Cat parents often experience their cat meowing and yowling at night; time and time again, they wake up by their cat’s crying at night. This behavior is common in many cats, and their parents are always at a loss on what to do to get them to stop crying and let them sleep.
Cats meow in the daytime, but the difference at night is that their meowing turns into a quite loud yowling that’s quite demanding. Most of the time, they just want all your attention, but it can become a habit if you give in to this behavior. But there might be other reasons as well on why your cat isn’t letting you go to sleep.
Causes of Cats Meowing at Night
Some of the reasons why your cat might constantly be meowing and yowling at night, making it impossible for you and your neighbors to have a good night’s sleep are:
● Attention-Seeking
Despite popular belief, cats don’t like to stay alone for long periods of time. They meow to get your attention, and that’s their signal for you to play with them, talk to them or pet them; any attention from you makes them happy. To stop this behavior, you can ignore them when they start making noise and give them attention when they remain quiet.
● Stress
When a cat gets stressed, it becomes more vocal than usual. Most cats don’t like change; therefore, a sudden change in their environment can cause them to feel overwhelmed and quite tense. Figuring out the reason for their stress and helping them overcome the stressful situation will help you greatly in lessening their nightly song.
● Greeting You
Many cats have a habit of meowing whenever they catch sight of their parents at home or when they return from outside. They show you their appreciation and make their presence known. This habit is quite hard to break; shushing them might work, but take it as your kitty is happy to see you!
● They’re Hungry
Some cats will meow in the middle of the night if they get hungry. This not only disrupts your sleep but also disturbs their diet schedule. Make a strict schedule and don’t encourage this behavior.
● They’re Sick
Illness can also be a significant factor that might be giving rise to this unusual cat meowing and yowling at night. Instead of ignoring them, first, get to the bottom of their strange behavior. Take them to the vet to get everything checked out and then take measures to stop their newfound nightly routine.
● They’re Bored
Sometimes when your cat hasn’t worked out its energy in the daytime, it tends to wake you up with excessive meowing, yowling, and scratching at your door. So stock up on some really good toys and spend some quality time playing with them in the morning so that they get tired by night and go to sleep at a specific time.
● Old Age
Cats are pretty similar to people in their old age. They often get confused and disoriented, making them cry out their confusion at night. To help them cope, fit a night light near their sleeping area or get your vet to prescribe some medicines to help them have a peaceful sleep at night.
Older cats might also develop some old age factors like losing their eyesight or developing some hearing problems, so make sure your vet does a thorough checkup and finds out the root problem. This way, you’ll be able to make your cat as comfortable as you can.
● Want to Breed
Cats that aren’t neutered or spayed often cry out when they smell a potential mate. So, you can stop this behavior by getting them spayed or neutered.
Nip the Habit in the Bud
You already know it’s their world, and we just live to serve them!
Cats are one of the most intelligent beings who can be pretty clever when they want to be. And being the cat owners, we treat them as our children and run to them at every meow because we get worried. This has gotta stop, or you won’t know, and they’ll have you wrapped around their little paws in no time!
Instead of us training them to stop the cat meowing, they’ll make it a habit and train you into doing their bidding by meowing non-stop. So, instead of getting up at every meow, let your cats learn that this behavior doesn’t get your attention, and when they become quiet, you tend to fulfill their needs.
When it comes to food, train them to come to you at specific times for their feedings. No matter how much they meow for you to treat them and give them snacks, put your foot down and make a routine or else you’ll regret it if it becomes a habit!
Tips to Help You Stop the Meowing and Yowling
Some tips that’ll help you stop this behavior are:
- Before ignoring them for their excessive meowing, get to the bottom of this noisy behavior. We’re not telling you to encourage this behavior, but sometimes cats are meowing for a good reason. See if it’s something they can’t do or reach, then help them. If it’s something they can do on their own and are being dramatic, then go back to ignoring them.
- Don’t punish them for meowing. If you spray them with water or shout at them, it will only serve to make your cat distrustful of you, and it can become distant, not telling you any of its problems.
Wrapping Up
Keep resilient in the face of their tempting adorable faces! Do Not Give In!
Yeah, if your cat knows that they will get everything with their insistence meowing, then it’s only going to go south from here before it gets better. But you have to be strong. Keep ignoring your cat’s noisy song and keep rewarding their silent pleas and attention-seeking methods. You’ll eventually see the change you wanted! Instead of stopping when they see you ignoring them, they will only get louder by the second.
Patience and perseverance sow the best results!
