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]

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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?

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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.

[itsmesteve]

Meowing doesn't necessarily mean that the cat is sick, but if she is acting odd, something is probably going on. The boredom hypothesis doesn't seem to make sense since you said when she is meowing she isn't interesting playing.

Is she eating normally?
Having normal bowel movements and urinating regularly?
Any vomiting, diarrhea, etc. etc.?
Has anything in the apartment changed lately?

If she wasn't fixed properly its possible she could be going into heat, but you likely wouldn't describe those vocalizations as meowing, she'd also be arching her @ss in the air and the like.

[Los Feliz Slim]

I have two cats and one of them meows weirdly occasionally, but not nearly as much as you describe. My first concern would be that she's actually ill or hurt in some way, so I'd take her to the vet. Barring that, try getting her some new toys, pay extra attention to her, etc. My cat does this sometimes when there's an animal outside, perhaps a neighbor has a new pet. Or maybe there's a mouse in a wall somewhere. Good luck.

[esad]

Found by searching for "cat meowing all the time"

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Dear Gwen,

Why does my cat meow all the time? My vet says she is healthy.
Worried in Contra Costa


Dear Worried,

The single most common reason a cat will meow excessively is because she has been trained to do so. Kitty has learned that all she has to do is meow and she gets whatever she wants - food, attention, affection. Often, what starts out as a demand for attention soon becomes a self-reinforcing habit. Now kitty will meow all day just for the fun of it. This situation becomes even worse if the cat is lonely or bored. The first step in breaking this habit is to exercise your cat daily with active play sessions. Don't expect kitty to exercise herself. Many cats will swat at a ping-pong ball or a catnip mouse once or twice then lose interest. You must get involved in the game. Tie a string to the mouse and pull it slowly, temptingly and repeatedly across the floor.

Secondly, pay attention to kitty and give her what ever she wants, but ONLY when she is quiet. Ignore her whenever she begins her vocal blackmail. Don't give in. Each time you give in to your cat's verbal demands, you are teaching her to meow even more. If you wait until your cat is quiet, she will soon learn to associate silence with rewards. Some cats enjoy talking and some owners enjoy their cat's chatting to them. But if you want a few moments of peace, you can teach your cat to be quiet on request. Gently ask kitty to "Shush." If the cat ignores you, immediately shout, "BE QUIET!" or squirt her in the face with water once or twice. After a few repetitions, kitty will get the idea and obey the gentle request of "Shush," rather than get screamed at or doused with water.

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