What's wrong with my cat?

[bobman0330]

For the past two weeks or so, my cat has been spending maybe a third of her waking time wandering around my apartment, meowing pathetically constantly. Obviously I'd like to figure out what the problem is, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very much obliged. Here's what I know:
-The cat is a little over one year old, female, fixed.
-She'll meow even when she has food, water, and a clean litter box.
-When she's in a meowing mood, she's not interested in affection or play, although she'll sometimes be distracted if I vigorously shake her favorite lure.
-Sometimes she'll fixate on the main door of my apartment or the door to the closet where her food is kept. She will scratch at the door or sometimes leap at it. She keeps doing this even though I spray her with a squirt gun almost every time she does.
-I thought she might just be lonely, so I took her to my gf's apartment. She has an older female cat (who strongly dislikes my cat FWIW). She tries to play with gf's cat at about the same frequency as she has in the past, but she's still meowing a lot.
-I bought her some new toys and a harness/leash so I could let her explore a bit in the halls and outside. She seems to like that OK, but again, no end to the meowing.
-She almost never does this when I'm asleep, although she frequently will if I'm in bed reading.

Again, if anyone has any advice, it would be very helpful. I'm starting to worry that my cat is suicidally depressed, plus the meowing seriously impairs my ability to get stuff done at home.

[PokeReader]

She could be lonely. Are you willing to have another cat, (it is generally better to have two)? If you did get another cat it would probably need to be a younger male to max. chances of them getting along. She also could just be a meower. What kind of cat is she?

[TheCroShow]

[bobman0330]

[ QUOTE ]
She could be lonely. Are you willing to have another cat, (it is generally better to have two)? If you did get another cat it would probably need to be a younger male to max. chances of them getting along. She also could just be a meower. What kind of cat is she?

[/ QUOTE ]

She's a generic shelter cat. The boredom hypothesis makes sense, because she's really hyperactive (scampering around the apartment at full speed, occasionally letting out loud meows and leaping at walls. but she seems to enjoy that), but what does she want to do? I've thought about a second cat, and I'd get one if it was absolutely necessary, but probably not otherwise.

[hockey1983]

i have a cat i truly adore she is female about 8 years old. She has always had a tough time getting along with other cats when i had a few in my home. Is it possible she just wants to be alone??

[Cumulonimbus]

cats are like people in many ways yo. do you think you can sum up your sociality as either "lonely" or "wanting to be alone"?

anyway, just keep doing stuff with your cat that it enjoys, especially outside and such. try to figure out what makes it happy. seriously it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what the problem is if you really put your mind to it.

[otnemem]

Bob,

I wouldn't worry about it too much, unless it's happening like ten hours out of the day. We have two cats that get along really well and probably play/fight for about a half hour a day (maybe more when we're at work). Still, one of them goes through these weird spells where he'll just make these pathetic sounding half meows at nothing. I'll look at him and call his name to distract him. He'll look at me for two seconds and then continue doing it.

The thing with the closet door has little to do with food, I think. I've had a few cats, and every single one is always interested on whatever's in the other side of a closed door.

[Belok]

[ QUOTE ]
For the past two weeks or so, my cat has been spending maybe a third of her waking time wandering around my apartment, meowing pathetically constantly. Obviously I'd like to figure out what the problem is, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very much obliged. Here's what I know:
-The cat is a little over one year old, female, fixed.
-She'll meow even when she has food, water, and a clean litter box.
-When she's in a meowing mood, she's not interested in affection or play, although she'll sometimes be distracted if I vigorously shake her favorite lure.
-Sometimes she'll fixate on the main door of my apartment or the door to the closet where her food is kept. She will scratch at the door or sometimes leap at it. She keeps doing this even though I spray her with a squirt gun almost every time she does.
-I thought she might just be lonely, so I took her to my gf's apartment. She has an older female cat (who strongly dislikes my cat FWIW). She tries to play with gf's cat at about the same frequency as she has in the past, but she's still meowing a lot.
-I bought her some new toys and a harness/leash so I could let her explore a bit in the halls and outside. She seems to like that OK, but again, no end to the meowing.
-She almost never does this when I'm asleep, although she frequently will if I'm in bed reading.

Again, if anyone has any advice, it would be very helpful. I'm starting to worry that my cat is suicidally depressed, plus the meowing seriously impairs my ability to get stuff done at home.

[/ QUOTE ]
Your cat is in heat
I've had tons of cats in my life. This almost always means they're in heat.

After going through 20-30 cats in my lifetime and 1 dog - I can confidently say that cats are absolutely worthless and dont give a flying [censored] about their owners.

Get rid of your cat. Get a dog. It learns, it loves you, and its got a personality.

[Q8offsuit]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
For the past two weeks or so, my cat has been spending maybe a third of her waking time wandering around my apartment, meowing pathetically constantly. Obviously I'd like to figure out what the problem is, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very much obliged. Here's what I know:
-The cat is a little over one year old, female, fixed.


[/ QUOTE ]
Your cat is in heat
I've had tons of cats in my life. This almost always means they're in heat.

After going through 20-30 cats in my lifetime and 1 dog - I can confidently say that cats are absolutely worthless and dont give a flying [censored] about their owners.

Get rid of your cat. Get a dog. It learns, it loves you, and its got a personality.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your diagnosis seems spot-on. Excellent work.

[PokeReader]

Either your cat has part of a breed that is a meower, (Siamese just vocalize alot, all the time, as do some other breeds), but from your description of her behavior I think she is bored. Especially because she tries to socialize with your g.f.'s cat who repeated rebuffs it.

I suggest one, get a cat tree, that has at least three levels, the bigger the better. This will give her better play space for herself so she will not bore so easily. Two, try to have more active play time with your cat. Then, if she is still really seeming unhappy, she is probably just a more active, social cat, and would be happier with a companion. A younger cat of the opposite sex is always easier to socialize with your current cat. Good luck.

P.S., If worse comes to worse, two cats isn't really much harder than one.