You said you tried ignoring the behavior for two months in hopes that he would stop. Thomas: Feline behaviorist Pamela Johnson-Bennett recommends the ignoring treatment for excessive vocalization. Siouxsie: The best choice you can make is to find ways to relieve Pickle’s anxiety and do behavior modification so that he doesn’t have a reason to continue this unacceptable meowing. It also does not solve the problem that caused the excessive vocalization in the first place. Cutting the vocal cords–whether on a dog or a cat–does not silence the animal it only makes the vocalizations quieter. Even if there was such a thing, we wouldn’t recommend it. A bored cat, like a bored child, will do whatever it takes to get attention–even if it’s negative attention.ĭahlia: We’ve never heard of “de-meowing” surgery for cats. Thomas: Another possibility is that Pickle is bored. A cat who was adopted at the age of 5 weeks was probably weaned too early (unless you had the mother in your home at the time), and prematurely weaned cats can develop excessive dependency on the people in their lives for stimulation and company. Siouxsie: If Pickle is a very people-oriented or needy cat, changes in home life can cause high levels of stress. Can you recall anything that happened around then that might have caused stress for Pickle? Did you move house? Did your family’s schedule change? Did your daughter start going to day care? Did another animal in the house die? Did he have a medical procedure? Did you change Pickle’s food or litter? Any of these things can stress a cat and cause behavior changes. Thomas: However, it’s possible that there’s some sort of stress factor at work that’s making him want your attention early in the morning.ĭahlia: You say the meowing started about five months ago. If Pickle is a Siamese cat, he’s going to be quite vocal anyway, since that’s the nature of Siamese cats. Siouxsie: Well, Marion, there are a couple of reasons why cats meow excessively. Is there a surgery similar to de-barking a dog for cats? Please help me before I have a mental breakdown I have not slept a full night in about five months now! He does not function well without the 4-year-old. I will take every step possible to avoid re-homing him as he thinks of our 4-year-old as his mom and has since he was 5 weeks old. He has a vet appointment today about this, but I’m afraid I may need to re-home him. We tried completely ignoring him for two months, we tried squirting him with water every time he meows, we tried a scat mat (he has a particular spot he meows from) and we have tried a Sssscat motion detector air sprayer. My 2 1/2-year-old cat, Pickle, will not stop meowing in the mornings. Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
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