  I never see him carrying the woobie around, but I find it in different places everyday.  It doesn't move all day long, so I know he's carrying it at night.  He also makes a different crying/howling noise before he pukes.  I heard it this morning!

Jamie has always caterwauled, and his siblings did it, too. By "always" I mean from the time I brought him home at 10 weeks, and he'll be 13 in April; he was castrated at 6 months. He tends to do it while sitting in the cellar window and usually starts around dusk. The behavior is really pronounced when there's a full moon. We call it "singing". It's gotten so loud now that he's a senior cat that it sets the dog next door to barking, and sometimes she howls along. He'll stop when you ask him what he's "singing" about, but starts back up after a couple of minutes.

Since he mainly does it between dusk and dawn, I've always figured that he sees/hears/smells nocturnal animals. Or maybe he really is an alien, as my mom always claimed, and is "calling home".

Bigtime.  Our eldest, Samuda, "yargles" earsplittingly at all times of the day and night; he's announcing his supremacy, as he's Head Cat around here, and he's also just telling everyone he's around.  I talk back with him, and sometimes we get quite a conversation going.  Rani and Maryam like to "kill" a sparkle ball and tell the world about their hunting prowess in a similar way, often with the ball in the mouth.  It's very funny, but of course it wouldn't be proper to laugh at them, so I always let them know I'm laughing WITH, not at, them.  

I recently allowed a stray male cat to come into my home.He was not altered at the time and I was advised to be a "responsible owner" and have him castrated.Before the surgery he used the litter box,learned to use the scratching post,was broken of getting on the counters and kitchen table.In short he did anything asked of him.
Upon returning from the castration surgery,it sprayed in the house,(never did that before).Hissed at my partner when she attempted to put the e collar back on after eating,clawed the drapes and crawled through the mini blinds to get to windows.When not displaying these behaviors,it went from door to door yowling to get out.
Finally the post op period was ended and I gratefully opened the door to let this horrid animal out to freedom. I haven't seen it since.
I wasted a considerable ammount of money on the surgery that turned a calm well behaved animal into  something that no one would want in their home.
Anyone contemplating this surgery for a outdoor cat should think long and hard before going forward with it.

Really sorry you feel that way.  IMHO, and the opinion of those of us who love cats, cats are not "it" or "horrid animals that no one would want"; they are individual living beings with great value, whom we love very much.  While you had a bad experience, I nevertheless thank you for doing the right thing in getting him neutered, as he will not contribute to the senseless tragedy of adding to the population of homeless cats who lose their lives through no fault of their own, because humans are so ignorant, irresponsible and uncaring that they do not do the right thing by spaying/neutering.  Those of us in the advocacy community work very hard, spending our own funds in most cases, doing exactly what you did, not because we expect anything in return, but to reduce the numbers of cats who do not have loving, forever homes, as every cat so richly deserves.  So, thank you again for getting him neutered! and I hope this offsets a little, your feeling of having done something for nothing, when actually you have done the right thing, and a very good thing.

Originally Posted by embalmed  

Anyone contemplating this surgery for a outdoor cat should think long and hard before going forward with it.

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Are you serious? Who cares what the cat's attitude is afterward? You're saying it's better for an unneutered tomcat to roam outside, impregnating possibly hundreds of outdoor female cats? You did a wonderful thing having him neutered, even if he did become a TNR and you couldn't keep him afterward. Just because he acted poorly (wouldn't you if you were an outdoor cat who was first forced inside, then went to a strange place where you were knocked out, and woke up groggy, disoriented and sore?) is no reason to proclaim that anyone with an outdoor cat should avoid neutering or spaying.

embalmed said:

I recently allowed a stray male cat to come into my home.He was not altered at the time and I was advised to be a "responsible owner" and have him castrated.Before the surgery he used the litter box,learned to use the scratching post,was broken of getting on the counters and kitchen table.In short he did anything asked of him.

Upon returning from the castration surgery,it sprayed in the house,(never did that before).Hissed at my partner when she attempted to put the e collar back on after eating,clawed the drapes and crawled through the mini blinds to get to windows.When not displaying these behaviors,it went from door to door yowling to get out.

Finally the post op period was ended and I gratefully opened the door to let this horrid animal out to freedom. I haven't seen it since.

I wasted a considerable ammount of money on the surgery that turned a calm well behaved animal into  something that no one would want in their home.

Anyone contemplating this surgery for a outdoor cat should think long and hard before going forward with it.

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:smshfrk::wife::frusty::doh3::uuh::disa:

milo89 said:

I have a male cat. 8 years old. neutered. slightly overweight. Sometimes he makes very loud and deep meow noises, it's almost like a howl. It can only be described as 'aaauuUU' with a very heavily accented 'U'. He's had kidney stones before but he doesn't seem to be in pain. He only does it out of sight and stops right away if you catch him doing it. Other than that he's fine and very charismatic. Sound familiar to anyone?

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Hi Milo89!

Is this thread still going on or have you been able to figure out what was happening with your feline companion?!

I'm not a vet, but I have a good amount of experience rescuing, nursing back to health and relocating feral cats, tom cats, abandoned cats - you name it! lol In conversations with feline specialists  two tings were pointed out about the noise you are describing:

Growls/howling sounds > Sound associated with sexual and aggressive activity. Typically heard when cat is in heat; the female produces a specific sound or call. Male cats who are in competition for a female cat tends to produce an aggressive growl or howl.

Hissing sound > Sound a feline makes which is a warning of imminent attack. Your cat is irritated and very upset. You will also tend to hear then make a sound of a defensive spit, while hissing.

I have seen similar explanation in many sites as well, so there may be some truth to that!

Personally, I think other things have to be considered: the cat's age, other cats and familiars, new cats/familiars, the move to the new home, your new location, the noises/smells you might not be aware of which they are more sensitive to, changes which you might interpret as upgrade in the time of your move to the new home: new litter box, new litter, they food, etc.

On the behavioral side, my personal experience confirms the aggressive activity. I have three indoor cats: two will turn 12 this year (2013) e one just turned 6. One male, two females. All nurtured. Because of the heat, I took my eldest, male, tom-cat to a pet shop for a bath and grooming. I was careful about using fragrance-free shampoo (since cats are very odor oriented and a change in smell may as well be a new cat altogether, provoking small wars among the cats present), but upon returning home, surprise, surprise! The youngest - which still looks like a kitten, despite her age, and is about one third the tom-cat's size - started making the low howl you described every time the tom-cat was in close proximity. Because there is usually running and hissing involved, it was clear to me that it was some kind of 'dominance' dispute. She howls, he hisses and I interpret it as:

(Young cat): "You're different and you smell strange. I'm gonna take your spot as the ruler of the house!"

(Older groomed cat): "I'm gonna smack you silly!"



I keep an eye on them and a a water spray at hand, just in case things 'get out of hand'. But the trick here is to wait out until everything (a.k.a. the smells) go back to normal. I have found that products such as Feliway (synthetic copy of the feline facial pheromone) are helpful in some situations - can you get similar products in your location?

I hope this puts things in perspective and if you have indeed figured out the problem, please share!

Good greetings,

Daniela (living the life in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

My cat is 23, white, short hair domestic. Needless to say I have her spoiled. I know she wants something from me when she does this long and loud meow that sounds like she needs medical attention now!(and I consider that). She even strolls into the bathroom to make a louder meow! Seriously. Kattie can't see well and I think she gets scared sometimes. I would if I was that old. She gets around fine and slowly.

Kattie can't groom herself. EVERY TIME so far a nice little grooming session(clean ears with tissue, trim nails, brush her EVER so lightly(because when the get old their skin gets really fail), Wipe nose, a little spit bath, warm hair dryer and to bed on a clean, warm, elec. blanket... THIS WORKS EVERY TIME, as well as, a little sitting outside on my patio will sooth her (I'm sure she misses being out in the sun). Since I feed her a can of tuna a day, a can of cat food a day(she only eats the juicy sections),leave EXPENSIVE dry food out, keep her water a little iced, her litter box low and clean...I think that she's longing to do the special stuff (go outside, get groomed). If neither going outside or grooming work, she goes to the vet and gets a time release antibiotic injection just in case. I guess I'll not know if it's the ride to the vet or the injection that works. At her age I don't want her to suffer and the time release injection is only 32.00. Over the last couple of years she's gotten it about every 6-8 months for runny nose. However, Kattie loves to take rides in the car.

Anyway (felt it necessary to add some old cat experience to this).  I think, this long, loud, meow (up to 4-5 meows at a time, goes on for a few days, can be hours apart) probably means different things for different cats. One thing is for sure... IF YOUR CAT IS MEOWING TO YOU IT'S NOT AN ACCIDENT OR FREAK THING. They know who it is that's gonna hear them probably. It may be an endearing way to say " I'm depending on you ". Kattie and I have lived alone together a long time (23 years) she is totally with it mentally, she knows there's no one here but me, so knows who's she's talking to, right?  I try to listen .My advise, rule out a medical problem by pampering and treating your kitty.

If a kitty's not receptive to that, somethings wrong and it's vet time. 

Thanks for sharing. Part of your post clued me into why my 23 year old cat maybe making loud, long, meows. You said male cat's do this when they are groomed? My cat can't groom herself so I do it for her. It makes since now that when I get a little behind on the grooming she makes these desperate-like cries. Yes! Because after I groom her she sleeps like a bay. Thank you so much.

My cat is doing the same thing I was in the living room she was in the hall meowing very loud. She did I think eat a bee though I don't know if this has anything to do with it although occasionly she will let me pet her now she used to let me pet her ALL the time now she runs away from me I know she is not pregnant and wants me away from her babies I really don't know what is happening any hints

How long did you have him before he got fixed. His after op behavior sounds more normal . 

Idk

you have a cat sings opera learn to love the music.

Look up Tom cat behavior. they call it spraying not weeing. unless you are going to breed from him it is kinder to have him neutered.