[oreo_kitten]

Oreo loves to meow, but only when I am around... My boyfriend told me she runs to the door when I leave, and when I come home she will meow and meow until I meow back at her. Might sound odd, but we meow back and forth. Well I am wondering if she is bored? She will meow relentlessly until I play with her, then she will relax for a bit and start again until I play with her. Are there any toys she can use to engage herself? I worry that she is bored all day when I am gone and waits until I get home for play time. We live in a small apartment.


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[BKME]

Rewards ............

Seems like you may have trained her that meowing is the best way to get your attention. Or has she trained you:wink:? This "untraining" can be hard but you must absolutely positively NOT interact with her until she gets tired of meowing and walks away. THEN you can pet her and play with her as a reward for being quiet. It will take awhile. Sounds like she's got your number. Oh, and no more meowing back to her either. You are a human and she is a cat. She already knows that and is hoping you don't remember that. They are just too smart.

 

[oreo_kitten]

Yes she trained me well! I can't stand to hear her meow, she sounds so sad, so I play with her, lol. It will be harder for me than her! Thank you!


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[nicichan]

My cat meows a lot as well and I tend to answer her sometimes.. Is it the actual meowing that bothers you or are you just worried that she's bored by herself? My cat has quite a few toys that she can play with by herself. She loves her catit senses track for example, but there's a lot of other stuff available too. She probably does get a bit lonely while you're out, but I'd say she probably just sleeps for most of the time.

 

[oreo_kitten]

I'm worried she's bored... Poor kitty when I come home she meows in a way like she's saying 'how could you leave me that long?'


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[librarychick]

I'm worried she's bored... Poor kitty when I come home she meows in a way like she's saying 'how could you leave me that long?'


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It's likely a mix of both. She's 'trained you' (which really means you've taught her without meaning to), and she was probably bored and is glad to see you.

I always greet my cats when I come home, walking around to each kitty and giving them a pet and saying Hi to them. Partly it's me making sure they're all home (I do this before I leave the house too, but saying goobye and telling them to be good), and partly it's just me being glad to see them again. I don't see anything wrong with a small greeting.

However, there's a lot of possibility for this behavior to get worse. This is what I'd do. When you come home say hello to her briefly (a small pat, and a meow rather than a 'hello' if you'd rather ), then ignore her for a bit until she settles down. If you're consistent this will teach her that you missed her, but it's not polite for her to yell at you (which is what she's doing!) until she gets attention.

Once she settles you can go ahead and play with her, in fact it would be perfect for you to make a fuss over her as soon as she's settled down. Don't get her all riled up again, but let her know that a quieter, more polite, greeting will get your attention faster than being a pest does.

My cat meows a lot when I don't know where she is. She stops when I say something to her. She never did that when I had other cats, so I wonder if being the only cat has something to do with it. She is spayed and does not go outside. Dry food is available 24/7. The meowing started after her friend died and we moved in December, so I know age is irrelevant. Any ideas?

Emily, she's probably lonely, but age might be a factor as well. I've heard that some cats meow loudly to themselves as they get older, sometimes calling for a sibling or family member that has passed quite a while ago, and sometimes just yelling. I'd suggest starting your own thread since you'll get more, and better, replies for your specific case that way