Crying Cat

Hi, I tried reading a bunch of posts here first, but I thought I'd ask for some advice about my situation.

I adopted Bailey (male) when he was 8 weeks old from a shelter. He was tiny, and we weren't even sure he was 8 weeks old, although the shelter said 8-9. He was neutered that same week, and this was the first day they were allowing people to adopt him. He was very cute, and just wanted to be held and petted; and we brought him home to become part of the family.

The family: myself, my gf and Basile a mini-lop rabbit who was about 6-7 months old when we brought him home. Bailey is a flamepoint siamese btw.

At first Bailey was very nervous. He cried on the train ride home (the whole way, about 40 minutes) and was scared of Basile (who was easily twice his size, and he's probably never seen a bunny at all before). He got sick that first night, but was not scared of us. He did settle in very fast, and was completely attached to us. You could not close a door, or he would immediately cry until you let him in. Luckily, Basile wasn't too scared of him, and even put up with being play hunted a bit. Bailey would also bite - a lot.

Fast forward a bit - it's about 4 months later now. Bailey's 6 months old and a decent size. Basile's practically an adult now, and he's slightly smaller then Bailey now. About 3 weeks ago, Abbie was introduced to them. She's another mini-lop, about 3-4 months old. Fiesty little girl too.

Basile and Bailey generally get along. Bailey treats both bunnies like they're kittens. It's good because he seems to like them, but it's bad because he wants to play-fight, and they're not very interested. I'm hoping he calms down as he gets older, but I'm not sure what to expect really.

Here's my problem: he cries - a lot. If he's awake, he's crying most of the time. It's horrible and really loud. I live in an apartment building and can't believe no one wants to throw me out (well, because of the cat anyway ). I'll repeat: he is neutered (I see that's a common question). He almost always has food in his dish (he does eat it, but seems to refuse to finish it and doesn't like to eat unless his dish appears full; he's a bit quirky). He always has fresh water and I change his litter box regularly. He's got a bunch of toys, a few which he enjoys playing with for a moment and one or two I use and can play with him. My girlfriend and I have non-similar schedules, so he's rarely home alone for a full business day (with the bunnies, who are in their cage when we're not home). I try to talk with him and hold him and play with him a lot, but he's just a crier.

At first he seemed not so bright and a bit uncoordinated, but my gf told me many kittens do. At 6 months he's quite the "athlete", he can get anywhere. I don't "train" him necessarily, but I do try and teach him basics of what he should do (we do the positive reinforcement thing). He responds very well to his name (better then most dogs actually).

I give him the time I can. His crying barely lets me get anything done, and has been waking me up in the morning for quite some time now. Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanx, and hello

Oh - some pics:
Abbie
Bailey getting some bunny ear
Baby Bailey sitting
Baby Bailey and Basile chilling

As a Siamese cat, Bailey will talk alot. This is part of the Siamese charm. He is making his opinion known. You must talk back to him and let him know that he is being too loud. Tell him it is OK to talk, just softer. I know this sounds nutty, but it will help. Make up a conversation when he talks to you and just chat with him Make it a game and it won't stress you so much. Remember he is talking and not "crying".

I will admit to being astonished that at 2 months they neutered him! But aside from that and the fact that he is quite handsome, he is a Siamese and they can be very vocal. I know I have a few that are siamese mix and my one Kahuna is the type that he announces his presence when he comes into the room, when I am cooking dinner, and especially at night, the minute I turn down the bed, he leaps up out of a sound sleep and starts meowing constantly. Once I am done with the bed, he continues to meow until we are settled in then he crawls underneath the covers and meows himself to sleep.

The best advice I can give you is the advice that was given to me. Ignore him when he cries. Do not look at him, don't try to bribe him into silence, don't feed him, turn up the radio, run the vacuum, wear earplugs but totally ignore him as long as you know he is not hurt and is healthy. When he is quiet, praise him, pet him play with him, and the minute he opens his mouth, stop and walk away.

Cute pictures by the way-

Originally posted by DragonLady
As a Siamese cat, Bailey will talk alot. This is part of the Siamese charm. He is making his opinion known. You must talk back to him and let him know that he is being too loud. Tell him it is OK to talk, just softer. I know this sounds nutty, but it will help. Make up a conversation when he talks to you and just chat with him

Make it a game and it won't stress you so much. Remember he is talking and not "crying".

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Oh! I forgot to mention many have told me this about Siamese cats. Including them being mischevious (which he is!). He waits until you're not looking to do something he knows he shouldn't, because you turn around and he looks at you like "darn, got me", and then runs. He does talk a lot, and I don't mind that. Like a loon, I do talk back. ("reow"; "my day was find, how about yours"; "reow reow"; "oh, that's exciting"...). But - his problem has been crying. It's not his normal chit-chat. That can be annoying, but more "people-annoying". I won't stop talking to him, but when he's yelling at the front door at 3, I'm not always in the mood to sit there and whisper to him until he stops I admit

Originally posted by hissy
Cute pictures by the way-

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Thanx! And thanx for the response and suggestions. For Hell's Kitchen, we've practically got a farm in here

hissy my neighbors new kittens that she got from a no kill shelter were 2 months when they were spayed. I thought the same thing.. so young???

I love the pic of Bailey and the rabbit Too cute.

I like Hissy's advice - if you reward negative behavior, that behavior will continue. Have you had him checked out at the vet lately? He was so young when you got him, could it be remnants of separation anxiety?

This is counter to Hissy's advice, but my husband does this with some of our more shy cats.....he puts them up on his shoulder and walks them around with him. That seems to give them a lot of reassurance and they relax pretty quickly. Maybe there's a balance here?

Off-topic (of behavior): Bailey seems to have webbed feet. Some of his toes really seem to be connected really high (I mean, it's obvious when you play around with his paws).

Is this common or can I put this on his list of "quirks"?

and thanx jgaruba

has he been playing with ducks?

Seriously, I have never heard of a webbed foot kitty- could you take a picture and post it? It could be a birth defect perhaps?

I'll do my best to spread his toes and take a snapshot. He's a freak! hehe.

He has some Siamese kinks/traits, so I was hoping this was one of them. His tail has a kink, and he can sometimes look cross-eyed (although I don't know if it's as bad as when he was a small kitten), but I never heard of the web thing.

He's been jumping in the tub lately, maybe it's a sign Too bad he can't stand water.