- Joined
- Oct 16, 2015
- Messages
- 31
- Purraise
- 46
Hi everybody! Thanks again for the help with Maki (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/335218/small-declawed-kitty-with-big-clawed-cat-bad-idea).
He is extremely sweet, and basically, seems settled in. We have had no real issues, besides the animals establishing their comfort zones (but nothing too crazy has happened).
It hasn't even been 2 weeks yet, so I'm still trying to be optimistic. However, Maki does have a habit of yowling. He had his vet appt, and I made another one at a cat only clinic to make absolutely sure there is no health stuff going on. But his thyroid and kidney levels are all normal.
So far I've:
-Plugged in two different Feliway diffusers in my condo
-Bought night lights to plug in so he can see (saw online this might be good for senior kitties)
-Try to play with him before sleep
-Giving him a big meal before sleep time
-Leaving toys and interactive feeders out with snacks at night
(Because I have a roommate, I have to keep him in my room to sleep at night. If he's in the living area, she can hear him).
However, without fail, he will generally start screaming at around 2-3 am. Then again at 5-6 am. I haven't been very good at completely ignoring him, so I am going to be vigilant about that in the the coming weeks hoping that helps his behavior.
My problem is in the morning, once he starts at 5:30-6ish, he basically will keep going continuously until 7 am. I wake up at 7 am anyway. In terms of the "ignoring" the cat situation and not getting up until they're quiet, it's impossible for me to not get up/feed him in the morning when he's quiet. He's constantly meowing or starts to once I've gotten up. I've only been able to a few times catch him not paying attention and sneaking out when it's quiet.
Has anybody figured out a way to do this without "rewarding" the meowing + yowling? Since I have to start getting ready for work, it's not really possible for me to wait until he stops (I've tried, and he will keep it up for 10+ minutes if he's on a roll).
Granted, I understand that some of this is the adjustment, he still may need some time. He also needs some dental work (which is scheduled for May 3rd) so I'm unsure of a little pain is part of this. However, because it's so well timed every night, my impression is that it's very much related to him getting used to my schedule.
Any advice would be appreciated! However, I'm mostly looking for strategies to effectively "ignore" him to teach him meowing/yowling doesn't get him anything (but having the unfortunate timing of him constantly meowing in the morning, so it's hard to find a quiet period).
He is extremely sweet, and basically, seems settled in. We have had no real issues, besides the animals establishing their comfort zones (but nothing too crazy has happened).
It hasn't even been 2 weeks yet, so I'm still trying to be optimistic. However, Maki does have a habit of yowling. He had his vet appt, and I made another one at a cat only clinic to make absolutely sure there is no health stuff going on. But his thyroid and kidney levels are all normal.
So far I've:
-Plugged in two different Feliway diffusers in my condo
-Bought night lights to plug in so he can see (saw online this might be good for senior kitties)
-Try to play with him before sleep
-Giving him a big meal before sleep time
-Leaving toys and interactive feeders out with snacks at night
(Because I have a roommate, I have to keep him in my room to sleep at night. If he's in the living area, she can hear him).
However, without fail, he will generally start screaming at around 2-3 am. Then again at 5-6 am. I haven't been very good at completely ignoring him, so I am going to be vigilant about that in the the coming weeks hoping that helps his behavior.
My problem is in the morning, once he starts at 5:30-6ish, he basically will keep going continuously until 7 am. I wake up at 7 am anyway. In terms of the "ignoring" the cat situation and not getting up until they're quiet, it's impossible for me to not get up/feed him in the morning when he's quiet. He's constantly meowing or starts to once I've gotten up. I've only been able to a few times catch him not paying attention and sneaking out when it's quiet.
Has anybody figured out a way to do this without "rewarding" the meowing + yowling? Since I have to start getting ready for work, it's not really possible for me to wait until he stops (I've tried, and he will keep it up for 10+ minutes if he's on a roll).
Granted, I understand that some of this is the adjustment, he still may need some time. He also needs some dental work (which is scheduled for May 3rd) so I'm unsure of a little pain is part of this. However, because it's so well timed every night, my impression is that it's very much related to him getting used to my schedule.
Any advice would be appreciated! However, I'm mostly looking for strategies to effectively "ignore" him to teach him meowing/yowling doesn't get him anything (but having the unfortunate timing of him constantly meowing in the morning, so it's hard to find a quiet period).
