Why does my cat walk around the house and meow for no reason?
Cats don't just yell. They demand something from the owner.
Felinologists identify 3 types of factors under the influence of which cats meow, supposedly for no reason:
- Natural motives.
- Estrus.
- Disease.
Among natural reasons, the following prevail:
- stress: an animal, for example, a kitten, finds itself in an unusual environment, gets scared and “cries”;
- begging: the cat sees that the mistress is having dinner, cutting up meat or fish and demands his rightful share;
- the requirement to let out or let in: it’s one thing if a pet needs to go to the outdoor toilet, another when the animal is eager to go into the next room to hunt a bird or a hamster;
- the cat needed help: he hid in the closet, but it was accidentally closed, or he played with a ball of thread and got entangled.
The call of nature is inexorable. When estrus begins, the female suffers herself and terrorizes those around her with her screams. A cat, sensing a cat in heat, signals its presence with an inviting cry. If a competitor appears nearby, the meowing turns into a growl.
Cats can withstand pain if it is moderate, but when it becomes unbearable, the animals turn to their owner for help. True, a person does not always understand what a cat wants.
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Among the pathological causes of plaintive meowing, the following are distinguished:
- constipation;
- otitis;
- urolithiasis disease;
- gingivitis;
- individual stages of viral diseases.
Age affects the behavior of cats. In older animals, poor health causes irritability.
How to solve the problem of meowing at night?
As you can see, there are many reasons for meowing at night. Fortunately, in most cases it is quite easy to help you and your pet. Here are the simplest ways:
- Visit your veterinarian to rule out any health problems in your pet. Often vocalization at night in an older cat is a consequence of thyroid or kidney disease.
- If you have recently moved, it is important to remember that any change of residence is stressful for pets. To prevent your cat from feeling completely unsettled after moving, try to ensure that the cat's routine does not change too much at the new place of residence. At least in the first weeks after moving, feeding should take place at the same time as in the old place. Don't forget about games - even 15 minutes a day show the purr how much you love it and how much you care about it! And a cat that feels cared for is less likely to meow due to increased anxiety at night.
- If your pet is not active during the day, then he will most likely try to burn off excess energy at night. Therefore, your task is to help him do this before you go to bed! Try to offer him your favorite games at night - for some it’s a laser pointer, for others it’s a tumbler, and for others it’s an artificial mouse. Playing at night will, at a minimum, delay nighttime “meow-meows” to a later date, if not make them an extremely rare occurrence.
- A good way, if not to prevent, then to delay the night concert of your purr, is to give her food at night. Just like people, cats sleep better on a full stomach.
- Cats that suffer from increased anxiety need extra care and attention from their owners to little things. For example, many cats love to have a towel or blanket on the bed, on which they can sleep next to the owner. Additional comfort will help eliminate anxiety at night, which means night meowing will either stop bothering you completely, or at least will bother you less often.
- If your new cat often meows from loneliness, then the best solution would be to play with her more often before bed. In games, a cat or kitten will burn off excess energy and become closer to you. Also, you can take the cat to sleep with you in bed, a loved one next to you will calm the purr and it will worry less at night, and therefore will sleep longer and will not disturb you until the morning. Remember - a new cat at home is like a child who needs time to adapt and your care in order to integrate into the life of the new family.
- If a cat meows because something outside the window is bothering it, then curtaining the windows or closing the blinds at night is the easiest way out of this problem.
Why does a cat yell at night: 7 reasons
Cats are nocturnal hunters, so if they are awake, they most often vocalize at this time of day.
The following are the reasons for the “night songs” of pets:
- Need for a sexual partner during the rut . During this period, the animal is not able, like a person, to restrain its reproductive instincts. Nature is unforgiving and severely punishes attempts to evade its call.
- A castrated cat signals to the owner that he has had enough sleep and is feeling hungry. The person is to blame himself. Animals should be fed generously at night. Because satiety makes you sleepy. Another reason is that the former male, deprived of testosterone, becomes cowardly and is plagued by fears, most often in the second half of the night.
- Sterilization does not eliminate the desire to vote. If a full-fledged female is controlled by hormones, then the sterilized individual becomes extremely sentimental. It seems to her that the owners do not pay enough attention to her. Therefore, the animal demands its due at the most inconvenient time.
- A kitten that finds itself in a new home is at a loss. The mother and peers disappeared somewhere. During the day, he realizes that there are no creatures dear to him in the room. But night comes and it seems to him that his mother is calling her close and persistently.
- When a new pet appears in the house, a conflict situation arises, especially if the pets are of the same sex. Until the weak submits to the strong, a showdown will occur.
- Chronic diseases tend to worsen at night, both in humans and animals. With urolithiasis or constipation, the cat is in so much pain that it is impossible to bear.
- Psychoneurological disorders. The cat did not have the habit of yelling at night, and suddenly such a habit appeared. In this case, you should contact your veterinarian to help you choose medications that correct your pet’s behavior.
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A cat by day and a cat by night: two different animals?
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A cat by day and a cat by night: two different animals?
Ask any cat owner if their pet's behavior changes with the onset of dusk. The answer will be clear! It’s as if the animals are being replaced or a magic energizer battery from a TV commercial is being inserted into them. Cats become noisy, play, hunt tirelessly, some sneak into the master's bedrooms by hook or by crook and manage to cause a little commotion there.
Why does cats behavior change at night? Cats are nocturnal creatures by nature, and this is not news to anyone. But it’s a bit of a stretch to call them purely nocturnal – cats are more of a crepuscular animal. During the day, purrs, as a rule, sleep, and after sunset they become active. You are already tired after a working day and want to relax, but the cats had a wonderful sleep and are ready for new “exploits.”
What to do? Experts advise using the evening hours for active communication with your cat. Play noisy games with her in order to somehow “wear her out” and release a good part of the accumulated energy. Try feeding your pet generously before nightfall to “deceive” nature. Let's play on the body's tendency to take a nap after a hearty snack!
Cats also tend to adapt to the daily routine of their owners. Over time, after the first sleepless nights, everything should return to normal, and the cat will stop tyrannizing its owners. Some owners say that their pets get into the habit of going to bed with everyone else. But how long it will take before this happens is a big question.
Why do cats like to hunt at night? It's simple - the so-called genetic memory is to blame. In the wild, cats went hunting strictly at dusk. Small mammals (rodents, etc.), which form the basis of their diet, are also active at this time. Moreover, cats have a unique vision that allows them to see perfectly in twilight or diffuse light, and they are excellent at catching their prey.
Meanwhile, we still advise you to keep your cat at home and not let her out at night, especially if your house is located in a large city or near a busy highway. Cats shy away wherever they please and are very difficult to see by vehicle drivers. How many animals die under the wheels of cars - only God knows. There is only one way to prevent it: feed your pet at night!
Why do cats love to sleep on their owners? Cats kept at home become very attached to their owners and strive to show them their love and affection in every possible way. One of these manifestations is the cat’s desire to fall asleep on its own owners. The cat thereby remembers her childhood - how she, as a little kitten, snuggled up to her mother and received warmth from her body. We have already noted that it would be nice to change something in the natural clock of your pets. The natural consequence is that furry friends fall back into childhood and strive to get the warmth that they so lack. Humble yourself!
Of course, you can simply lock your bedroom doors. But think about it - why? Cats are very smart animals. If you just gently take the animal off of you a few times and carefully place it somewhere nearby, they will understand and won’t do it again. Do not deprive them of coziness and comfort.
Why do many cats become more affectionate, friendly and sociable at night? Indeed, something similar is observed in some cats, but not in all. So, during the day the animal does not seem to notice its owners, it stays apart and indifferent. At night, it seems to suddenly remember its good feelings and sets off in search of its owners in order to bring down these very feelings on them. Cats caress, purr, and demand to be petted.
This is partly because when lying down, cats stop perceiving people as a potential threat. We have already mentioned that some animals exhibit “kitten” behavior as they age. Let's look at the world through these eyes. The man is so big, and nothing bad seems to come from him, and yet... And at night such a person sleeps, and you can’t expect anything bad. The cat relaxes and remembers its “cat” responsibilities. Basically, the above is typical for nervous, timid animals.
Do cats have a sense of time? Interest Ask. Do you have a habit of waking up every day, say, at seven o'clock in the morning? Do you put food in your cat's bowl around this time? Then at 06:45 the cat will impatiently urge you to get up quickly!
Another example is that many people feed stray cats, also at the same time. The author of these lines knows a pensioner who takes out food exactly at noon. It's funny to watch how his players gather in a cheerful crowd half an hour before the onset of such a significant event.
The examples can be continued, and they will all come down to one thing: cats seem to know when you return from work or school. How does this happen? Nobody knows for sure; we are only inclined to assume that the rumors about a certain “sixth sense” in cats have a real basis. We personally saw this when we went on a two-week vacation. Our Persian cat, who hated getting wet, was waiting for us on the doorstep in the pouring rain. It seems that he knew that on this very day, any minute, we would arrive. And how many more such completely inexplicable facts!
Original publication: Five Questions And Answers Concerning Cat Behavior At Night. Source and photo:
What to do if the cat does not sleep at night, walks and meows
Once the cause has been identified, you can begin to eliminate it.
If cat concerts are driven by the reproductive instinct, owners have the following options for their own behavior:
- Be patient: sooner or later the rut will end and the pet will calm down.
- Use hormonal contraceptives: Sex control, Stop-intim or analogues. The use of drugs allows you to disrupt estrus, prevent fertilization when an accidental mating has taken place, and weaken the cat’s sexual arousal. The disadvantage of this method is the side effects of the drugs. Excessive use of contraceptives leads to the development of breast tumors, pyometra, and other diseases of the reproductive organs.
- Castrate: In most cases, the operation results in calming the animals. They practically do not develop diseases of the reproductive organs. The disadvantage of this method is the tendency to obesity and urolithiasis. Therefore, you will have to forget about natural food, as well as treats with human food products. Pets are transferred to ready-made food for sterilized cats, which satisfy the body's changing nutritional needs. If urolithiasis occurs, veterinary feed is used, which is selected by the doctor.
If the problem is the pet’s adaptation to new living conditions, then feed additives are used: Stop-Stress, Vetspokoin, Fitex, Kot Bayun. An alternative is the drug Feliway, which contains pheromones. The device with the bottle is inserted into an outlet like a mosquito repellent. Pheromones calm animals.
If a cat begs, his efforts should be ignored. If there is no understanding on the part of the pet, he is put into another room and the door is closed. The cat will understand and stop begging. In return, the animal should be provided with adequate nutrition.
In order for the cat to sleep at night, like its owners, it is reoriented to a daily routine that is convenient for the person. A cat needs to sleep at least 11 hours a day, and even better - 13-14. Therefore, you should keep your pet busy, especially during the day and evening hours. Do not let them sleep, play or organize leisure time, purchase interactive toys, provide houses, ladders, scratching posts. Most of the daily portion should be fed in the evening. If the cat is tired and full, he will be drawn to a sound and long sleep.
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If there is a small child, a bird, fish, or a hamster in the room, these areas should be excluded from places accessible to the cat.
What do cats do at night?
A cat, no matter how domesticated it is, still remains a nocturnal predator. As soon as night falls, the streets are empty, the moon appears in the sky - the cat goes on its night raid. Even if it’s through the empty rooms of the apartment, nightly walks do not lose their relevance for the animals.
It’s easy to find out what a cat that lives exclusively in an apartment does at night - you can install cameras around the house and look at the recordings, or just stay awake all night. But animals that move freely both indoors and outdoors are not so easy to track. It was this question that scientists became interested in and decided to conduct an unusual experiment called “The Secret Life of Cats.”
A group of scientists gathered in the small town of Green Shemley in Surrey (UK). A local club held a meeting of residents, where they were asked to equip their pets with special collars with mini cameras and movement sensors. The owners of 50 cats agreed to this procedure, and the experiment began.
During the experiment, the owners learned many secrets of their furry pets. For example, cameras have filmed many cats sneaking into other people's houses at nightfall and stealing cat food. Other animals, fussy eaters at home, were filmed eating scraps from the dumpster at night. The only criterion that united all the observed cats was that they avoided their fellows, thereby reaffirming the statement that cats are loners.
Another experiment, conducted by American scientists, showed how far pets go from home, and how large areas stray animals patrol. During the research, the following information was obtained:
- Stray cats patrol an area of up to 2,500 hectares.
- With equal success, street cats explore not only residential areas during the night, but also forests and parks.
- The area where domestic cats roam at night is much smaller than that of homeless cats - only about 1 hectare.
- A pet does not go further than 300 meters from human habitation.
How not to react to cats meowing
You need to understand that you cannot hit a cat. He will become afraid of his owner, hide in hard-to-reach places and scream from there. A click on the nose or ear will scare your pet away from the table or forbidden room, but will not silence him.
Spraying with water from a spray bottle will disperse the bullies gathered to fight or silence the screaming monster, but only for a short time. The cat respects the actions of the leader if they are strict but fair. And he perceives ill-conceived punishments as hostile aggression. The animal will begin to hide from the offender.
What can interfere with sleep
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There are other reasons why an animal behaves this way.
- A cat most often does not allow its owners to sleep due to boredom. The reason may be the pet’s insufficient activity during the day, then it is in the evening that he begins to be awake, wants to play, and thereby prevents him from sleeping peacefully. A cat can jump on its owner while sleeping, and the owner, while asleep, will experience shock. The pet does all this not out of malice, he’s just bored, and has more than enough unspent energy. He needs somewhere to put his energy, especially before the age of 3. You need to play with him a lot, you can buy different balls, balls, lures on sticks and make him play even when he wants to sleep during the day. At least 1.5-2 hours of such frantic activity for young ones and up to an hour for adults, and at night both the cat and the owner will sleep soundly. It is clear that he may not sleep the whole night, then it is important to let the pet know where it is possible to make noise. For example, hiss at him when he starts to get active in the bedroom.
- When a pet is alone in the house all day, he needs attention and communication, he becomes bored, since entertaining himself is not always fun. Therefore, when the owner of the house, at night, the animal believes that this is just the time to pay attention to it and play. It begins to interfere with sleep, sometimes it can even scratch and bite its owner.
- Often the cause of insomnia in cats can be fear or fear of something. For example, a cat sleeps and wakes up from any rustle, this means that it is tense and afraid of something, so it is always on the alert. In such a situation, she will not fall asleep until everyone is asleep. Cats can even be afraid of their owners if they hit her or swing at her. They are very touchy and can be under constant stress because of this. You need to treat the animal kindly.
- Another cause of fear is electrical appliances, for example, a pet saw a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer or mixer at night. He immediately becomes furious and can start meowing and jumping. In this case, you should try not to leave these devices in a place visible to the cat, so as not to provoke him.
- Pets are also very afraid of water, so when their fur gets wet, it loses its warming functions, then the pet walks around the house for a long time, trying to warm up. So it’s better to bathe your cat during the day so that this doesn’t happen at night.
- Waking at night often occurs due to unfulfilled sexual instinct. This means that the cat needs to be sterilized or taken to a cat.
- If the pet is very timid and often hides in a corner when guests come, then at night it tries to regain the attention of its owners and tries in every possible way to attract it.
Morning activity of cats
Early morning awakenings for your pet can have several causes.
· The animal is bored and asks to be entertained
· The cat is hungry and hurries the owner to give out the morning portion of food
· Excess tenderness. Incredible, but true: it is in the morning that cats especially need affection and attention.
You can control your pet’s morning activity by providing him with independent entertainment. For example, give your cat access to a glassed-in balcony, where your pet can watch passers-by on the street.
Coordinate your pet's feeding times so that your cat doesn't feel too hungry in the morning.
Pet the animal only after you have woken up. Don't react to a cat if he asks to be petted at 5 am. The pet must understand: while the owner is sleeping, he cannot be disturbed.
Visual acuity
It is important to understand that cats can easily detect any movements of your body in the dark. They may mistake this for a call to play. It is impossible to fundamentally change this situation. However, try to learn not to toss and turn too much in your sleep. But it is not recommended to completely close the doors to the bedroom, since cats are tied to their territory. This will only anger the animal. Try not to pay attention if your pet enters the room. The period of adaptation to the new rules will take from two weeks to a month.
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