Help!!! Cats meows constantly

Is there something outside that you may not have noticed? other cats maybe?
or does he see some wildlife from the window?
"rob" wrote in message
news:gSu8c.901471$ts4.126373@pd7tw3no...
Hi All,

I'm about to go insane - our cat will not shut up. He's taken to meowing,
literally, once every 2 seconds or so for up to an hour at a time or more
in
an effort to get me to let him outside. He was an indoor cat for a long
time
until we moved to a house with a back yard that we could completely close
off. Now, he wants nothing but to be outside, all the time. Morning, noon
&
night he meows... constantly. It's like his brain is stuck in some endless
loop. He is neither ill nor injured, btw. We never let him out when he is
meowing, only when he's quiet & pleasant - it's our feeble attempt at
positive reinforcement. We're also attempting negative reinforcement
(squirt
him with a water pistol, soak his tail in the bath, tether him to the
furniture, etc, when he meows constantly), but nothing is working. We're
half starting to consider options like a shock collar or even de-meowing
surgery. Those are the last things we'd want to do, but honestly, we are
at
the end of our rope. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance...


Rob

rob at wrote on3/25/04 1:19 AM:

Hi All,

I'm about to go insane - our cat will not shut up. He's taken to meowing,
literally, once every 2 seconds or so for up to an hour at a time or more in
an effort to get me to let him outside. He was an indoor cat for a long time
until we moved to a house with a back yard that we could completely close
off. Now, he wants nothing but to be outside, all the time. Morning, noon &
night he meows... constantly. It's like his brain is stuck in some endless
loop. He is neither ill nor injured, btw. We never let him out when he is
meowing, only when he's quiet & pleasant - it's our feeble attempt at
positive reinforcement. We're also attempting negative reinforcement (squirt
him with a water pistol, soak his tail in the bath, tether him to the
furniture, etc, when he meows constantly), but nothing is working. We're
half starting to consider options like a shock collar or even de-meowing
surgery. Those are the last things we'd want to do, but honestly, we are at
the end of our rope. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance...


Rob


First of all, 50 lashes and some appropriate penance for ever letting him
out in the first place if he was once contented to be an indoor cat.
Brought it all on yourself, etc., etc., blah, blah.

Now that we have *that* part over with, let me tell you what I would do. I
would start leaving him out all day, with fresh water available at all
times, of course, and at night I would have him indoors during my sleeping
hours, bedroom door closed and earplugs or white noise machine so as not to
hear him if he meows. I would also create an indoor garden of sorts, with
plenty of cat-safe plants, a bit of grass to eat, even a bit of catnip.

The main rationale is twofold: (#1) he should satiate somewhat on being
outdoors if out for long periods, and become less gung-ho on needing to be
out; and (#2) perhaps he has more right to self-determination that you are
granting him. Although being outside is risky, he seems to consider it a
quality of life issue.

The indoor garden may be very attractive to him and in time sway his
preference to the indoors. And removing the "power struggle" aspect of the
whole situation may also in time make the outdoors less appealing.

I'm not at all opposed to mild forms of punishment such as water squirts or
air horns to startle, but as you're finding, these are not terribly useful,
or terribly nice on your part, in the case of meowing, which is both "wired
in" and intelligent behavior. (He probably has some Siamese genes in him to
be so vocal!) And tethering him will increase his frustration and
exacerbate the problem.

Please try the suggestions above for a few weeks. You have nothing to lose,
as it sounds very much like he has his mind firmly made up, and you will not
have a happy cat (or a moments peace) until he is given more autonomy.
--
Diana

Portal To My Pages
http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/r/drdrive/

rob at wrote on3/25/04 1:19 AM:

Hi All,

I'm about to go insane - our cat will not shut up. He's taken to meowing,
literally, once every 2 seconds or so for up to an hour at a time or more in
an effort to get me to let him outside. He was an indoor cat for a long time
until we moved to a house with a back yard that we could completely close
off. Now, he wants nothing but to be outside, all the time. Morning, noon &
night he meows... constantly. It's like his brain is stuck in some endless
loop. He is neither ill nor injured, btw. We never let him out when he is
meowing, only when he's quiet & pleasant - it's our feeble attempt at
positive reinforcement. We're also attempting negative reinforcement (squirt
him with a water pistol, soak his tail in the bath, tether him to the
furniture, etc, when he meows constantly), but nothing is working. We're
half starting to consider options like a shock collar or even de-meowing
surgery. Those are the last things we'd want to do, but honestly, we are at
the end of our rope. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance...


Rob


First of all, 50 lashes and some appropriate penance for ever letting him
out in the first place if he was once contented to be an indoor cat.
Brought it all on yourself, etc., etc., blah, blah.

Now that we have *that* part over with, let me tell you what I would do. I
would start leaving him out all day, with fresh water available at all
times, of course, and at night I would have him indoors during my sleeping
hours, bedroom door closed and earplugs or white noise machine so as not to
hear him if he meows. I would also create an indoor garden of sorts, with
plenty of cat-safe plants, a bit of grass to eat, even a bit of catnip.

The main rationale is twofold: (#1) he should satiate somewhat on being
outdoors if out for long periods, and become less gung-ho on needing to be
out; and (#2) perhaps he has more right to self-determination that you are
granting him. Although being outside is risky, he seems to consider it a
quality of life issue.

The indoor garden may be very attractive to him and in time sway his
preference to the indoors. And removing the "power struggle" aspect of the
whole situation may also in time make the outdoors less appealing.

I'm not at all opposed to mild forms of punishment such as water squirts or
air horns to startle, but as you're finding, these are not terribly useful,
or terribly nice on your part, in the case of meowing, which is both "wired
in" and intelligent behavior. (He probably has some Siamese genes in him to
be so vocal!) And tethering him will increase his frustration and
exacerbate the problem.

Please try the suggestions above for a few weeks. You have nothing to lose,
as it sounds very much like he has his mind firmly made up, and you will not
have a happy cat (or a moments peace) until he is given more autonomy.
--
Diana

Portal To My Pages
http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/r/drdrive/

"rob" wrote in message news:iyC8c.22$QO2.13@pd7tw1no...
I feel your frustration, but I KNOW that there is an answer to be found
in
the links below. By the way, no reputable vet will "de-meow" a cat.


It's not something we would ever do anyways - I was really just
underscoring
my frustration more than anything. There is a dog who lives across the way
who has been de-barked & while it's unspeakably (no pun intended) cruel,
it
sometimes seems like a pretty attractive option.

If it really is so bad that you even jest about considering something like
this, maybe you should consider rehoming him with someone who can tolerate
it more. Those of us that own oriental cats like Siamese or Bengals know
how to live with constant chatter from the cat!

"rob" wrote in message news:iyC8c.22$QO2.13@pd7tw1no...
I feel your frustration, but I KNOW that there is an answer to be found
in
the links below. By the way, no reputable vet will "de-meow" a cat.


It's not something we would ever do anyways - I was really just
underscoring
my frustration more than anything. There is a dog who lives across the way
who has been de-barked & while it's unspeakably (no pun intended) cruel,
it
sometimes seems like a pretty attractive option.

If it really is so bad that you even jest about considering something like
this, maybe you should consider rehoming him with someone who can tolerate
it more. Those of us that own oriental cats like Siamese or Bengals know
how to live with constant chatter from the cat!

youu have my sympathy. i have Grizzy, my almost 2 year old moggie. she has a
similar habit, she howls at night. For the past month i have had noghts of
broken sleep as my little darling howls her way through the night. i tried
shutting her out the bedroom - she sits at door and howls, shouting at her
so she knows i am around - howling stops temporarily, telling her not to
howl as it is keeping me awake - works for a nhour max, openiing door and
giving her a cuddle and returning her to where she sleeps - lasts 90
minutes. she wasnt allowed in the room as she doesnt settle at night and
just runs everywhere and plays all night.

I tried feilway and so far it is having some success, she now lies on my
bed all of the night and wakes me up twice so she can get a cuddle. Grizzy
was a rescue cat and i now feel that she just doesnt like being on her own.
she was got as a companion to mistoffelees as he had just lost his friend.

She also wet carpets when given a row or was in a mood, again feliway
worked.

guess it is kinda a long way to say it might be worth giving feliway a try.

Cati

"rob" wrote in message news:kNC8c.43$QO2.30@pd7tw1no...

"Alison" wrote in message
...
Hi Rob,
How old is your cat and how long have you lived in your new house?


~6 & 2 years, respectively


Letting him out at night is not a good idea even if your garden is
enclosed but what reason do you have for keeping him in during the
day?
We're also attempting negative reinforcement (squirt
him with a water pistol, soak his tail in the bath, tether him to
the
furniture, etc, when he meows constantly), but nothing is
working.We're
half starting to consider options like a shock collar or even
de-meowing
surgery.

It won't work because he's not connecting his meowing to your
punishment.

Actually, he does. When he starts meowing like this, he knows he is doing
something "bad". If we approach him, he'll run away from us, but *only*
when
he is in the middle of one of these meowing sessions. He knows that he is
not supposed to be doing it, but carries on just the same.

I'm sorry but I think this is jus plain cruel.

I'm sorry, but you are jumping to conclusions. The water pistol doesn't
work
anymore because it has become a fun game to him. Wetting his tail down
sort
of works in that it occupies him while he licks it dry - shortly
thereafter,
though, he's back at it. He gets regular baths & doesn't find water to be
traumatic in any way. The tethering, as I mentioned in another reply, only
occurs when we are in the room and observing him directly.


If you've recently moved maybe the novelty of going out hasn't worn
off yet.

It's been 2 years ...


Decide what times you are going to let your cat out every
day and stick to a routine so he knows what's what.

That's exactly what we do


If he cries to go
out at other times you can distract him with interactive toys

Thats an option for only so long


or if at
night put him in another room the moment he starts crying and ignore
him.

Unfortunately, when we've tried this, a) he meows louder and longer and b)
he pees on something to express his displeasure.


I've had cats all my life and I have never come across anything like this.
He simply will not be deterred


Alison


"rob" wrote in message
news:gSu8c.901471$ts4.126373@pd7tw3no...
Hi All,

I'm about to go insane - our cat will not shut up. He's taken to
meowing,
literally, once every 2 seconds or so for up to an hour at a time or
more in
an effort to get me to let him outside. He was an indoor cat for a
long time
until we moved to a house with a back yard that we could completely
close
off. Now, he wants nothing but to be outside, all the time. Morning,
noon &
night he meows... constantly. It's like his brain is stuck in some
endless
loop. He is neither ill nor injured, btw. We never let him out when
he is
meowing, only when he's quiet & pleasant - it's our feeble attempt
at
positive reinforcement. We're also attempting negative reinforcement
(squirt
him with a water pistol, soak his tail in the bath, tether him to
the
furniture, etc, when he meows constantly), but nothing is working.
e're
half starting to consider options like a shock collar or even
de-meowingW
surgery. Those are the last things we'd want to do, but honestly, we
are at
the end of our rope. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance...


Rob








---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.642 / Virus Database: 410 - Release Date: 24/03/2004

youu have my sympathy. i have Grizzy, my almost 2 year old moggie. she has a
similar habit, she howls at night. For the past month i have had noghts of
broken sleep as my little darling howls her way through the night. i tried
shutting her out the bedroom - she sits at door and howls, shouting at her
so she knows i am around - howling stops temporarily, telling her not to
howl as it is keeping me awake - works for a nhour max, openiing door and
giving her a cuddle and returning her to where she sleeps - lasts 90
minutes. she wasnt allowed in the room as she doesnt settle at night and
just runs everywhere and plays all night.

I tried feilway and so far it is having some success, she now lies on my
bed all of the night and wakes me up twice so she can get a cuddle. Grizzy
was a rescue cat and i now feel that she just doesnt like being on her own.
she was got as a companion to mistoffelees as he had just lost his friend.

She also wet carpets when given a row or was in a mood, again feliway
worked.

guess it is kinda a long way to say it might be worth giving feliway a try.

Cati

"rob" wrote in message news:kNC8c.43$QO2.30@pd7tw1no...

"Alison" wrote in message
...
Hi Rob,
How old is your cat and how long have you lived in your new house?


~6 & 2 years, respectively


Letting him out at night is not a good idea even if your garden is
enclosed but what reason do you have for keeping him in during the
day?
We're also attempting negative reinforcement (squirt
him with a water pistol, soak his tail in the bath, tether him to
the
furniture, etc, when he meows constantly), but nothing is
working.We're
half starting to consider options like a shock collar or even
de-meowing
surgery.

It won't work because he's not connecting his meowing to your
punishment.

Actually, he does. When he starts meowing like this, he knows he is doing
something "bad". If we approach him, he'll run away from us, but *only*
when
he is in the middle of one of these meowing sessions. He knows that he is
not supposed to be doing it, but carries on just the same.

I'm sorry but I think this is jus plain cruel.

I'm sorry, but you are jumping to conclusions. The water pistol doesn't
work
anymore because it has become a fun game to him. Wetting his tail down
sort
of works in that it occupies him while he licks it dry - shortly
thereafter,
though, he's back at it. He gets regular baths & doesn't find water to be
traumatic in any way. The tethering, as I mentioned in another reply, only
occurs when we are in the room and observing him directly.


If you've recently moved maybe the novelty of going out hasn't worn
off yet.

It's been 2 years ...


Decide what times you are going to let your cat out every
day and stick to a routine so he knows what's what.

That's exactly what we do


If he cries to go
out at other times you can distract him with interactive toys

Thats an option for only so long


or if at
night put him in another room the moment he starts crying and ignore
him.

Unfortunately, when we've tried this, a) he meows louder and longer and b)
he pees on something to express his displeasure.


I've had cats all my life and I have never come across anything like this.
He simply will not be deterred


Alison


"rob" wrote in message
news:gSu8c.901471$ts4.126373@pd7tw3no...
Hi All,

I'm about to go insane - our cat will not shut up. He's taken to
meowing,
literally, once every 2 seconds or so for up to an hour at a time or
more in
an effort to get me to let him outside. He was an indoor cat for a
long time
until we moved to a house with a back yard that we could completely
close
off. Now, he wants nothing but to be outside, all the time. Morning,
noon &
night he meows... constantly. It's like his brain is stuck in some
endless
loop. He is neither ill nor injured, btw. We never let him out when
he is
meowing, only when he's quiet & pleasant - it's our feeble attempt
at
positive reinforcement. We're also attempting negative reinforcement
(squirt
him with a water pistol, soak his tail in the bath, tether him to
the
furniture, etc, when he meows constantly), but nothing is working.
e're
half starting to consider options like a shock collar or even
de-meowingW
surgery. Those are the last things we'd want to do, but honestly, we
are at
the end of our rope. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance...


Rob








---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.642 / Virus Database: 410 - Release Date: 24/03/2004

Well, look at it this way at least you can let your cat out and there
is hope of shutting it up. My tomcat escaped about a month ago by
breaking through a screen window and ever since then he is convinced
that being an outdoor cat is his destiny. He cries all the time now
wanting to go out again and makes daily breakout attempts. The problem
is that we live next to (50 feet/20 meters) a major road with heavy
round the clock (even at 2 AM) traffic so there is no way that I will
let him out especially since he is a daredevil….

Well, look at it this way at least you can let your cat out and there
is hope of shutting it up. My tomcat escaped about a month ago by
breaking through a screen window and ever since then he is convinced
that being an outdoor cat is his destiny. He cries all the time now
wanting to go out again and makes daily breakout attempts. The problem
is that we live next to (50 feet/20 meters) a major road with heavy
round the clock (even at 2 AM) traffic so there is no way that I will
let him out especially since he is a daredevil….

with these kind of cat flaps is that you can totally lock them at night
so
your cat can't get out at all.

Jeannie

I'm going to look into it, but it's probably not feasible for where I
live.


Why not? they have ones you can put inside a window, so even if you don't
own the home, you can put one in with out making permanent changes