Need your advice, kitty won't stop meowing..

I would like to see if anyone may have any good suggestions for me. We got Jake about 4 months ago, he is 8 years old. Jake lived with our next door neigbours before with another cat and a dog. He is a partially outdoor cat so he visited us a lot as got a TON of attention and affection from us which he didn't seem to be getting at home. When our neighbours dog passed away and they got another one, Jake just would NOT go home - he was terrified. So we offered to adopt him and we were just thrilled because we just fell in live with the little guy. So he happilly moved in with us and seemed to be fine. He was a usually quiet cat and he would only meow when he wanted to be let out or when I was about to feed him. Well about a month ago he became VERY vocal and now it seems that he never stops meowing! We're talking loud "as if he was getting skinned alive meows". I even wondered if his throat was be getting sore - he even does it in the middle of the night! Other than that he seems normally affectionate and healthy - does anyone have any suggestions why he may be doing this or how to make him stop? Sorry to about the lenght of this but I wanted to give the whole story!!! :confused:

Would there by any chance be a new girl kitty in the neighborhood who is in heat? :confused:

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Originally posted by catwoman:
<STRONG>Would there by any chance be a new girl kitty in the neighborhood who is in heat? :confused:</STRONG>

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Hmmm- it's a possibility but Jake since he's fixed I didn't even think of it.

Maybe Jake misses his cat-sibling from your neighbor's house ... can it come to visit Jake occasionally?

My cats will often call to each other from opposite rooms in the apartment. Weezie can be VERY loud and plaintive, like she thinks Thelma's been kidnapped! ;)

I hope it's not his former (dead) dog-sibling that Jake's missing. Only time will help that ...

[ July 30, 2001: Message edited by: catwoman ]

Hello aguu, I was thinking along the same lines as catwoman when I read your post. Maybe your new kitty misses his companions. I know when my family's kitty Winston died when I was in high school, my other family's cat, Socks just wandered all over the house crying and meowing trying to find Winston. This lasted for several weeks. I think animals go through a grief period when they lose a "sibling". He probably doesn't know what happened, and maybe is searching for his companion?? Maybe you could think about adopting a homeless kitty from a local shelter?? :D :D :D There's always room for one more kitty! LOL In any case, what catwoman suggested might be worth a try. Could you go and visit his kitty sibling, to see if that is what's causing it? Play with him and cuddle him a little more...he may just be missing his playmate. I'm happy to hear that he's fine otherwise! :D *hugs* from me and my babies! Keep us posted!

Since you've had him four months already, and this started three months ago, it would not be my first guess that he's missing his housemates - although it could well be that. Anytime there's a sudden behavior change in a cat that can't be explained, my first inclination is that there may be something physically wrong with him. It might not be a bad idea to have a vet visit to rule out an illness. If he checks out, then start looking for other causes.

Thanks for your advice everyone! Jake just had his vet check up recently and he's in perfect health. He also visits almost daily with Jiggs his "brother" but I think you may be right - he still misses him even though Jiggs used to beat him up!! I think maybe just became more (and more and more) vocal as he learned that it gets him pretty much anything he wants! You see he was a loner before he came to live with us and got very little attention and affection. He's very smart and he probably figured out that we're suckers and he can get anything he wants if he is loud enough, you know things like shrimp and endless belly scratches!! I guess that's what they call spoiled rotten!

:p

Perhaps you're right it's your attention he wants. I have 3 cats and one of them is extremely vocal. When she wants me to brush her (and if I stop), when she wants to be cuddled or when she wants to play or even when I'm in a room and she can't get in or generally when she wants my attention she just meows the whole place down (I'm afraid that one day one of the neighbours will report me for cat abuse :D :D ). She doesn't do it as badly with anyone else.

Gio - I know what you mean! Sometimes Big goes out on the patio and just screams! I don't know what makes him do this - he's not asking to come in. I've looked out through the window sometimes when he does this and he's just sitting, or sometimes lying, on the patio, yowling and screaming! I think maybe he thinks he's singing, but I'm afraid the neighbors will think he's hurt!

I think some cats just like the sound of their own voice. Alexander likes to go in the basement and meow at the top of his lungs. If I interrupt him, he gives me one of those looks that could kill. He thinks he's Pavarotti. :rolleyes:

Definately take him to the vet if you have not already done so! Not to scare you or anything but I had a cat about a year and a half ago that started being more vocal, and it turned out she had kidney cancer. She was being noisy because she was in pain. Oddly though it did not sound like a 'painful meow' at first. If everything checks out okay, then I would get her a kitty companion. I did with my other cat, and it was the best thing I ever did (after a little adjustment period of course). Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

If he been neutered, he shouldn't be meowing in the earler morning. I can't really answer the question becuase I have the same problem with my kitty, he is meowing early in the morning around 4:30am. He is very quiet through the day. Sorry I couldn't help.