My kitten won't stop meowing and spilling her water bowl - PLEASE HELP!!

Hi, I'm new here! I am a university student and I have a 5 month old kitten named Nala that I adopted from a woman who was giving kittens away. I got her when she was almost 7 weeks old. She used to be really cuddly when she was young, always slept in my arms wrapped up in a blanket. She would always be by my side and follow me around the house. At night she would sleep on my bed right next to my pillow on her blanket. With time, however, she started meowing non-stop and playing very aggressively. My vet told me this is because I got her when she was too young to be separated from her kitty mom and litter mates. Her behaviour is getting worse. She still likes to be in the same room as I'm in and will generally come check out what I'm doing if I leave the room, but she continues to meow (or better, scream) non-stop really loudly, sometimes starting as early as 5 in the morning. I live in an apartment on the first floor and the neighbours have been complaining that they can't sleep. I usually take her outside around 7 (she is leash trained as she cannot go outside in any other way). She really likes going outside on walks and she responds very well to leash training. But as soon as we're back inside she continues to meow for no apparent reason! (When she wants to go outside, she'll meow by the door; but most of the time she's just meowing around the house). She also continuously knocks over her water bowl. This is the most annoying thing ever as she does this continuously throughout the day, and I constantly have to clean up the mess!!! She no longer sleeps on my bed and hates to be picked up. She never sits on my lap (nor anyone else's). I share the apartment with a friend from university and she is so fed up with Nala's behaviour that she often goes home to her parents' to sleep and work. This makes me sad as I really love my cat but I also really like spending time with my friend. The biggest problem is the meowing and the water spilling. Does anyone have any experience with this? My friend really wants me to re-home Nala (my vet suggested the same thing), but she's my baby and I don't want to do that unless absolutely necessary!! Any help is greatly appreciated! THANK YOU!

Here are some recent pictures of her:

My cat, who was with it's mother until she was 10 weeks does the same sorts of things. We got her heavy bowls that she can't tip over. When she meows to get out we distract her and get with interactive play and by the time she's finished she's tired and happy to just grab something to eat and go to sleep. 

I could be terribly wrong but it sounds to me that she is growing up and into her adult character. My kitten was cuddly until she was about six months and she started to not want to be held or sleep with me. My other cat is almost 12 months and her character is much the same as it always was. 

My 9 month old was feral when I found her. I also live in a first floor apartment. I used to let her out in the day and bring her back in at dusk. When it became unsafe I made her an inside cat. For several weeks she, of a morning, would sit at the door and meow/scream to go out. To stop I gave her the same response "no" when she did this. Maybe your cat thinks the meowing gets her outside and if she does it enough she gets her way. Try distracting her. I let my cat on the balcony and she has plenty of toys.
Be firm reward her with treats when she's not screaming. Only take her out when she's not screaming.
Let her know when her behaviour is wrong. It's not the best way but my kitten often learns her behaviour is wrong when I lose my sh&t. Sometimes a good telling off gets the message across.

Sounds like she's an intelligent and active young cat (practically kitten). Is she spayed already? If not, I would start there because if she's that vocal now, I can't imagine what will happen when she goes into heat. Either way, at this age should be spayed. Even if you end up re-homing her - and I hope you don't - it will be better for all concerned if she's already spayed.

You mentioned walking outside calms her, so I think what she may need at home is a LOT of environmental enrichment and exercise. That can be done - even in a small apartment. Also, when she does meow, make sure you don't respond. I know it's tempting to "talk back" to your cat and it's perfectly fine if their meows don't bother anyone but in this case, vocalization is something you want to be decreased, so avoid dialogues. You can talk around her and even to her, just don't respond to her meows, especially not with a similar tone of voice (as we tend to do when our cats talk to us).

As for environmental enrichment, there's so much you can do. Here are some links with ideas - 

 [article="22426"]Beating Boredom What Indoor Cat Owners Need To Know​[/article]  

 [article="22537"]Keeping Indoor Only Kitties Happy​[/article]  

 [article="32656"]Playing With Your Cat 10 Things You Need To Know​[/article]  

If nighttime meowing is an issue, then this article explains why this happens and has a great recipe for solving the problem - 

 [article="33461"]How To Stop My Cat From Waking Me Up At Night​[/article]  

As for water spilling, again, I suspect she's bored and enjoys the game. The solution here is almost technical: find a way to anchor the water dish so she can't knock over the bowl. It can be as simple as using a large heavy cooking pot as a water dish. Once she stops trying, you can gradually switch to smaller pots and eventually to regular water dishes. 

Remember she's very young. Virtually a kitten. She's going to outgrow most of these behaviors within a few months and you'll have a wonderful friend for life. She is who she is, and has her own personality, and that's ok. She may not be a lap cat, but she's a cat you can take out on walks (which is pretty awesome! not all cats like that). Sounds to me like you've bonded with her already, so I think it's best to work on correcting the unwanted behaviors, plus having some patience for her to outgrow some of them. 

Read the articles and let me know what you think. I am sure Nala can be taught to be a great companion that even your friend will like   Some more about cat behavior and behavior problems (if all of the above wasn't enough...)

 [article="32827"]How To Set Healthy Boundaries For Your Cat​[/article]  

 [article="32493"]The Dos And Donts Of Cat Behavior Modification​[/article]  

 [article="33493"]Solving Cat Behavior Problems The Key Ingredient​[/article]  

After reading the responses I find that I don't have much input. I was going to recommend getting a heavier water bowl- they sell crocks on amazon that I think would work! I also was going to recommend interactive play when she started meowing at the door and doing some environment enhancements- bringing the outside in, like buying cat grasses and stuff!

Welcome to a teenage cat, the phase where they want independence. She will calm down eventually, and spaying will help greatly. You should get that done now before she goes into heat.

You are doing all the right things! She is pining for play and interaction, and you've been given great advice.

Also, remember that she is still growing, and needs wet food meals 3-4 times a day, and 24/7 access to dry food. Cats frequently meow when hungry.

One more thing you can try is a plug-in Felliway diffuser. They emit calming pheromones, and really can make a difference in your cat's behavior.

She is beautiful. Best of luck with her, and keep us posted! [emoji]128571[/emoji]

I agree with @Anne, get her spayed first and foremost. At her age she is going into puberty and it will only get worse.

It sounds like she is bored and since you already said going outside helps you need to get her some things indoors that will keep her active. She needs her own stuff to feel secure. She sounds very intelligent and needs stimulation and activities. Both you and your roommate can help with that by scheduling playtime with her. Your goal is to tire her out so she will be quiet and peaceful.

Good luck with Nala and make sure you get her spayed. I believe that will take care of a lot of the problems.

You have been given a lot of great advice here about the issues you are dealing with. I agree with sarthur2 about Nala going through an idenpendent phase.  My cat Apollo did the same thing.  He slept on me every night when I first adopted him and would follow me around asking for attention.  Then one day he decided he was not coming to bed anymore.  He was going to sleep downstairs on top of my love seat.  He also decided he only wanted attention from me when I was trying to leave for work.  He is now back to sleeping on the bed with us every night. He will come and sit in my lap for cuddle time when I am watching tv.  He is going through another independent phase with me right now as an adult.  He comes to bed but sleeps on my hubby.  He also prefers attention from my hubby over me.  He is still affectionate with me but not as much as he used to be.  I have no doubt this will change again in the future.  He may suddenly decide to go back to sleeping on me and being my lap buddy when I watch baseball.  I just love him on his terms as he goes through his independence phases. He still has ways he shows me he loves me but they are not as easy to see sometimes.

Thank you all for your replies!! I feel like I am simply dealing with a spoiled brat. For those who asked, she is not spayed yet, but she has an appointment scheduled for that in 3 weeks! She also eats wet food 4 times a day and a bit of dry food, which I put in her food dispenser toy.

We also initially thought she was bored, that’s why we bought her two scratching posts (a really really big one in the living room and a smaller one in my room) and so so many toys! Our house is literally full of toys and she plays with every single one of them but no matter how many toys we buy her they never seem to be enough! We play with her as much as we can. In the morning, I sometimes play up to 3 hours in a row with her (literally non-stop) to get her to be quiet so the neighbours and my flatmate can sleep. We also play with her throughout the day. She never seems to get tired and and soon as we stop she starts meowing. The only time she’ll be quiet is when she sleeps.

We have tried ignoring her when she meows and praising her when she doesn’t (which is hard as she is sleeping then….) but it’s not working. We never “talk” back to her. In the morning her meowing is a bit harder to ignore because of the neighbours… they have complained multiple times that they cannot sleep so I will do anything to get her to be quiet (whether it be playing or taking her outside). I know it’s not ideal, but I also don’t want our neighbours to hate us! (We have neighbours on almost all sides: below, above and on our right). 

As for the water spilling problem - I will buy her a heavy bowl hopefully that solves the problem! Thanks!

I brought her to the vet today because of her behaviour and my vet suggested that the constant meowing could be a sign that she’s in pain (she also happen to be teething) and prescribed her pain killers… I was a bit hesitant to give them to her but I did, and she came to sleep on my lap right away!  She also hasn’t meowed since I gave her the medicine… is it because the pain is gone or is it simply because she is drugged? Any thoughts? 

N nala g

She's drugged. [emoji]128533[/emoji]

I would not use the pain killers. She does not need them. It's not wise to use a narcotic on a cat unnecessarily.

You just need to live through this stage.

When I read your first post, I was thinking the same thing Anne suggested. Is she spayed?
The first thing that came to mind, is she in heat? It's good though that she will be spayed soon. Very important to do so.

That is weird to give pain killers while teething. I didn't give my cats any pain killers. I have a 6 month old kitten now and she is doing fine. Last week, I actually pulled a tooth out of her mouth because it was jus simply laying there.

Hopefully, she will stop meowing without having pain killers in her system.

you could put the water bowl in a shallow tray so that when the kitty spills the water, all you have to do is empty the tray.  the heavy bowl sounds like a winner, too.

as for the meowing, our cat will be 18 in a month and he meows all the time.  he's a very vocal cat, but he also meows more when he's bored or wants attention. 

With the water bottles so thing my girl went through a phase where she did this but I think for different reasons. One time she knocked it playing by accident. Another she dropped a piece of dry food and was trying to fish it out. The 2 most poenent where I noticed she seemed to not be able to see the water. One time she dropped wet food in the bowl and was trying to eat it but the water was in the way. And another she was taping the water bowl I think to see it. I read cats have trouble seeing still water. For a while I was considering if there was a safe dye I could use to help her see the water.
And yes sometimes she did it just to be a jerk, those where the times a roused on her.
I have fished dropped food out of the water bowl and moved her when she eats leaning over the water bowl and it has almost stopped completely. But see if you can find out why she's doing it and maybe it might limit the times she does it.

Definitely needs to be spayed. Cats can go into heat at 4 months.

You've already gotten such great advice that I only have one thing to add.  Have you considered getting a fountain?  These are almost impossible to knock over, although some cats do like to play in them so there could be some water spills.  Another benefit to them is that they are another way to fight boredom.  Many cats love to watch the water flowing.  There are many fountains on the market.  If you're interested, here is the result of an amazon search to get you started.

https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=cat+fountains

I have the first one listed:  the Drinkwell Platinum Fountain and like it so far.  If I were in the market for a new one, I would probably look for a ceramic or stainless steel one, however.  Plastic can lead to chin acne in some cats.

I hope you can work figure out a way to cut down on the meowing so you can keep your girl.

There are spill-proof water bowls available everywhere for reasonable prices; check the net or your local "pet" store for these.  Some have rubber rings around the bottom to prevent spills; others, like the Fool-A-Bug bowls, are made in such a way as to be virtually untippable.  I'm sure you can find a good one.

As Anne said in her excellent post, your kitten is being a normal kitten: energetic, growing fast, and inquisitive about her big world.  She does need enrichment: one-on-one time with you, playing with interactive toys such as "fishing pole" type toys (da Bird is a favorite of ours), scratching on scratching pads and/or posts, climbing on cat furniture, enjoying some catnip, etc.  Time with you is the most important of all.  As she grows, and after she's spayed, she will probably gradually calm down quite a lot.  

Cat behaviorist/expert Jackson Galaxy, the "Cat Daddy", author of books including CAT DADDY and host of Animal Planet's hit show "MY CAT FROM HELL", has lots of great ideas on how to deal with various behavioral issues.  He is on social media, too, including facebook, twitter, and YouTube.  You may want to watch/read/contact him.  

I would under no condition even think of giving up my cat because of another person.  When I adopt a cat, it is for LIFE; that cat is family, and personally, I would not spend time with anyone who doesn't love cats.   I'm a package deal, you might say.  When you adopt, you have a personal responsibility to the one you adopt, and to me, it's absolute.  

Hope some/all of this is helpful, and that you and your cat enjoy a long, healthy, happy time together!

I think you need the following:

1.  Heaver water bowl

2.  Another kitten to function as a playmate for Nala.  

Everyone has great ideas.  And, thanks @Margd  for the link to  cat fountains.  I've been eyeing some automatic water bowls but I didn't really see anything I liked that much.  I just bought this one:  
It's supposed be here October 20.  I can't wait.  My boys don't drink much water and they ONLY drink immediately after I wash and refill their bowl, which I do several times a day.  Hopefully this will get them to drink more.

A second kitten would be a good idea, I think.  They would be able to play together.  I have 2 cats - brothers - and they play together all the time.  If I'm trying to do homework or something, I'll throw one of their favorite toys and they'll both chase it and get involved in a very energetic play session.

Yes, yes, yes on the companion kitten idea! 

And I think you'll all enjoy the fountain.  Catit products are very nice, IMHO.

You would be amazed how much another kitten helps. When I found my kitty Shadow I thought she was the loudest kitten I had ever heard in my life. She is still loud and meows a lot so much that she got the nickname "meow master" but having other cats that she can play and socialize with definitely helped, I'm sure it would have been much harder if she were by herself. Nothing really makes up for the lack of socialization that a kitten gets when they are alone. Water fountains really are the best water bowls for kittens. My cats love them and don't spill them nearly as much as they spill bowls. Mine always liked to play in their water bowls so it was hard to keep them from spilling the water all over the floor until I got the fountains.