Quite Cat Starts Meowing

[evaklein]

Hey everyone!

I'm new to this whole forum/chatting thing so I'll get right on topic.
I have a Birman cat and she is usually really quite and meows only when she is trying to get some tuna out of me or my family. Other then that she never meows. She never did so even when she was little, she's about three years now. The problem is, for the second time now (the first one was about a year ago) she meows a lot when she sees me paying attention to her or just walking by. I try to play with her and she responds but only, as it seems, out of necessity because of the mouse toy. She doesn't want me petting her, the only one who can pet her is my mom. She doesn't want food or water, which I've tried changing twice now. She just walks with me and meows. She only stops when she sees that I'm not responding to her for more than two minutes.
Can someone please give a little clue as to what the problem is? It's really bothering me because she is usually a very quite cat and this kind of behavior is very unlike her. She is not an outdoor cat so I don't think that she has any medical problems. Also, it's not her usual "I want a male cat right this second" type of meowing. Has any of you ever experienced this with your cat? Have you found out the cause?

Sorry for the long post, I just want to be as thorough as possible. Thank you all in advance!

 

[pegleg]

Do you talk back? Or is it just making a racket?

Can you ask your vet, has anything else changed?

 

[di and bob]

Is she spayed? Sounds like hormone driven meowing to me. Cats can come in and out of season until they are bred, so there is no predicting when it could happen. The insistent,unending meowing is a hallmark of rising hormones, and she is miserable and confused as to what is happening. A spayed cat is much calmer and happier with life. Meowing is asking for help, she wants SOMETHING, even if it is just for attention!

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Your cat is beautiful.

Since you mention it's not her "I want a male cat right this second" meow, that sounds like she isn't spayed. If that's the case, I'm thinking it's a hormonal/heat thing.

 

[catlover73]

One of my friends had a cat that was really quiet. When she took her to first vet appointment the vet guessed her age wrong and she was told she was a kitten. She was a tiny cat and was actually a small adult. Her cat was quiet until she went into heat the first time. My friend asked me to come over because she was new to cat ownership at the time. Her cat was very talkative and very clingy. This cat was quiet and would normally hide from me but she was climbing all over me. I suggested that my friend take her to a different vet for an exam. The new vet very quickly figured out that her cat was a very small young adult and not a kitten anymore. She just dealt with the noise temporarily until she could get her spayed. My friend's cat was indoor only and the 2nd cat she had was also female. She took the 2nd cat to the new vet to be spayed immediately since she was not in heat yet and the cats were known to be around the same age. Once her cat was spayed she went back to being her normal quiet self.

 

[evaklein]

It doesn't matter if I talk back to her or not. She just continues meowing until she notices that I sort of ignore her. She is spayed and I'm planning on doing it but I'm not sure when. This doesn't sound like her usual meowing when she is in heat. When she's in heat she starts rolling on her back and she lets me and everyone pet her. Her meowing is much deeper and more intense. It seems like she wants to play but it doesn't last long. Now that I think about it, maybe it is some sort of noise that's making her behave this way. She's been in this meowing mood for two days and now it seems like she is back to her normal self. Or maybe she just wanted attention because I wasn't able to play with her as much as I used to because I'm busy.

Thank you all for you quick responses! I'll probably get her spayed soon so she'll be calmer. She constantly seems on edge nowadays. Anyway, thanks everyone!

 

[ArchyCat]

"]She is spayed and I'm planning on doing it but I'm not sure when." I suspect you meant to say "She is not spayed.....". Which would explain the vocalization.

If you are not going to breed her, the sooner she is spayed, the better. Un-spayed cats have a tendency to develop ovarian tumors.