MY CAT WONT STOP MEOWING!!!!

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

Okay, I need HELP!

My daughter and I recently adopted a 14 yr old hermaphrodite cat. I believe she's mostly female? She's never had health issues and never had a litter of kittens. (if that's even possible for her)

She previously lived in a huge 2 story house with a 3 yr old girl who would hunt her down to "love" on her. She mostly stayed in a closet and wasn't very social and didn't ever play with the other family cat. The daughter was diagnosed with a severe cat allergy and we offered to take her in instead of the pound.

She has been in our small 2 bedroom apartment for over a month now... She is much more active, comes out during the day, is social with our guests. SHE WONT STOP MEOWING!!!

She meows all damn day... all stinking damn day long. Never stops unless she's asleep or eating. Her previous owner (who I trust) said she was never social, never meowed, and never let them pet her and love on her. All of those things she now does and she's finally eating normal amounts (which she wasn't at their home).

I cant take the meowing. It's loud, and directed right at me all day for hours. I don't know why and I've tried everything I know about cats... I've had cats my whole life and I've never dealt with this.

It's to the point that if she cant settle down she will have to be rehomed(which will be difficult).

ANY ADVICE?!

itsybitsy15 · Jul 28, 2015

Cats don't just meow to meow. They usually have a reason. She's adjusting to a whole new life and it's probably very stressful for her. Also cats rarely meow at each other. It's usually directed just at people. She may just be trying to figure out how to "talk" to you.
Do you know what breed she is? Some are more vocal than others, like siamese cats.

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

I have no idea what bread she is.... she's short haired, all white with a few gray spots and gray tail(my picture). She was very stressed the first two weeks and wouldn't come out from under the bed. She is now fully taken over the apartment and seems 100% comfortable. She doesn't even jump when I walk by anymore, which was a big problem at the beginning. She gets in my lap and sneaks in bed with me. I really don't think its stress related. I work all day and don't get home until 5.

There has to be something I can do that can sway this behavior.

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cmrethwisch
Jul 28, 2015

itsybitsy15 · Jul 28, 2015

Hmm.. Have you heard of the feliway plug ins? They're like a diffuser for cats and I've heard they work wonders.

My tuxedo cat is very vocal. He'll be in the other room sometimes just talking away. It's just what be does. When I first got him he would practically "scream" at me when I came home from work and then meow constantly for my attention.

Does she have any toys that she likes? She might have built up energy that she needs to burn off.

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

Itsybitsy15 said:
Hmm.. Have you heard of the feliway plug ins? They're like a diffuser for cats and I've heard they work wonders.

My tuxedo cat is very vocal. He'll be in the other room sometimes just talking away. It's just what be does. When I first got him he would practically "scream" at me when I came home from work and then meow constantly for my attention.

Does she have any toys that she likes? She might have built up energy that she needs to burn off.

I had heard about them from a co-worker this morning actually. I'll look them up and see if financially its worth trying.

My daughter has been away for two weeks and I'm praying that when she comes home the cat will get more tired out maybe?

I can't deal with the constant meowing. It's driving me insane and she's waking me up at all hours of the night as well.

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

She also doesn't play much... Her being 14 doesn't seem to affect her level of activity but she has a huge climbing tower and toys that she never uses or interacts with. I've even tried catnip in the tower.

jcat · Jul 28, 2015

When was the last time she had a thorough physical exam with a senior panel? Health problems aren't uncommon at 14, and some of them, e.g., hyperthyroidism, can cause excessive vocalisation. It could very well be a health rather than a behavioral problem, so the first step is to get her checked out by a vet.

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

jcat said:
When was the last time she had a thorough physical exam with a senior panel? Health problems aren't uncommon at 14, and some of them, e.g., hyperthyroidism, can cause excessive vocalisation. It could very well be a health rather than a behavioral problem, so the first step is to get her checked out by a vet.

I called her previous owner this morning after being up all night last night, and she informed me she wasn't one of those owners who felt the need to get regular vet care and she's never had issues. So I'm assuming its been a long time since she's seen a vet. I'm going to look at local vet offices and see if I can afford a check up for her. I know there are lots of local cat charities around Atlanta and hopefully I can get her looked at for very little money.

itsybitsy15 · Jul 28, 2015

All pets should see a vet regularly, thank you for trying with her.

It could also be a hormone issuw, you said she had both genders right?

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

Itsybitsy15 said:
All pets should see a vet regularly, thank you for trying with her.

It could also be a hormone issuw, you said she had both genders right?

Yes, and I have no experience with a cat like her. It just doesn't make sense that she is just developing this now after 14 years and she's finally in a well placed home. She's finally putting on weight and getting regular attention/care and has free reign of her own territory. It's like having a new born with colic, and this step cat momma is losing her mind.

itsybitsy15 · Jul 28, 2015

It's probably something easy to fix, don't give up!

Being somewhere where she feels loved and safe and like she belongs is probably a whole new feeling for her. (:

2bcat · Jul 28, 2015

A vet checkup is definitely a good idea. It may be nothing but often enough there isn't zero reason for so much vocalizing, especially if it's supposedly a change from the prior home. Increased vocalization, especially at night, is sometimes a symptom of hyperthyroid as noted, and age 14 is not an uncommon age to get such a diagnosis. But this is an easily controlled condition if that is indeed what is discovered.

Also, some cats vocalize as they go deaf! It's maybe a little less common but you can observe how she reacts to sharp noises, etc. Very few cats with full hearing won't react to a sudden loud noise behind them, like even a hand clap or similar. Could also be something that temporarily affects her hearing, like an infection.

That said, we once took on a 13-year-old cat from another home, and as I recall the prior owner said she kept the cat off furniture, the cat was not very social, didn't meow, etc. Well, we were having none of that. We encouraged her to get up on the furniture with us, which she later enjoyed, and she was very loving and became pretty vocal. She didn't meow constantly but we always got meow greetings whenever she saw us, etc. I mention this just in suggesting it's not at all unheard of for a cat to take on a notably different personality in a new home.

Also with the first two weeks being mostly hiding (not at all uncommon, we experienced this as well) these next couple weeks are the real "Ok, after so many years I have this new environment and I'm not used to it." Changing the space they live in, especially after a long time, is one of the more unsettling things for a cat to experience. She will get used to it, but that initial period in the unfamiliar space is often full of things like more vocalizing and such. I remember some of this from even just moving with my long-time cat, let alone moving and also having new people. So I would guess stress could still be a factor even after a month.

Even your daughter being away, even after only a short time in your home, might have an effect. With my current cats, when one of us is away for more than just during the day, the cats really get antsy about it and one of them seems to end up with more vocalizing (although she is just much more vocal all of the time).

It could be a combination of any or all these factors. The Feliway devices may help a little with stress. The vet visit should help rule out (or in) any medical issues.

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

2bcat said:
A vet checkup is definitely a good idea. It may be nothing but often enough there isn't zero reason for so much vocalizing, especially if it's supposedly a change from the prior home. Increased vocalization, especially at night, is sometimes a symptom of hyperthyroid as noted, and age 14 is not an uncommon age to get such a diagnosis. But this is an easily controlled condition if that is indeed what is discovered.

Also, some cats vocalize as they go deaf! It's maybe a little less common but you can observe how she reacts to sharp noises, etc. Very few cats with full hearing won't react to a sudden loud noise behind them, like even a hand clap or similar. Could also be something that temporarily affects her hearing, like an infection.

That said, we once took on a 13-year-old cat from another home, and as I recall the prior owner said she kept the cat off furniture, the cat was not very social, didn't meow, etc. Well, we were having none of that. We encouraged her to get up on the furniture with us, which she later enjoyed, and she was very loving and became pretty vocal. She didn't meow constantly but we always got meow greetings whenever she saw us, etc. I mention this just in suggesting it's not at all unheard of for a cat to take on a notably different personality in a new home.

Also with the first two weeks being mostly hiding (not at all uncommon, we experienced this as well) these next couple weeks are the real "Ok, after so many years I have this new environment and I'm not used to it." Changing the space they live in, especially after a long time, is one of the more unsettling things for a cat to experience. She will get used to it, but that initial period in the unfamiliar space is often full of things like more vocalizing and such. I remember some of this from even just moving with my long-time cat, let alone moving and also having new people. So I would guess stress could still be a factor even after a month.

Even your daughter being away, even after only a short time in your home, might have an effect. With my current cats, when one of us is away for more than just during the day, the cats really get antsy about it and one of them seems to end up with more vocalizing (although she is just much more vocal all of the time).

It could be a combination of any or all these factors. The Feliway devices may help a little with stress. The vet visit should help rule out (or in) any medical issues.

Yeah, I'm definitely going to find a way to get her to the vet. It seems to be the best bet. From everything I've read/heard this amount of vocalizing isn't normal. I know she isn't deaf cause she responds to me when I call her(she even responds to her new name after a month, the last owners called her a very inappropriate and mean name "a$$hole") and faces me when I call to get her attention for a picture or something lol.

The last owners said they moved a lot and never had much issue with her adjusting but she also lived in whatever closet they had. I'm definitely going to give it everything can. My daughter comes home soon and I think that will help some. The diffusers are too expensive for our budget so I'm hoping with a vet visit and maybe some adjustments with my daughter and her schedule she will lessen this.

I don't think we can keep her on if this doesn't change in a month or so. I have a highly stressful job that already affects my health and being kept up all night isn't going to work. Super hopeful the vet will have some advice and can answer some questions and we can get it cleared that she has no health issues.

I get home at 5 and the meowing doesn't stop until I have pet her to sleep(which is a big deal because she supposedly never enjoyed being loved on) or she is eating. If she wakes up its back to meowing! I am surprised this cat hasn't lost its voice....

I just hope we can get this figured out.

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

Found a financial assistance vet care clinic near my home a couple hours ago and left a voicemail, haven't heard anything back from them... Looks like another night of non stop meowing is in my near future...

cmrethwisch · Jul 28, 2015

@sarthur2 any thoughts/advice on my crazy fur lady?

MY CAT WONT STOP MEOWING!!!!

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