Maybe another cat??

I feel bad, that i am only home for a couple of hours before i need to go to sleep. I love my cat and play with her the whole time i'm at home. But i have noticed that when i'm alseep she will meow until i wake up which is usually about 6 in the morning. Do you think that if i would get another cat that she would not be so lonely and it would maybe help her not meow as much?

Or would having her interact more with my boyfriends cat maybe help?? Kind of like having them have play dates???

I know that many people will advise another cat, but don't be too sure that the vocalizing at night is because your cat is "lonely." I am retired and recently lost my cat companion of 18 years and about a month ago adopted a 5-year-old male. Since I'm home all day, he has as much interaction as he can tolerate and is far from lonely, but he, too, wakes me continually throughout the night--purring rather than meowig. I'm trying to correct that behavior, but it hasn't been easy. I'm not sure why he does it because when he finally gets me up (about 3 a.m.) and I have my coffee and am wide awake, he promptly goes to sleep himself, so he isn't looking for companionship.

By the way, my former cat was always alone all day when I was working (although I always got up early enough to play with her for a while before I left), and she had no problems with loneliness. Remember that cats are basically nocturnal so that while you're at work, your cat is doing a lot of napping!

I think it would depend on your cat. My cats keep me up all night as well. But they also play all day obnoxiously. I know this because they keep making the house alarm go off and chairs are fallen, toys everywhere etc.

I knew my Capone was lonely when he started having a weird attachment to a stuffed Husky my boyfriend won for me. He took it everywhere, to eat, sleep, litter box, watch out the window. He would groom it, snuggle, talk to it. If we took it away he would wail in despair (I had to wash it a few times, he sat at the washer the whole time softly mewing then loudly crying). Finally we figured he was lonely and got Bugsy. Now Husky (which we call doggy) is forgotten unless Capone is stressed.

I would recommend another cat just from my own personal experience and the types of cats I have had. Some cats just donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t care though, and like to be alone, I guess it depends on your cats age. Overall id say go for it, nothing wrong with a little companionship.

Hey,
I would suggest, before adopting another cat, to try to play with your cat when you come home, because cats are more active at night, and sleep up to 16 hours a day!!! Because you are not at home, your cat is mostly sleeping during day time, and then she has more energy at night.
What I think you should do is play with her when you come back from work, let her take out some energy, see if it helps.
I would like it if you update how is it going...

I pretty much try and play with her before i go to work and at night before i go to bed, mind you i usually don't fall alseep til about midnight anyways. But i have noticed that she only plays with straws, hair ties and shoe laces. Yeah plus my roommate really does not want me to get another cat. Jubilee also likes to wake me up at 6am and then after i play with her she falls back to sleep til i wake up to get ready again.

i'll update in a few days to see if her sleep schedule starts to change.

thanks to everyone for the replies!!

As soon as I turn off the lights to go to bed, one of my cats starts meowing loudly for about a minute. Cats being nocturnal can become more active and vocal at night. My cats tend to be vocal at any time, to say hello, where's my food!, etc.

You might want to try a play date with your bf's cat to see how she would tolerate another cat in her home. Females tend to be more territorial than males and not as accepting of another cat. But cats don't do change well and taking a cat away from their home territory can stress them out. Also, neither may show their true personality in a new environment so it could take multiple visits before they're comfortable. Also, you would want to do introductions slowly if they have never met each other. The last thing you want is a cat fight. Start out by each holding their own cat in their laps, keeping a distance from each other (6 ft). Keep intros brief (a few minutes) and try to end on a positive note. Don't place cats on the floor at this point. Observe the behavior of both cats. Hissing is normal and not necessarily a sign of aggression. My cats will hiss at all new foster cats but it lessens with time. If you do a few of these short visits and both cats seem to be fine, move closer together. Don't have cats facing each other intentionally as this can seem like a challenge. Again, watch reactions...is there any lip licking, dilated pupils, staring, etc. If all goes well, place the visiting cat in a small room like a bathroom with the door closed. Place resident cat in front of door and let them sniff each other under the door, but make certain no 'fist fights' break out. You may also want to have a blanket or bedding that each cat has slept on swapped so each cat can get use to the other cat's smell. If things go well under the door then use a babygate (if possible) so they can see each other but still not direct access. I find babygates are great tools for introductions, just make sure you're standing at the gate to prevent a cat from jumping over. If all goes well then allow them access to each other for a brief time and eventually add time if there are no issues.

I know this seems like overkill and a long drawn out procedure, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. All that I spoke of above should happen over a week or two, longer if needed.

Make sure both cats are utd on shots, spayed and neutered (if his cat is male but should be done anyway if not already), and have no contagious diseases that could be passed on to the other cat.

Originally Posted by fuzzmom

As soon as I turn off the lights to go to bed, one of my cats starts meowing loudly for about a minute. Cats being nocturnal can become more active and vocal at night. My cats tend to be vocal at any time, to say hello, where's my food!, etc.

.

Click to expand...

My cat does the same thing!! As soon as I go to turn the light off in my room and go to bed (my husband is still up and doing stuff with lights on?) Roxy come howling down the hall to the room draggin a teaser toy with her. It's such a pitiful little howl that it makes me want to play with her all night! Then once she drags the toy in and goes and gets her other teaser toy and does it again! (and sometimes she will let her mouse join in all the fun, lol!)

Occasionally she will do this whole thing again when my husband comes to bed.

To the OP...if you try what posters suggested and nothing works, and you can add another kitty go for it. (Just keep in mind this may not solve it!)...but at least you would be able to rescue another kitty

My 4 sleep with each other on our bed untill about 5 am, then It is time for MOM to wake UP! I just think it's what they want. Cuz they have each other, but still want Mom.
K.

Originally Posted by fuzzmom

You might want to try a play date with your bf's cat to see how she would tolerate another cat in her home. Females tend to be more territorial than males and not as accepting of another cat. But cats don't do change well and taking a cat away from their home territory can stress them out. Also, neither may show their true personality in a new environment so it could take multiple visits before they're comfortable. Also, you would want to do introductions slowly if they have never met each other. The last thing you want is a cat fight. Start out by each holding their own cat in their laps, keeping a distance from each other (6 ft). Keep intros brief (a few minutes) and try to end on a positive note. Don't place cats on the floor at this point. Observe the behavior of both cats. Hissing is normal and not necessarily a sign of aggression. My cats will hiss at all new foster cats but it lessens with time. If you do a few of these short visits and both cats seem to be fine, move closer together. Don't have cats facing each other intentionally as this can seem like a challenge. Again, watch reactions...is there any lip licking, dilated pupils, staring, etc. If all goes well, place the visiting cat in a small room like a bathroom with the door closed. Place resident cat in front of door and let them sniff each other under the door, but make certain no 'fist fights' break out. You may also want to have a blanket or bedding that each cat has slept on swapped so each cat can get use to the other cat's smell. If things go well under the door then use a babygate (if possible) so they can see each other but still not direct access. I find babygates are great tools for introductions, just make sure you're standing at the gate to prevent a cat from jumping over.

Click to expand...

When i first took her over there, we held them apart and after awhile we let them sniff each other. They actually didn't seem to mind each other. Later i let jubilee roam around his house to get use to everything and let her lil nose sniff away. Diesel and her played chase but never really fought, i don't think either of them tried to paw one another. It seemed to help a bit. But i'm still playing with her before i go to bed, like right now i'm laying in bed typing this and she is sleeping on the floor next to my bed. She is a funny one!

To the OP...if you try what posters suggested and nothing works, and you can add another kitty go for it. (Just keep in mind this may not solve it!)...but at least you would be able to rescue another kitty

Click to expand...

Hehehe I would love to adopt another one!!!

I don't think the play date thing is a great idea. Mostly because that involves travel and the cats won't be around each other enough to become familiar or used to them. Play dates might work for a dog, but not a cat.

I don't think your cat is acting that way because she is lonely. That being said, I think cats do better in pairs. They can entertain each other. The key is to find a cat that is similar in personality to the one you have now. So if your cat is not very playful, then a kitten would be an awful idea. If your cat is playful, a younger cat (like one that is a year old, old enough to be out of the kitten stage) that is playful might be great.

When you bring a new cat home, it's not as simple as just saying 'here's your new friend.' Do a google search on "cat introductions" to see what I mean.

I think a 2nd kitty is a great idea, so long as you can afford the extra food and vet bills and have room for another litter box. There are many cats that need a loving home, you could save a life.