Excessive meowing in cats: Everything you need to know

By Charlotte Francesca Stiles DVM

Our pets are just like us and have their own unique routines, habits, and behaviour. Getting to know these things, helps pet parents spot potential problems early on and help keep their pets as happy and healthy as possible.

When it comes to meowing or vocalization in cats, there is a range of reasons behind it. In this article, we’ll go through everything you need to know about cats meowing such as:

• Reasons why cats meow
• The different types of meow
• Reasons why cats may excessively meow
• What to do if your cat excessively meows

Why do cats meow?

Just like when humans make sounds, cats use vocalization or meowing, to communicate a range of things. Meowing can be associated with a cat’s age, breed, health status, specific situation, and desire to express how they are feeling or if they want something.

We’ve listed some examples of why cats meow below:

• Food please! - Anyone who’s ever owned a cat, will know about their sudden spout of chattiness around mealtime!
• Can you open the door for me, please? Even though our cats are pretty cool, they haven’t all worked out how to open doors yet! So, they often call out when they need a hand getting where they want to go.
• Hello! It’s always a nice feeling to be greeted by your cat when you come home.
• Can you help me, please? Whether they want you to cuddle, play, or want you to give them attention, many cats will call out to let you know their every need!
• I’m not feeling too good - In some cases, a cat might make a sound to signal that they aren’t feeling their best. This could be due to diseases, stress, health conditions, or confusion related to old age.
• I’m ready for a mate! Cats who are not spayed or neutered often use vocalization to attract a mate.

As we already mentioned, getting to know your cat’s personality, habits, and routines will help you to decipher which one of the above reasons is most likely to reason behind your cat’s vocalization.

What are the different types of meow?

No matter how well you know your four-legged friend, sometimes it can be hard to tell what they are saying when they meow.

If you’re unsure of whether you need to be concerned about your cat’s meowing, the type of meow can help you understand what your cat is trying to say. We’ve given some examples of different types of meows and what they mean below:

• Shorter meows - most likely indicate they want something such as food, being let in or out, or just to simply say hello.
• Multiple and medium pitch meows - this could also mean that they want something, or that they are happy you are with them.
• Longer or low-pitched meows - your cat is not happy about something, but unlikely to be in pain.
• Repetitive and or high pitch meows - this could mean that your cat is not feeling their best and could require veterinary attention.

Overall, when trying to figure out the reason behind your cat’s meow, it’s best to take into account other factors such as:

• Their body language - are they sitting, standing, or walking as usual, or do they look like they could be in pain?
• Their environment - could there be something that is bothering them?
• Their routine - is it time to be let out or fed?

Why do cats excessively meow?

No matter how much you devote yourself to your pet, sometimes, you still might not be able to get to the bottom of their needs. This can lead to them being especially persistent and starting to meow excessively.

As we mentioned above, taking the circumstances and environment into consideration can help you to work out how best to help them. If your cat begins to meow excessively, and out of character, it’s more likely to be due to something a bit more serious than just saying hello.

We’ve listed some examples of things which could cause your cat to excessively meow below:

• Pain
• Extreme hunger or thirst
• Stress

We’ll discuss what to do if you think your cat is excessively meowing in the next section.

What to do if your cat excessively meows (and what not to do)

Seeing your cat acting out of character is not nice for anyone, so we’ve created a checklist of how best to help them below:

1. Check your cat’s physical condition - Gently, but thoroughly look and feel your cat for any painful areas, injuries, or abnormalities. If you find something wrong or are not sure, it’s best to take your cat to a veterinarian for further advice as soon as possible.
2. Check your cat’s environment - is there anything that could be stressing them out? Are you able to remove or reduce this stress? Have they been fed and watered as usual?

With our Lifetime Protection Membership, you can access veterinary professionals at any time by phone, email, or live chat. So, if you’re worried about your cat, you can get the help you need any time of day or night.

If after checking the points above, you aren’t able to resolve your cat’s excessive meowing but are sure that they are not in pain and their needs have been met, in terms of food, water, and the litter tray, then there are some more things to consider in terms of the best way to deal with their meowing.

When you are sure that your pet isn’t meowing because there is something wrong, then it’s a good idea to think about the best way to act in terms of their health. This is something that can be tricky to consider, so we’ve listed some points below:

• Don’t over-feed them - Although it may be tempting to give your cat a snack every time they ask for it, it’s important to feed your pet a balanced diet in the appropriate quantities to avoid them becoming overweight.
• Never punish them for the meowing - this can damage the relationship between you and your cat, and certainly won’t help you get to the bottom of the cause.
• Make sure they get enough exercise, enrichment, and play during the day - cats who meow excessively during the night can cause problems for pet parents. To help avoid this problem, making sure they get enough play, enrichment, and exercise during the day can persuade them to disturb you less during the night. You can read more about this topic in our article Cat and Dog puzzle toys to bust boredom.
• Be sure that they always have access to clean fresh water, are fed the appropriate diet as part of a routine, and that you clean out their litterbox regularly. It’s also a good idea to provide them with plenty of sources of enrichment, such as toys and scratch posts.

Conclusion

Understanding and catering to your cat’s every need is part of the responsibility you take on when inviting them into your life. It might not always be easy to understand them, but when you do, it’s an extremely special experience.