Excessive meowing

by Jenny
(CA)

We have an about five year old Maine coon spayed female. She was adopted last year from he shelter and joined our house. We do not have other pets. She gets her literbin changed every other day and enjoys fresh water in the shower or in a bowl in the shower. She gets fed twice a day, morning and night with a small amount of wet food to accompany the dry food at night. We play with her each night for at least 30 minutes with a variety of balls, stuffed mice, or feather wands. She lays on her side looking relaxed after a play session. She is a great cat however she does not like it when we go to sleep. She will meow excessively for hours if we let her. We have been putting her downstairs wihthe door closed just so we can sleep. This makes us sad since we really love our cat but we cannot sleep with all the meowing. Any suggestions? Please help!

RESPONSE:

Is she locked out of your room at night or does she just wander around the house calling. These are two very different behaviors and require very different responses. If she is crying at the door to get in, she is lonely and wants to be with you. Providing her with treat balls, fuzzy mice, puzzle boxes, etc at night will help with this. If she is wandering around the house calling, she is likely frightened and doesn't like being alone. The other option, which is what we do, is to leave the bedroom door open so the cats can be with us if they want. Some like to sleep on the bed but several simply want to be in the same room as we are and sleep. It is very quiet at our house at night! Let us know how it goes.

Donna - House Full Cats Mom