Expert: Dear Tabbi - 5/20/2008

Question
We have two cats, approximately 5 years old each. One male, one female-siblings.
They were "adopted" when they were only 7 weeks old and so we don't know their history.
Over the last several months, maybe longer, the female has started crying at night. She does this almost nightly. Many times my wife will get up and go put out treats for both cats, so that she can get sleep. Sometimes this works, but most times after a short while the cat starts crying again. Along with this, we have also noticed that she has started chewing on things, books, boxes and my wife's purse. She will stop if reprimanded, but will sometimes start again if you aren't paying attention to her. Today, while my wife was getting dressed she went and jumped up to the counter near my wife and began crying for no apparent reason. When we speak to her she will stop and you can hear her purring, but as soon as you stop she will cry again.
We haven't noticed these behaviors in the male cat at all. At first, when they were kittens, we would notice that anytime we had to put things in the dishwasher the little female would come to the doorway of the kitchen and cry. She would not stop until you finished and shut the dishwasher. But now....she cries at night, almost like she doesn't want us to be asleep.
Both cats eat dry food during the day and share a small can of wet at night (much of which she doesn't want). We don't know what to do to change these "odd" habits, but treats 2-4 times a night means my wife gets no sleep and the cats get too many treats. Please let us know what we can do to fix this. They are both "fixed" cats and are 100% indoor (except for being on our screened patio occassionally). They haven't been seen by a vet in several years because they appear and act very healthy...
We just need to sleep and hate to hear her cry...

Answer
Jeff,

The first thing to do when a cat becomes abnormally vocal is to have the cat examined by a veterinarian. It could be a medical issue causing her behavior instead of a behavioral issue. Frequently the cause for becoming vocal is pain or discomfort. A small possiblity is that she could be becoming deaf and/or blind which would confuse her because a cat then relies on vibrations to know where people are, and if everyone is sleeping then they don't hear any vibrations. Meowing persistantly is sometimes the only way they know how to tell you something is wrong.

Chewing on things is often times a sign of boredom. Combined with being vocal could mean that she needs more stimulation. A bowl with goldfish would help. Or a secure cage with gerbils that she can watch. I have an aquarium plus a glass cage (with a very secure top) with lizards that my cats love to watch and try to get. The lizards are used to the cats and it doesn't bother them. It also helps satisfy an indoor cat's hunting urges. These are only suggestions though.

It's a good possibility that she has found that being vocal gets a reaction from you and your wife and that is why she is doing it. And if works then she will keep doing it. If you are sure that she is not doing it for a specific reason, such as a medical issue then you need to stop the bad habit.

THAT is the hardest part! To do it, you and your wife need to COMPLETELY ignore the cat when she starts being vocal. Don't acknowledge her at all. No matter what she does or how long she does it. No verbal or physical acknowledgment at all. EVENTUALLY the cat will stop doing it if she's not getting any attention from it because that is the sole purpose of her actions. You HAVE to be consistant! If you respond to her even once it won't work any more and the habit will continue, even worse than before, because she has found that if she continues long enough EVENTUALLY you will give in to her attention getting. And she has nothing BUT time and patience! During the day give her lots of attention..but only if she is not being vocal.

Play with the cat before you go to bed with something like a pet laser light to tire the her out. Then feed her a can of food. Having a full tummy and being tired out from playing you have a better chance of her sleeping though the night.

I hope this helps.

Tabbi