We love that cats have an ability to communicate to us with their different actions and individual ways. Some cats will just purr while others will paw at you to express their love and loyalty. Other cats will meow and it can be just a few meows or for a long time.
When the meowing becomes excessive, there are ways to help your cat become less vocal and quieter.
Don’t ever punish or yell at your cat when meowing too much. It could have a lasting effect on your kitty’s meowing behavior and will scare your cat.
Your cat can be meowing to get your attention
At first, your cat might meow simply because they want your attention to play or eat. However, the meowing can even become excessive if your cat is merely bored or lonely and wants to have a companion!
Have there been any changes in your home?
If you moved out of your home or apartment, adopted a new cat or dog, or even something as simple as changing when you go to work, this change might result in your cat’s excessive meowing. There are cats that are very sensitive and merely rearranging your furniture or a move of their bed can make them feel off. An overly sensitive kitty could meow at the change, but will usually accept the new change when ready.
Below are a few recommendations to stop the excessive meowing:
1. Ignore your cat
When your cat meows too much, try to ignore your cat, walk away from your cat and wait for a minute or until your cat stops meowing. Every time you react to the excessive meowing, you reinforce the wrong behavior. By waiting it out, you cat will quiet down. If you then pet your cat, your kitty will then equate quiet time with petting which is a positive experience.
2. Make sure your cat gets enough exercise
Cats will sometimes meow a lot simply because they are bored. Kittens and adult cats need daily exercise and to be stimulated and it is important to make the time for some interactive play a couple times a day. Throw a mouse and get your cat moving. A tired cat is a quiet cat.
3. Teach the quiet command to your cat
Some cats love to chat and owners don’t mind responding to their meowing. But if the meowing bothers you, you can instruct your kitty to quiet down by requesting it. When your cat starts to meow, you can kindly say “be quiet” or just “quiet” to your cat.
After some practice, your cat can then understand what “be quiet” means and should stop. Once your cat does quiet down, make sure to pet her or give her a rub down to positively reward the right behavior.
If the meowing is a new behavior, take your cat to your Veterinarian
If you have a cat that has started to meow excessively and nothing has changed in your environment, make sure to call the vet. Your cat could be sick or even hurt, and a trip to the vet is the best way to find that out quickly.
If your vet tells you that your cat is not ill or injured, then you need to look at your cat’s behavior and try to figure out why your cat is meowing and then act accordingly.
If your vet does find out that there is a medical issue, pet insurance is a way to save you m money on the medical bill. Most pet insurance plans will pay up to 90% of the costs which can be a great financial relief.
Hopefully, you already have pet insurance before any medical condition occurs and the illness is then considered pre-existing. Most pet insurance providers will not pay for any pre-existing conditions.
There are many variables involved in finding the best pet insurance. To learn more about how pet insurance works and the best companies that offer pet insurance, this comprehensive guide by Consumers Advocate of the top 10 pet insurance companies of 2019 can be a very valuable resource to help.