Cat crying at night :-(

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IntlSet

IntlSet

Bonjour!
Jan 29, 2006
12,369
63
#1
Hi guys, my adorable 1.5 year old male cat keeps meowing incessantly at night and trying to get out the front door (he's an indoor cat). He will also try to wake us up several times in the night. I don't know what to do about this... it's disrupting our sleep and his meows are sometimes so loud that I'm afraid my neighbors will hear through our thin walls!

I think he sleeps all day while BF and I are at work, then gets bored at night. He has lots of toys, etc. Unfortunately, it's a small apartment but letting him outside is not an option.

Any advice? I hate to think the poor little guy is unhappy.
 
#4
I think he is hearing female cats that are in heat. Male cats will respond with meowing and want to try to get out to the females.

Even if he has been fixed I think they still have the instinct when they hear the female to want to be with them.

My suggestion would be to get a sound machine or fan something that makes noise to drown out the female cats. Sleep with it on so that your cat won't be able to hear the cats. See if that works.
 
#6
I agree that females in heat or some other animal is causing him to want to be out that door at night. I think SilverSea is dead on with distracting him by sound first and you may want to spray lysol or some other disinfectant around the outside of your door just in case some other male left his mark ;)
 
#7
^^^
Thanks, ladies, that could be the case. I've never seen any strays around, and I live on the top floor of an apartment complex. I do have a black door that opens out to the fire escape which is outdoors, so I thought he'd go there if it was due to females in heat (although it's rather high up from the ground). But it's always the front door which opens into my apartment's hallway.

I will try some distracting sounds anyway!
 
#8
Our cat does the same thing. He's 7 years old and he's been fixed years ago. He's been an indoor cat his entire life except for a few times we have held him and walked about on the porch area or near the driveway. He will sit infront of the front door and meow like crazy at times.
We think that he thinks he's missing out on something. Kinda like the Little Mermaid wanting to walk on land.
 
#10
StinkyMonkey said:
We think that he thinks he's missing out on something. Kinda like the Little Mermaid wanting to walk on land.
Click to expand...

LOL that's what I think when my male cat parks himself by the front door and meows constantly. It usually happens after he escapes outside. If we're bringing in groceries or something, he'll sneak outside. After I bring him back in is when the meowing starts. He gets over it in a couple of days :smile:

IntlSet, I would follow SilverSea's suggestion and try putting a fan or something with a steady noise near the front door. Also, a fan blowing a bit of wind might make him not want to go around the front door...? Good luck to you and kitty!
 
#11
I'm thinking even though he's fixed, he's feeling the "urge". The urge still doesn't always go away. And some breeds are more vocal than others. Ask your vet if there is anything you can do to chill him out.
 
#12
Cristina said:
It usually happens after he escapes outside. If we're bringing in groceries or something, he'll sneak outside. After I bring him back in is when the meowing starts. He gets over it in a couple of days :smile:
!
Click to expand...
EXACTLY-
Our cat does the same thing. He'll make a run for the front door, step on the porch and it's "meooooooooow,
meooooooow" for the next couple of days once he's brought back inside!
Too funny.
 
#13
We received some professional advice... poor kitty just gets bored and wants attention. We bought him a HUUUUUUGE kitty skyscraper. It is hideous and ugly but we were hoping that would amuse him at night while we sleep. He basically sleeps all day and then wants to play with us at night. Unfortunately, SO purchased a squirt bottle. We were told to squirt him when he yowls. I feel this is awfully cruel and can't bring myself to do it, but SO tried it last night and it did shut him up! Poor little guy.
 
#14
He might need a friend..my cat used to cry at night and then I got a 2nd one. Now they both sleep through the night, play together, and ignore me most of the time. If you can handle 2, it would solve the problem...
 
#15
^^^^
Did they get along right away?

My parents had two cats that never got along... all the way up until one of them died. I think they both would have been happier without the other, so I worry that I would get a kitty, and my cat would just hate him. I would hate to adopt one then end up giving it back!
 
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