Plaintive Meowing from our Cat

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networkn

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#277155 29-Sep-2020 14:54

So we had two cats, until recently when we had to put one of them to sleep. They are from the same litter.

Sweep was always more whiney, especially around food time, whereas Sooty was a bit more laid back, but would also Meow incessantly if they wanted food. (A trait I have always found annoyed the living bejesus out of me).

Sweep is not in a good way right now, meowing day and night and only cuddles will help, but that doesn't help when we sleep, and we can't hold him 24/7. He is fit and well as best we can tell, has a good appetite. He has always been very highly strung.

I have heard animals sometimes can't get over the loss of a sibling and need to be put to sleep as well, which given we have lost a Dog and a Cat in the past 4 weeks, I am very keen to avoid. Having said that the Meowing is exceptionally annoying and driving us all insane.

I am unsure if it will resolve, but I am thinking it may not.

Any ideas?

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"Cookie"
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#2575921 29-Sep-2020 15:16

Have you tried Feliway?

https://www.pet.co.nz/feature/adaptil-feliway

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#2575925 29-Sep-2020 15:22

Jeepers, I am really sorry for your loss.

That's extraordinarily unfortunate. And yes, your other cat will be missing the heck out of your other furbabies!!

kiwifidget is 100% on the money, Feliway is your answer here. Shop around, prices can vary wildly!

But also wash all the old bedding with a cup of white vinegar to remove the smell as much as possible to help Sweep move on as well.

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#2575926 29-Sep-2020 15:23

Is getting another cat an option?

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#2575927 29-Sep-2020 15:23

We once had two Tonkinese cats, Max & Tilly. Tilly was hit by a car and Max was the same - constantly meowing and calling to her to come back. We ended up having to buy another (Tonkinese) kitten so he had a new friend.

In other news, don't buy Tonkinese cats if there are any cars within a 50km radius of your house. Max got hit by a car about a year later, and we bought another Tonkinese to replace him. Then the first replacement got hit by a car, and then finally the second replacement got hit by a car. And then we didn't have any cats for a couple of years till we got a Scottish Fold who can't be arsed walking more than 5m from the house, and a rescue moggy who just hangs out underneath it (the house, not the Scottish Fold) when she isn't in the mood for cuddles.

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#2575930 29-Sep-2020 15:30

kiwifidget:

Have you tried Feliway?

https://www.pet.co.nz/feature/adaptil-feliway

I second this. We use Feliway (hooked up to a TP-Link Smart Plug for timing) and while expensive, it does relax them. We also know when it is running low as Ravens behavior changes fully. I get mine from https://vetshop.co.nz

We have 2 indoor Cats however last year one of our cats died. Raven (the oldest of our cats) wouldn't stop meowing and it was clear he was missing "Magpie". We ended up adopting another black Cat (Pixel) in the same week Magpie died and they're the best of friends.

It is a myth (IMO) that Cats are not social animals. Raven and Pixel sleep together, play heaps and keep one another entertained. For example right now they're both on the Cat tower behind me sleeping.

@SaltyNZ That is the main reason our Cats are indoor only - I've made our backyard a safe area for them (putting PVC Piping along the fences to prevent them from climbing out) but as-long as they've got plenty of toys and things to climb then they're more than happy living indoors.

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networkn

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#2575936 29-Sep-2020 15:37

We have a LOT going on right now, and whilst our kids would probably be over the moon with a kitten in the house, I am not sure we have the spare "capacity" to toilet train and help manage another cat. I'd also worry that Sweep would "bully" the kitten.

I'll have a chat with my wife perhaps Feliway might be a reasonable idea.

Thanks for the suggestions.

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#2575938 29-Sep-2020 15:43

Have been through similar. Feliway was of limited (some) benefit. Another kitten was an immediate and 100% fix.

Best of luck.

Cheers- N

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#2575941 29-Sep-2020 15:49

networkn:

We have a LOT going on right now, and whilst our kids would probably be over the moon with a kitten in the house, I am not sure we have the spare "capacity" to toilet train and help manage another cat. I'd also worry that Sweep would "bully" the kitten.

I'll have a chat with my wife perhaps Feliway might be a reasonable idea.

I do fully understand another kitten is a huge step and a loss of a pet is a sad thing for everyone in the family. If you do adopt a cat from the SPCA or a local shelter these normally come toilet trained. When we got Pixel it was pretty hands-off as Raven took to her straight away. Introducing kittens to an older cat is easier than introducing an older cat.

Also, if you've got a male cat currently then introducing a female cat is less likely to cause any issues.

If you do get Feliway invest in a smart plug so you can put it on a timer else you'll be spending $50/mo on refills. Ours operate sunrise to sunset and this works well for our cats.

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#2575945 29-Sep-2020 16:01

Also my partner mentioned another thing - you can take the cat to the vet for anti anxiety meds. I would combine this with Feliway also.

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#2575958 29-Sep-2020 16:24

Hi.

We will have a discussion with the family. Neither my wife or I feel a new pet in the house is something we can manage (though it may happen anyways LOL), we only lost Thunder a week ago, but a lack of sleep isn't helping either.

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#2575969 29-Sep-2020 16:29

networkn:

Hi.

We will have a discussion with the family. Neither my wife or I feel a new pet in the house is something we can manage (though it may happen anyways LOL), we only lost Thunder a week ago, but a lack of sleep isn't helping either.

Understandable. We didn't want to replace Tilly either for similar reasons ... till we got to the point where I snapped at Max to STFU about a month later because I couldn't take it anymore. :-(

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#2575978 29-Sep-2020 16:56

Slightly different issue here but maybe fits somewhere. I rescued a kitten who lives in one part of the house and is doing well. Male, neutered, now about six months old. We also have an adult neutered male, eight years, who I keep in the other part of the house. I let him outside during the day.

I have tried introducing the cats to each other. The older one was okay but the kitten would not leave him alone, constantly launching into him. The two of them would wrestle without let-up across the floor and down the hall until I got sick of it and separated them. They didn't hurt each other and it seemed to be play, though I could see the older one getting fed up. Then they started spraying on the walls so I have been keeping them separate again. Today the older one accidentally got into the younger one's area. The younger one wanted to play and launched into the older again, as before. This time the older one wasn't having any and hissed an angry warning at the young one. This happened twice. The young one seemed surprised and slunk away, looking confused.

What the hell do I do?

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#2575979 29-Sep-2020 16:58

+1 for a new kitten. To comfort Sweep and his wider family.

We adopted the most amazing 9-month old kitten earlier this year, but he was recently killed in an accident. We remain absolutely devastated, but have recently adopted another similar age kitten, who arrived with a totally different personality. After just three weeks, our new family member is going a long way to begin healing the hurt.

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#2575987 29-Sep-2020 17:20

Our old cat grieved when our daughter went overseas. She would lie in her room on her bed and refused to eat and eventually lost most of her fur. There is no doubt animals understand more than what we give them credit for.

Feel so sad for you. So many losses so close together.

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#2576001 29-Sep-2020 17:45

@Rikkitic From my partner who is an expert on such subjects (worked for the SPCA):

Let each cat into the other cats area without the other cat being there so they get used to the scent. Then introduce the cats with the younger one in a cat carrier / cage / mesh so they get used to one another. Give them short periods of supervised play time - play with each one together, let them playfight, this is totally normal. With them both being male they will fight, hiss etc every now and then to assert dominance and they may never like one another - the goal is to make them tolerate one another. Over time they'll get better and should stop marking also.

We both swear by Feliway also and she recommends this for your cats too. It does calm them significantly and helps stop them marking. Hopefully this helps.

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