You may have noticed your cat is meowing more, or in particular that they’re meowing at night. As well as stopping you from having a good night’s sleep, this behaviour could be a sign that your feline friend is upset, unwell or showing some signs of old age.

Read on to find out more if you’re wondering, why does my cat cry at night, and how do I get my cat to stop meowing at night?

Why Do Cat’s Meow?

Cats meow as a form of communication. While some are more “talkative” than others, they all communicate something specific to their needs. They may be expressing emotions like happiness, stress, fear, playfulness, or loneliness.

There are at least 16 different cat vocalizations. Some are made with the mouth open and then closing as the cat makes the sound like a meow. Some are made with the mouth closed like purring. Some are made with the mouth held open for a long period, like a hiss.

Some vocalizations are almost always made when the cat wants attention, like meowing. Others, like hissing, are more clearly defensive signals. Finally, sounds like purring, whilst most often associated with situations where the cat desires social contact, can also be heard in situations where the cat is nervous.

Why is My Cat Meowing at Night?

When your cat’s meowing behaviour changes or becomes excessive, it can be a sign they’re in pain, hungry, uncomfortable, thirsty, or stressed. Endocrine (hormonal), orthopaedic (bones), neoplastic (cancerous) and metabolic disease can cause excessive vocalization in cats.

Many cats are nocturnal and like to be up and about at nighttime. Some are crepuscular, meaning they like to be most active just before the sun goes down. Sometimes your cat may just be feeling bored or hungry and they cry in the evening or at night when they want you to get up and feed them or play at a time that suits them!

A cat crying at night can also be a sign of disease like thyroid issues. Hyperthyroidism affects older cats. Affected cats tend to be restless and meow more than usual. Some cat owners also say their cat’s meow has changed pitch or even that their cat wails like a banshee!

Cats with an overactive thyroid tend to have other symptoms too, like weight loss and eating and drinking more than usual. A simple blood test can diagnose this condition and there are lots of treatment options available. It’s important to treat this condition quickly because the high blood pressure that hyperthyroid cats suffer from can lead to many other problems if it’s not dealt with.

If your senior cat is meowing excessively or is meowing at night, it could be a sign of cognitive decline. This is like Alzheimer’s disease in people. Your older cat may be confused and worried and look to you for reassurance.

As much as you care about your cat and want to comfort them, being woken by your cat meowing at night on a regular basis is not fun for you or your cat. Your vet may be able to advise ways to help your cat relax and sleep at nighttime too.

Meowing more than usual may be a sign of pain or discomfort. Your cat may be trying to let you know that something is wrong. Ask your vet to examine your cat and check for signs of injury or disease.

How to Stop Cat Meowing at Night

Speak to your vet. They’ll do a physical examination and possibly recommend doing some tests. If your vet says your cat is healthy, you can treat the meowing as a behavioural problem.

Very often, owners reinforce their cats when they meow, like giving them cuddles, feeding them or playing. This can be a perpetuating factor leading to excessive vocalization. For example, if your cat meows and you feed it, it’s very likely to meow in the future when hungry. Once meowing has been effective many times, if by chance you do not feed it quickly after it meows, your cat is likely to meow longer and louder next time to get your attention!

Anyone who has lived with a cat knows how persistent cats can be and how quickly meowing can become excessive. For those cats who are meowing for attention or food, make sure their environment is enriched with lots of things to do with safe access to a screened-in porch or sunroom.

If your cat is meowing around mealtimes, try using an automatic feeder which feeds your cat on a timer. You can also leave food available in toys throughout the day. Removing yourself from the food-cat equation, will slowly reduce food-related meowing.

Think about your environment next. Has your schedule changed? Maybe your cat used to have access to the room with the best window for watching birds, but now is kept out of that room. Maybe they used to sleep with you and now the bedroom door is closed.

Changes to the environment or schedule can cause our cats to stress, leading, in some cases, to excessive vocalization. If that describes your cat, try to decrease stress through environmental enrichment, using toys, hiding spaces, cat trees, high resting spaces, and several feeding and watering stations. In addition, try to give it what it had before (like a great window view) in another room so your cat feels satisfied.

Consider relocating your cat's litter box and water bowl to a different room that offers more stimulation. After your cat has finished their nighttime business, give them the options to engage with an activity to redirect their energy away from waking you up!

If your vet finds a medical cause for the meowing, treatment options will depend on the condition identified. Many disorders are treatable and the problem of your cat howling at night should reduce once treatment has started.

It’s normal for cats to meow, but if you notice a change in the volume, pitch or frequency of your cat’s meowing then speak to you vet. Changes in their meow can be a sign of medical or behavioural problems, many of which are very treatable. 

Everypaw Cat Insurance

Everypaw's Cat Insurance comes with 24/7 unlimited access to vets and vet nurses that can help with your pet's health, care, nutrition and behaviour. So you can rest assured your kitty will be well looked after. 

Get a quote

 

Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Felis - www.vetlexicon.com/felis

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.