# Cat Is ALWAYS Meowing!



## go4me77 (Jul 16, 2010)

I have 2 Calico cats, Kallie and Socks. Socks (Grey and white fur), is a BIG meower. It is an uphill battle for me. Any time I walk away from her she is always crying. I feel like I always have to give her attention. 

Another point, she HATES to be held. I used to hold her to calm her down when she was a kitten, but now I think she assocates that with being bad.

Finally, how can I prevent her from climbing on my dresser and knocking over stuff in the early morning and middle of the night? She knows that when I get out of bed that I am going to get her off of the dresser. I don't mind her lying on the dresser as long as she's not breaking stuff. My wooden furniture is paying the price for her clawing on it. (Both of the cats claw on my wooden furniture, but Socks is the worst.)

What can I do for her always needing attention? I pet her, try to hold her, talk to her, give her toys to play with (she won't play often), but nothing I do has worked.

What can I do to get her to like being held? She growls, kicks, claws, and fights me any time I try to hold her.

If anyone can help me answer these questions, It would help me out very much! Thanks!


----------



## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

I have a kitty who never stops talking, demands attention and doesn't want to be picked up. She's a Siamese so that's all expected. Some people likeem that way. Be flattered. Cats are quiet when they're scared.

I learned to love it but I'm just a sucker for the kittes.


----------



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I saw in a pet store yesterday a _lovely_ cat backpack. So compact and cute. You can keep your kitty in there, hands-free, and go on doing your stuff around the house, like African mommies do with their babies, then the babies never cry for mommy. I'd buy it if Prince wasn't the size of a dog (I only buy stuff for dogs for him).


----------



## suwanee (Jan 22, 2011)

I have 2 Calico cats, Kallie and Socks. Socks (Grey and white fur), is a BIG meower. It is an uphill battle for me. Any time I walk away from her she is always crying. I feel like I always have to give her attention. *Well, I'd say that she's just being talkative, not necessarily crying. Especially Calicos, they are chatty.*

Another point, she HATES to be held. I used to hold her to calm her down when she was a kitten, but now I think she assocates that with being bad.* Not all cats like to be held. Or not for long, anyway.....*

Finally, how can I prevent her from climbing on my dresser and knocking over stuff in the early morning and middle of the night? She knows that when I get out of bed that I am going to get her off of the dresser. I don't mind her lying on the dresser as long as she's not breaking stuff. My wooden furniture is paying the price for her clawing on it. (Both of the cats claw on my wooden furniture, but Socks is the worst.) *I used a carpet runner (carpet protector), turned upside down, to stop furniture jumping. It is that clear vinyl stuff with little "points" on the back, just enough to annoy kitty but not hurt them. You can remove it after a couple weeks. Also, things like empty cans placed at the edges of the dresser will fall and scare them away. Or just banish cats from the room at night.*

What can I do for her always needing attention? I pet her, try to hold her, talk to her, give her toys to play with (she won't play often), but nothing I do has worked. *You're doing this to yourself. Don't feel guilty, they're just carrying on a conversation. Just talk to them, that's attention.*

What can I do to get her to like being held? She growls, kicks, claws, and fights me any time I try to hold her. *See above.*


----------



## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

Looks like you've got a talker. I've got two of them right now. And my life is never quiet. 

I like it that way


----------



## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

Hehe.. Misa is a talker too. lol


----------



## go4me77 (Jul 16, 2010)

Thanks to all who took the time to reply! I have read all of them and Suwanee, the idea of the carpet protector was something I have NEVER given thought to! Thanks for the great idea! I will be sure to get me one of these. 

Straysmommy--The backpack idea was another idea I never thought about! I don't know if Socks would enjoy this device, but I'm sure Kallie would! She loves to be snuggled and held. Another point I forgot to all in my post was that both of the cats like to sleep on my lap, on the bed, on the couch, etc....


----------



## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

My cats would kill me in the night if I put them in a backpack.

Sinatra talks constantly, I talk back.


----------



## go4me77 (Jul 16, 2010)

Suwanee, I have tried to banish the cats from other parts of the house before and all I get it clawing and scratching on the doors or walls. Not to mention, A LOT of meowing! How can I get them out of our bedroom at night without all the noise so my hubby and I can sleep in peace?


----------



## go4me77 (Jul 16, 2010)

Sinatra-Butters--I talk to both of my cats as well....lol. I'm glad I can't understand what they are really saing to me besides "Meow!"


----------



## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

My guy is a big talker as well. He's in a constant state of verbal communication. He even moans and trills in his sleep. You just get used to it after a while.


----------



## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

go4me77 said:


> Suwanee, I have tried to banish the cats from other parts of the house before and all I get it clawing and scratching on the doors or walls. Not to mention, A LOT of meowing! How can I get them out of our bedroom at night without all the noise so my hubby and I can sleep in peace?


You just have to put your foot down and deal with the racket until they get used to the new routine. If it really gets out of control, some people on here have kept a vacuum on the outside of the door with the plug pulled inside their bedroom, and they turn it on whenever their cats get obnoxious. Eventually, the cats are supposed to be quiet at the sight of the vacuum. 

If you have an extra room in your house, you could try making them a "kitty room" where they would spend the night (with toys, beds, litterboxes & food of course). It also helps to heavily exercise them and then feed them a meal right before you want to go to sleep. 

Basically, some cats are talkers, but it sounds like your cat has learned that it gets attention through talking. So every time you stop what you're doing because it meows you are reinforcing the behavior. If it is truly excessive, then you need to train your cat to adjust the behavior.


----------



## suwanee (Jan 22, 2011)

swimkris said:


> You just have to put your foot down and deal with the racket until they get used to the new routine. If it really gets out of control, some people on here have kept a vacuum on the outside of the door with the plug pulled inside their bedroom, and they turn it on whenever their cats get obnoxious. Eventually, the cats are supposed to be quiet at the sight of the vacuum.


BWAH HA HAHA!! What a great idea!!



> _previously posted by_ *go4me77*
> Thanks to all who took the time to reply! I have read all of them and Suwanee, the idea of the carpet protector was something I have NEVER given thought to! Thanks for the great idea! I will be sure to get me one of these.


Yeah, just buy that stuff in a roll for like five dollars at the drug store or Target  It's about 15 inches wide and 6-10 feet long, just cut it to fit. I saved a nice hutch from crazy-kitty claws with that stuff. After a month or so I took it down, cat hasn't gone back up. I cut it so it hung over the front by a few inches, so if she thought she'd jump up it would give way and she'd fall back down.


----------



## nene212 (Mar 19, 2011)

I was thinking about how you said your cat scratches your furniture. I thought of when i got my kittens and i didn't want them to scratch my furniture. i love my cats but i hate their scratching. So i bought them nail covers (Soft claws Nail caps) they come in many colors but i like purple so i got purple. The colors help me see when the caps come off. I have been using the nail caps for about 4 months and i must say i love them and my furniture loves them.


----------



## tigressbythetail (Dec 1, 2010)

Vacuum cleaner is a brilliant idea! Early on, when it became clear I was keeping all nine bratz, hubby made a rule that no cats would be in the bedroom at night. But they would stand outside the door and cry pitifully or stick their paws under the door and shake it so we caved in. So now we leave the door open at night and the bratz have taken over the bed and half the time we can't move. I wish I'd thought of the vacuum cleaner idea before. I guess it's never too late...


----------



## dacnec (Jul 29, 2010)

*talking cat*

Sounds like some good advice here...and it sounds like you have a talker...they take some getting used to, but they are always amusing if you let it. I have learned with my talkers to hear all of it, but listen for the important parts...when they actually want something...rather than just chatting. If you listen closely, you begin to hear the difference. 
As for the scratching and clawing...get some good scratching posts, cardboard, carpet etc and set them up near where they scratch now...try some catnip on them if your kitties like catnip...cats scratch things more to exercise and stretch their muscles than to use their claws. Also, keep their claws trimmed...it will help. The plastic nubby thing mentioned in one of the posts does work..give it a try. Banishment could work...but you have to live through the noise and wait for them to get used to the idea. And it may take a while. We have also used a spray bottle of water (on mist) when our kitties are doing something very bad or dangerous, such as breaking things or trying to get on the stove. The water does not hurt them, only annoys them, they do not associate it with us, and so are not upset with us, and after being misted once or twice..we do not actually have to use it anymore, just shake the sprayer, they know the sound and get down or stop what they are doing.
Finally, your kitty who does not like to be held...probably never will. Some cats just don't. We have foster kittens with us, raised from birth, all treated the same, cuddled, played with, held, loved, fed, raised all the same and adored all the same. They are all totally different cats and one of them, so cuddled as baby like all the rest, will not be held now. He just does not like it. He snuggles but does not like to be held. The others love it. So good luck...I hope it works out for you.
Nancy, cat foster parent


----------



## toll_booth (Jan 31, 2010)

After Mr. B came back after being lost for a few days, he meowed constantly. How'd I break him? Every time he meowed, I meowed back. Either he finally got an answer to all his cat questions, or he was probably thinking, what the **** is this guy doing meowing like that?? That's MY job around here!


----------



## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Hhaha. that was a funny reply. Anyways, my Captain Jack is also a talker. I got used to it and would hold these fascinating one sided conversations with him. And yes, he had many questions. But so far, I guess I didn't do a good job at answering him cuz he still talks.



toll_booth said:


> After Mr. B came back after being lost for a few days, he meowed constantly. How'd I break him? Every time he meowed, I meowed back. Either he finally got an answer to all his cat questions, or he was probably thinking, what the **** is this guy doing meowing like that?? That's MY job around here!


----------



## go4me77 (Jul 16, 2010)

Thanks everyone! I have seen the nail caps and have considered them. I think that might be the best option for our furniture. I can try the carpet protector as well (can't hurt to have both!) I talk back to both of our cats all the time. I'm glad they can't answer me back or who knows what they would say! lol. The spray bottle idea sounds like it will work for keeping our cats out of the room and off the bed. 

Thanks again everyone!


----------



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

toll, you may have bored him as a conversation partner. Next time try meowing about the mouse market and bird-watching techniques.


----------



## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

If you want the cats out of the bedroom at night, I agree with _Swimkris _that a designated "kitty room" is the way to go. We use our Rec Room for that purpose. The cats have always gone there since kittens at night. It helps if you feed them their evening meal at that time. It becomes part of their nightly routine and there's no fussing. If you don't have a spare room, there is nothing wrong with training them to stay in a in a large dog crate for the night (with litterbox, food/water)....if they scratch the walls and doors. Get them used to a crate _by feeding all their meals and treats in it_. 

I've always found calicos, like torties, are can be very chatty, independent and stubborn. Once they really trust and love you, they can be terrific cats. You can try to get Socks more used to being picked up by just picking her up about 6 in. off the floor and immediately put her down and praise her and give her a treat. If she's doing well with that progress to lifting a little higher each time, and gradually to holding her a little longer each time. Don't rush it. Hopefully you can overcome her fear and gain her trust. Give her lots of praises and treats and pets while you're retraining her and keep the sessions short---2-5 mins. at a time. Good luck! Let us know how it goes.


----------



## go4me77 (Jul 16, 2010)

Thanks so much for your ideas!! The crate idea was something I thought would be a bad thing (I have never been one to lock my cats up) but if I can train my cats to sleep in it and free our bedroom up, I'm all for it! 

I didn't know about the lifting with Socks. I usually just pick her right up and bring her up to me. With her not wanting to be held, could that be a sign she doesn't trust me?

Thanks again for your ideas!


----------



## RachandNito (Nov 21, 2008)

> With her not wanting to be held, could that be a sign she doesn't trust m


Nah, I wouldn't see it like that. Some cats just don't like to be held. They are too busy with their lives, gotta be on the go, and when you hold them you are stopping them from whatever they were supposedly busy with. At times my own cats will refuse to be held and throw a giant fit if I try. When they do this I just say "oh, looks like they have an agenda!" Kittens ALWAYS have an agenda 

It might just feel strange to them. Image being lifted way up into the air by a giant, it could be scary and uncomfortable to a cat that's not used to it.


----------

