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Excessive Meowing from Cats:

CharcoalReasons why cats meow varies. Reasons seem to change as they age from becoming kittens until they are cats. Kittens meow to communicate certain things to their mothers such as being hungry, cold, or scared. When cats get older, cats communicate in other ways like yowling, growling, and hissing. Meowing is normally just a way to communicate with people.
The amount of meowing changes by breed and even by cat. If the sound of cats making a lot of noise bothers someone it would not be wise for those people to own oriental cats. They are known for making a lot of noise to communicate.
A lot of cats just seem to want to hear their own voice. Others just want to communicate with their humans. In order to get your cat to quiet down, you must figure out what your cat is trying to tell you. When you know the reason you can begin to think of solutions in which it will quiet your cat down.
The following are possible reasons for a cat to meow:

 
Illnesses. One of the first ways to be sure is to see your vet. Diseases may cause cats sensations like hunger, thirst, or pain. Older cats can develop an overactive thyroid or kidney disease, both can cause your cat to meow more.

 
Seeking attention. Cats like to be around people contrary to popular belief. Cats often meow to get a human to play, pet, or just to talk to them. If you don’t react to a meow it will reduce the meowing. If you want to change the meowing habits only give your cat attention when they are silent. When your cat meows do not react in these ways. Do not ignore your pet. Spend time with your cat by playing, grooming, and communicating with your cat. When your cat is quiet they will be silent.

 
Hunger. If your cat meows in the kitchen more than likely they are hoping for food. Cat’s meow a lot when it’s time to eat. To cut down on this behaviour wait until your cat is quiet to feed food or even treats to them. To avoid the frustration you may want to use a feeder that automatically feeds your cat at certain times. Eventually the cat will meow at the feeder instead of the human.

 

Greeting a human. Cats will sometimes meow when humans return home, or just running into them somewhere in the house. This particular behaviour is hard to stop but why stop it when it’s just a friendly greeting.

 

Loneliness. If you have a busy schedule outside of the home you may want to hire a companion for your kitty. To avoid boredom provide entertainment such as a bird feeder outside of a window. Make toys filled with food accessible to your cat. Get your kitty some kind of play obstacle course with different toys.

 

Stress. Stressed cats meow a lot. Chang, an illness or the loss of a loved one can make your cat meow a lot. Investigate the cause of your cats stress and try to help. If the solution is not possible just give your cat extra attention to give relaxation.

 

Aging. Cats can suffer from mental confusion, or cognitive dysfunction, the older they get. Your cat may become confused with age and meow for unknown reasons. Your vet may prescribe medicine to soothe these symptoms. At night you may want to try using a nightlight to help.
Breeding season. This meowing may be eliminated by getting your cat fixed. Cats yowl when they are ready to breed. This chaos can be frustrating to deal with if not fixed.
Things Not to Do:
Only ignore the meowing if you are certain it’s not because of a problem. You don’t want to condone this behaviour but your cat may need your help to solve a problem. Be sure the meowing is not a sign of needing to be corrected before ignoring. Hitting, shouting, and spraying cats with water rarely work to quiet a meowing cat but instead these actions will cause your cat distrust or even dislike towards  you.
Do not give in. If a human reacts every time a cat meows the cat will become louder and pushier with their meowing. In the long run it will usually get a lot worse before it gets a lot better. Keep rewarding your cat for quiet behaviour and ignore the meowing. Eventually your cat will get the idea.

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