Former alley cat, now indoors, but meowing all night and not sleeping

billadler

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I have a new cat. My first cat. He's adorable and affectionate.

But... There's always a but, right?

He meows all night long. I just got him a few days ago and I want to start stop that behavior before it's unstoppable.

Some background first. My cat, Kinmo, used to be a street cat. He lived in the park adjacent to my apartment building. He's between 3 and 5 years old. Kinmo had many human friends, and his favorite thing to do would be to sit on people's laps. He would sit on your lap all day (and night) if you let him. He's super friendly. 

His numerous human friends all agreed that living indoors would be safer than living outdoors, so I took him in.

He's a little nervous about my apartment. He's still getting used to things. He's eating okay, and his, um, output is fine, too. He's been neutered and was part of a trap, neuter and release program. 

But he's up all night long (that's okay) meowing all night long (not okay.) I think that part of his meowing is because he's nervous, but part is because he wants me. When Kinmo is under my bed, his favorite place so far, he meows from time to time. When I appear he comes out from under the bed. It's like he's calling me to appear so that he feels safe to exit from under the bed. 

When I want to go to sleep, he's usually still under my bed (though it's only been a few nights). One night I let him wander my apartment at will at night. He meowed all night. One night I closed the door to my bedroom after he left at about 2 AM, but the meowed from the living room. 

What can I do to discourage him from meowing all night long?

Thanks!

Bill in Tokyo
 

Columbine

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Hi, and welcome to TCS :wavey:

You're basically dealing with the semi nocturnal habits alley cats tend to have. Night time is quieter, and therefore a 'safer' time to be active. The good news is that it's perfectly possible to re set his body clock.

The easiest way to do this is to have an interactive play session with him just before bedtime, and to follow this playtime with a meaty snack or treat. This mimics the hunt-kill-eat cycle he'll have been playing out on the streets. After catching and eating his 'prey', he'll automatically go into a grooming session followed by sleep.

Whilst retaining him, it's vital that you fake sleep whenever he does meow at night. Once he realises that he get zero attention from you, he'll stop doing it. Use earplugs if necessary, but ignore. If you use both these techniques together, it should at least reduce this problem pretty quickly. Over time, he can and will learn.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-play-the-rules-of-the-game

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/playing-with-your-cat-ten-things-every-cat-owner-needs-to-know

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cats-and-night-crazies
 
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shadowsrescue

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Has he been to the vet to have a check up?  He will need vaccines, worming and a check to see if he is neutered.  His yowling and meowing all night could be due to not being neutered.  He will do his best to get outside and hunt for a mate.  This is something he cannot control.  Do you know if he is neutered?

You can try a feliway diffuser as well as some composure calming liquid or treats.  These will only help if he is neutered.  Once he is neutered it will take a few weeks for the hormones to completely shut down.  But by then you should notice a big difference.
 
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billadler

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Hi, and welcome to TCS


You're basically dealing with the semi nocturnal habits alley cats tend to have. Night time is quieter, and therefore a 'safer' time to be active. The good news is that it's perfectly possible to re set his body clock.

The easiest way to do this is to have an interactive play session with him just before bedtime, and to follow this playtime with a meaty snack or treat. This mimics the hunt-kill-eat cycle he'll have been playing out on the streets. After catching and eating his 'prey', he'll automatically go into a grooming session followed by sleep.

Whilst retaining him, it's vital that you fake sleep whenever he does meow at night. Once he realises that he get zero attention from you, he'll stop doing it. Use earplugs if necessary, but ignore. If you use both these techniques together, it should at least reduce this problem pretty quickly. Over time, he can and will learn.

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cat-play-the-rules-of-the-game

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/playing-with-your-cat-ten-things-every-cat-owner-needs-to-know

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/cats-and-night-crazies
Thank you!

Your suggestions are much better than the idea that I had, which was to leave the lights on all night long or purchase stadium lighting.

I have my headphones and music and will resist his meowing.

What you said about grooming followed by sleeping is something that I didn't know was universal for cats. Kinmo would often groom himself before coming onto my lap when I was in the park. After grooming himself he would fall asleep and stay on my lap for as long as two hours. (He would have slept for even longer, but I couldn't stay longer.)
 
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billadler

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Has he been to the vet to have a check up?  He will need vaccines, worming and a check to see if he is neutered.  His yowling and meowing all night could be due to not being neutered.  He will do his best to get outside and hunt for a mate.  This is something he cannot control.  Do you know if he is neutered?

You can try a feliway diffuser as well as some composure calming liquid or treats.  These will only help if he is neutered.  Once he is neutered it will take a few weeks for the hormones to completely shut down.  But by then you should notice a big difference.
Kinmo has been neutered. His right ear ear has been tipped. 

He hasn't been to the vet yet. My plan is to take him in a couple of weeks after he's acclimated to my apartment. Moving Kinmo from his park, where he had lived for two years (or longer), to my apartment has stressed him a little. I don't know if he misses chasing mice and birds and having open spaces (that were being encroached on by other cats). But I know that he doesn't miss being outdoors during rain, snow and earthquakes. 

He's a healthy cat. A bit on the heavy side because so many people fed him during the day. I do want him to get his shots and have a thorough checkup.

I'll look into a feliway diffuser if his night time meowing continues. 
 

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I hope Kimno adjusts to his new life (and schedule) quickly. It's wonderful that you've taken in an alleycat. He must be so pleased to be in out of the bad weather. He's lucky to have you. :catguy:
 
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Columbine

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He's gorgeous [emoji]128571[/emoji] It's no wonder he worked his way into your heart!

I hope the play routine helps him. The best order would be brush first (brushing tends to build energy in cats in my experience, and also carries the risk of overstimulation), then play, then food. The grooming after the meal is him grooming himself (just wanted to be clear ;) ).
 
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billadler

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He's gorgeous [emoji]128571[/emoji] It's no wonder he worked his way into your heart!

I hope the play routine helps him. The best order would be brush first (brushing tends to build energy in cats in my experience, and also carries the risk of overstimulation), then play, then food. The grooming after the meal is him grooming himself (just wanted to be clear
).
Thanks. Clarity is helpful. This is my first cat.

Kinmo is adorable and sweet. Alley cats are supposed to be aloof, wild, skittish around people. But he wants to spend as much time with me as I want to spend with him.
 

Columbine

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It sounds like he's had human contact before - possibly a stray rather than truly feral.

I have one like that - she was a scared little thing, but wanted to be close to me right from the start. She now rules the house :lol3: Even the dogs do what she tells them :D
 
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billadler

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An update: It didn't take long, but Kinmo is (mostly) quiet and night, and I'm getting some actual sleep.

I leave the door to my bedroom open. He likes to sit at the window beside my bed, even at night. To get there, Kinmo has to transit across me, but he does that silently. Sometimes when I wake up there's actually a cat in my bed, and I didn't even notice. 

Thanks to everyone for your help and advice. 

Bill

 
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