Help! My cat won't shut up!

I just got my first cat in July and she is very sweet and cuddly when I'm on the couch. When I'm not on the couch all she does is meow. She just likes to make noise. All of my friends think she's funny, but in all actuality she is driving me nuts. All I do is scream at her to shut up. I am the type of person that when I adopt a pet it becomes a part of the family, but honestly I don't know how much more I can take. The people at the shelter said she was just nervous and would be quiet when I got her home. Yeah right, they just wanted her out of there so they didn't have to hear her anymore. They thought she was about 2 years old. Please help me!

Welcome to TCS.

Screaming at her is not going to help. It will only make her more agitated. It's very possible she is just lonely. Does she have toys to play with, windows to look out of, etc.? Have you tried Feliway to calm her? Has she been seen by a vet to rule out physical problems?

I have moved this to Behavior for you where more people will be able to help.

Hi and welcome to TCS.

There are many reasons why a cat will meow almost constantly. The first thing to do is take her to the vet to make sure the meowing isn't because she's sick or in pain. Is she spayed? Going into heat will cause loud, unending meowing.

If the vet gives her the all-clear, she may be stressed for some reason. Please do not scream at her as this will just make her more stressed and anxious. Something you can try is a Feliway plug-in. This often helps to relieve stress or anxiety in cats. http://www.catsplay.com/feliway.php3

Something else that can help is Bach Flower Remedies, specifically one called Rescue Remedy. http://www.catfaeries.com/essences.html

Good luck with her.

First of all please don't scream at her because that'll only stress her out, more so if she is a nervous cat

My Rosie is very talkative along with quite a few members cats here. She may be bored so have you tried playing with her?

thanks so much for the quick response! She doesn't seem stressed, she just likes to meow. She has lots of windows to look out and toys to play with. I think mainly she is trying to herd me to the couch so we can cuddle as that is when she is happiest. She is very loving and sweet and I know she isn't doing it to be a pain, she just likes to makes noise. She even "talks" while eating!

You sound like you have a real snuggle bun there so be pleased because theres lots of members here would love their cats to be like yours

And talking when she's eating sounds sooo cute!

I wish Abby would snuggle with me more.

Has she been spayed?

My Simba was like that too, it drove me crazy!!! Meowing non stop. I read in a Cat Fancy magazine that it can turn into a habit, so every time your cat would meow, try not to pet him... because it would be like you are praising him. Your cat may think every time I meow I get attention, so I will meow more. Believe me it was so hard to not pet Simba every time he meowed, but when he was quite I would pet him. It worked anyway.

So only pet him when he is quite.

Originally Posted by Cyber Cat

My Simba was like that too, it drove me crazy!!! Meowing non stop. I read in a Cat Fancy magazine that it can turn into a habit, so every time your cat would meow, try not to pet him... because it would be like you are praising him. Your cat may think every time I meow I get attention, so I will meow more. Believe me it was so hard to not pet Simba every time he meowed, but when he was quite I would pet him. It worked anyway.

So only pet him when he is quiet.

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That's exactly what worked for Sylvestra, who used to wander around the house all day yowling at the top of her lungs for attention.

If your cat has been spayed, and has checked out healthy at the vet (both issues need to be addressed first or training attempts won't help), it is time for some retraining.

First make sure she has things to keep her occupied when you can't pay attention to her (click here for ideas), so she's not bored and lonely.

Then just ignore her completely whenever she yowls like that - no yelling, no pets, don't even make eye contact with her (though of course you have to make sure all her physical needs are met and that she's not complaining because her water bowl or food bowl are empty, or that her litterbox is dirty). It's hard, but it's important if you want to avoid reinforcing the loud behavior. Think about something funny, or even sing a song to yourself if you have to, just don't respond to the meowing. The toughest part for me was to stop unconciously petting her when she'd walk up to me and meow, and to make sure I waited until a moment when she was quiet to pet her.

Equally important is giving her attention when she's quiet - Silly used to be so extremely talkative that I had to pay close attention so I could catch her in the split second between meows to give her a pet. She eventually made the connection and her meows became less frequent - but I still had to remember to stop and pay attention to her occasionaly when she was being quiet, and make sure she was still getting attention - it can be easy to forget about petting her when she's off in another room behaving herself, but it's very important if you want her to be happy and quiet.

Daily play sessions are also important - try to set aside some time every day just to play and interact with her. Click here for a good article about play therapy for cats.

Hang in there, it really does work!

Silly is still a talkative girl who chirps and mrrps, but she no longer yowls endlessly at the top of her lungs. Now she just walks up and sits next to me and purrs when she wants some loving - sometimes she'll tap me on the arm with her paw.

When I need to get something done around my home but I feel bad because the cats want more attention at that very moment, I build them "tents". I find old blankets and drape around chairs, boxes, etc. I never keep the tent in place for more than a few hours (so they don't bore of it easily but when I am on vacation they are tons of tents all around the house). If after snuggling for a while on the couch with her (and a blanket), try building a tent out of that blanket while she is still in the mood for loving. Her calmer mood and a safe place to hide may be just the trick.

Originally Posted by Mokitty

When I need to get something done around my home but I feel bad because the cats want more attention at that very moment, I build them "tents". I find old blankets and drape around chairs, boxes, etc. I never keep the tent in place for more than a few hours (so they don't bore of it easily but when I am on vacation they are tons of tents all around the house). If after snuggling for a while on the couch with her (and a blanket), try building a tent out of that blanket while she is still in the mood for loving. Her calmer mood and a safe place to hide may be just the trick.

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That's a great idea

PJ is 11-12 years old.
She talks a TON. We love it.

The bad part was, she used to come into the bedroom and talk (yell, really) at around 5-6am when it wasn't time to get up. We used to get up and pet her, or get her into bed, etc, which only encouraged the behavior. Eventually, we just ignored her, and she has learned that there are quiet times.

Oh my big boy kitty Da-Ku meows NONSTOP. But I LOVE it. I think it is sooo cute. Loud meows at me and then I either meow back at him or say what? over and over. I probably annoy him! Then he wil go downstairs and cry out these long drawn out pitiful moaning meows. It is so funny.

Anyways, you didn't by any chance adopt a Siamese or Siamese mix did you?
If you did then get used to it cuz thats what Siamese do. You can still discourage it by ignoring her when she cries and paying attention to her if she is quiet.

Wow. Welcome to my world.

Angelo, my Siamese mix, used to yowl endlessly. I eventually figured out that in part that he was a bit lonely, but also that he just likes to talk.

Penny, who is a young DLH kitten, is an endless chatterbox. Bringing her into the family tempered Angelo a bit, so he doesn't yowl as much, but she more than makes up for it. She meows, trills, purrs, mrrs, and basically doesn't get quiet until she falls asleep.

God forbid if there's a bug on the wall. The two of them will sit together and watch it. Angelo will chirp & chatter and Penny starts into an endless string of clipped meowing at it.