Confessions of a Cat Breeder

Thank you for providing a loving environment for Jake, you are indeed a special mother.


Please ignore what you have read in books regarding solutions for this problem which I will address in depth later. Of the greater importance is Jake and some advice on how to quiet his need for late night meowing.


You have described him as a very sweet and cuddly male who seems secure with the exception of this late night ritual. Do you have any information regarding his past? Did he live with any other pets? Do you know his previous owner?


I don't believe that he is seeking attention, from my experience when a feline is searching for a lost companion be it another pet or his human this is typical behavior. He is probably quite content with you and feels your love and devotion. However, he also appears to be unsettled due a missing member of his beloved family. He is calling for that missing piece of contentment in his otherwise secure world.


If you are consistent and follow my instructions I believe Jake will stop crying. When he leaves you and begins crying in another room go to him and bring him back to the family room. If this pattern is repeated over and over again he will know you are totally devoted to him and his family is complete. Each time you bring him back to the main living area provide loving pets and warm words which may convince him to remain with the family. At night simply call out to him in a loving voice and tell him that you are in the bedroom. You may find he will totally cease crying at night if you are consistent during the day by bringing him back into the family room. If you use the day or early evening hours to alleviate his stress he may not feel the need to call during your sleeping time.


Jake also needs some time to adapt to the many changes in his life. Sometimes the insistent crying is not as I have indicated above but becomes a matter of making life easier for the aging feline. It has been my experience with older cats that sometimes when awakening they become insecure. They call out seven or eight times waiting to hear their mother's familiar voice that all is well. With my own older female whenever she called me I would answer her from another room. After hearing my voice call her name in answer with every cry from her she would immediately settle down and return to sleep. Granted this calling back and forth could be as short as 2 or 3 consecutive meows or as long as six or seven. I could have shortened our conversation by going directly to her, however that wasn't always possible.


I will now address the methods you have read of and explain why each did not accomplish your goal to pacify Jake.


To completely "ignore the behavior" will only encourage the feline to continue crying. If the cat is insecure their anxiety only increases as they are calling for confirmation of their beloved owner's presence. It is best to allow the cat to hear your voice or as I have suggested better still to carry Jake back into the family room with loving words of affection. You won't be spoiling him with this attention you will however be confirming his importance within your family.


"Making noises to startle him" again only increases his anxiety and the crying will continue. He may stop crying in fear for a short period of time but his anxiety will again trigger the need to voice his anxiety.


"Squirting Water" should only be used when stud male cats are in a fight to the death conflict. This method is absolutely the worst way to alter a feline's behavior. A cat never forgives or forgets the family member that dishonors them in this manner. I have one friend who is still trying to win her female's affections as she consistently used this form of behavior modification. This feline never chooses her company any longer but waits for her husband to take his place before settling in his lap for the evening. Squirting water is a last attempt to separate fighting male cats and should never be used for any other purpose. For every feline problem there is a more loving method to alter behavior without forever damaging a valuable relationship with a beloved cat.


Thank you for presenting this interesting situation with your sweet Jake. I encourage you to be repetitive with your beloved male and please return to the Forum should the problem continue.


Best Wishes,


Jasmine,


Psychic Feline Behavior Consultant

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Replying to:

We recently adopted an 8-year old cat who is very sweet and cuddly. The problem is that he has a habit of going into other rooms of the house, other than the ones we are currently occupying, and meowing very loudly.


If we are in the living room, he meows from the bedroom. When we go to bed (he sleeps with us)he goes into the living room and meows before settling down. Then he will frequently get up once or twice in the night and go into the living room and meow again. He is not looking for food, just attention.


We have tried several methods to discourage him that we have read in books - such as ignoring him completely, making noises to startle him, squirting a little water in his direction. Nothing seems to work for very long.


We live in an apartment building and his meowing is disturbing our landlord. How can we change this behavior?