Cat problem

First, have a vet check him over if this behaviour is a new thing. It's typical of cats who are having a few health problems, and so worth doing.

Make sure your cat is comfortable at night: has he somewhere warm and safe (and preferably high up, if he's not elderly and arthritic) to sleep, has he a clean litter tray, is he safe from other neighbourhood cats?

If he's feeling lonely, you could consider a Feliway diffuser which is like a little plug-in air-freshener, only it spreads feline happy-hormones through the room. Very good for helping stressed-out cats relax.

Once you're sure he's in good health and is safe and happy, you've got to consider what you've done to encourage this. By giving him attention at this time of night you're reinforcing the behaviour. So, in future, ignore him completely! It might take a few nights but if you can manage to not respond at all then he'll get no results, and will probably stop. Refuse to be drawn: don't comment, don't look at him, don't even breathe differently! Don't, what ever you do, ignore him for ages, lose your patience, and then respond, as that would be really exciting for the cat (they like that sort of unreliable response) and would make him even more likely to continue. He'll probably consider the reprimands you have issued as part of a complex game and so will find them interesting and encouraging. There's little point in reprimanding cats anyway--it adds to their stress and encourages other difficult behaviours, like soiling, so it's best avoided.

Hope that's a help. And that your cat shuts up soon!

Is your cat old? Perhaps (seriously) it's senile and gets lost. On the other hand, we used to have a cat who was young and healthy and one day decided NO DOORS CAN BE CLOSED. It demanded total run from room to room, a vantage place to look out every window ... and would bang on any closed door (they had little door stop "knockers" at the bottoms, so he could bang on them)

If we left all the room doors ajar, he was fine. Is there some room or window he suddenly cannot visit?

Good luck...in my limited cat experience I've found that cats are crazy. They seem to delight in confusing their owners and making up strange habits just to make you feel like you're losing your mind. They'll stop as soon as you've tried everything you can think of.

Is he a Siamese or a Burmese? I have a Burmese and he is forever demanding attention. Yesterday he cried all day for me and wouldn't shut up until I had him in my arms and was cuddling him. Burmese and Siamese are notorious criers and do it just because they can.

Is it warm at night? Sometimes cats cry if they are cold.

Could be an age issue. My friend has a cat which is several hundred years old; he cries at night and has to be watched while he eats.

I have several cats that keep me running at night if everything isn't just right for them.

One cat was getting old and senile, and was driving me crazy with an in/out routine. When he became incontinent due to senility, I decided he had to stay outside permanently, and he now lives on the porch. In order to convince him that of his new routine, I had to ignore his bawling for several days, which isn't easy because he knew to go stand by my bedroom window and cry. After several days, he stopped. Now he has his box on the porch and he's basically fine, although still a loon.

I have two other cats that have to be inside when it's lights out, or they will cry at the window, too.

If the cat doesn't stop the obnoxious nighttime behavior, you might want to buy a crate for him to stay in at night. Put in his favorite blankets, some water and and a few snacks - and stow him in a place far away in the house. After a few nights of that, he'll understand the rules again.

Try David Eddings or Christopher Stasheef. If that doesn't work, try a cook book. My cat's been reading them for days.

He's being a cat. As long as he's healthy, has clean litter, fresh water, available food - there's nothing wrong. He's trying out a new routine, seeing if it'll fly with you. Best thing you can do is roll over and ignore him. If he gets attention: ie - you yell, toss a pillow, spank him, whatever - then the new routine is working. If you ignore him, the new routine is a failure and he'll stop eventually.

I wake up at 4:00 every morning to my two boys wrestling on top of me until one gets angry, then there's some yelling, some screaming, then a thud and they run out of the room and continue to play elsewhere.

I roll over, go back to sleep. It's just cat-routine. They're nocturnal, remember - dark-time is their favorite time.

Could it be...Daylight Savings has confused this babe?

Is he neutered? If not, get him some pussy. (What pun?)

Seriously, I do believe many cats are nocturnal, and he may just be feeling some real cat urges (not human ones--see above comment if he is not neutered).

I've heard wailing can be an indicator of high blood pressure. I agree...get thee (and he) to a vet.

(and good luck...we used to have a cat whose wailing would go on and on until he dropped into this weird register/pitch and sounded like a human moaning over a stubbed toe. Freaky at 2 am)

Inappropriate behavior from cats often call for inappropriate reactions from people. With my old cat this was often as simple as picking him up and putting him on the bed. (He didn't like the bed, humans are too restless.) If he is an indoor/outdoor cat put him out, if not lock him in the bathroom with his cat box. Cats don't have a clue to what a reprimand is but are very savy when it comes to interpreting inappropriate behavior.

I'm not a cat person but went through something very similar with my old girl dog. She would start to bark in the middle of the night and wouldn't stop. I finally figured out that she needed a night light. Once I put in the night light, the crazy behavior stopped.

I had one cat that would start being a pest fairly early in the morning. We started playing with him at night, shortly before bed...I mean, played HARD with him: ran the laser pointer all over the house, got him shit-faced on catnip, etc. That night? Slept like a rock. Didn't even want to get up the next morning until he heard me fill his dish.

It could work. Maybe he just needs to be worn out before bed. Laser pointers are your friend.

Is he going to the toilet properly? Crying can be an indication of urinary problems. Watch him when he uses the bathroom; is he struggling to pass water? Does he hover for ages but produce nothing? If so, take him immediately to the vet; don't waste a second.

NeuroFizz said:

Is he neutered? If not, get him some pussy. (What pun?)

Seriously, I do believe many cats are nocturnal, and he may just be feeling some real cat urges (not human ones--see above comment if he is not neutered).

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Or just get him a couple of magazines and some privacy. Oh...wait...no thumbs...damn...

maestrowork said:

It's trying to figure out what it is that drives me crazy.

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I think he's figgered it out, Ray.

Two of our cats (of 3) went missing after the police rummaged through our house looking for clues, cleaning up the crime scene, etc. I went to the pound, but no luck. We live right near the edge of civilization (or as close to something like that as a person in LA county can get), and it's not too uncommon to see a coyote trotting down the street, so I figured they were gone. It's been over a week.

Last night, I saw Alley McCat for the first time again. She'd been hiding in a closet, maybe. But she was crying and crying and crying. She was looking for her mama, her nap-buddy. She cried for her all night.

I did too.

I still haven't seen Scat Cat yet. I'm hoping that he's hidden up somewhere too, and that eventually he'll feel safe enough to let me know he's ok.

Cats grieve, Dave. Just like dogs...maybe more so.

I'm sure ScatCat will come home. But check with neighbors, just in case. Someone who doesn't know you may have taken him in.

That's how I got ol' 'Boo-boo Mc Bootie back', of course now, I have to take him to vist occasionally.

HUG!!!!

One of my cats will cry if she can't get into my son's room at night. She sits at the end of the hallway, meowing loudly until someone opens the door for her.

dclary said:

Two of our cats (of 3) went missing after the police rummaged through our house looking for clues, cleaning up the crime scene, etc. I went to the pound, but no luck. We live right near the edge of civilization (or as close to something like that as a person in LA county can get), and it's not too uncommon to see a coyote trotting down the street, so I figured they were gone. It's been over a week.

Last night, I saw Alley McCat for the first time again. She'd been hiding in a closet, maybe. But she was crying and crying and crying. She was looking for her mama, her nap-buddy. She cried for her all night.

I did too.

I still haven't seen Scat Cat yet. I'm hoping that he's hidden up somewhere too, and that eventually he'll feel safe enough to let me know he's ok.

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Dave, he was probably frightened into hiding. I bet if you do a thorough search of your house and outhouses you will find him. He's probably holding out until he feels it's safe to come out again.

I've been thinking a lot about you lately and send you my love and prayers.

Andie