Why Does My Cat Meow At Night And How To Stop It?

Wondering Why Does My Cat Meow At Night? Hearing a cat meowing at night is irritating sometimes. There could be various reasons behind a cat meowing a night. Your cat may meow due to some discomfort.

Even if you close your ears tightly, the meow sound will be louder and louder like a takeoff airplane. Until you wake up to provide the cat some food or give it the necessary attention, your cat will relentlessly meow. 

Find out the potential reasons behind your cat meowing and learn how to stop a cat from meowing all night. If your feline friend is meowing continuously and you’re worried about the reason then, you’re in the right place. 

We’ve gathered all the possible reasons behind Cat Won’t Stop Meowing At Night and the techniques to stop your cat from meowing at night. Have a glimpse!

Why Does My Cat Meow At Night?

Why Do Cats Meow At Night? In general, cat meows as a way of communicating with its owners. It’s a means of communication when it wants to talk to humans but not with its fellow cats. But why do cats feel the necessity to meow in the middle of the night? 

When a cat is meowing at night yearning to wake you for some reason, you need to decode your feline friend’s communication code. Cats are the weirdest animals that often display specific body language. If you watch and listen to its meows, yowls, and other vocalizations deeply, you will learn more about its emotions.

Mostly, cats meow a lot at night when they feel bored, overstimulated, seeking companionship, looking for their owner’s attention, and more. In rare and worst situations, cats will meow at night due to some health conditions. When your cat is in pain, it meows at night.

If your cat is nocturnal then, it feels most active at night which results in excessive meowing. As it is very much active, your cat may be willing to play. We have listed out a plethora of reasons behind ‘Why Is My Cat Meowing At Night’. Let’s take a quick look at Why Do Cats Meow At Night.

1. Sick / Illness

One of the reasons behind your cat meowing at night is because they’re sick and suffering from some illness. Your cat may meow a lot due to a medical issue. Some of the medical conditions your cat may suffer include hyperthyroidism, high BP, kidney problems, etc.

The aforementioned health conditions majorly affect aged cats. However, young cats may meow due to some temporary ailments like pain, urinary infections, or other conditions.

2. Aging

Aging is another reason for cats to meow a lot during the night. If your cat is older, meowing at night is one of the symptoms of aging. Older cats suffering from dementia may often cry at night. This is because cats with dementia usually can’t control their emotions. 

This ailment may cause confusion and disorientation in the cats. After going to bed, some cats may feel insecure which in turn leads to meowing at night. As the age increases, cats may struggle with poor vision problems at night.

Older cats usually suffer from a health ailment namely CDS. CDS is referred to as Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome. It is directly related to the impact of aging on the brain of a cat. CDS can cause multiple symptoms. One of the major symptoms of CDS is meowing at night.

3. Overactive Thyroid / Kidney Disease

Overactive Thyroid and cats suffering from kidney problems also meow at night. Due to an overactive thyroid, your cat may experience increased hunger, vomiting, hyperactiveness, abrupt weight loss, and more. As a result, your cat may increase vocalization i.e., meowing so much at night.

Cats suffering from kidney issues may experience enhanced thirst, rapid weight loss, low appetite, energy deterioration, and more. Due to these symptoms, your cat may feel distressed and start continuous vocalization. Unfortunately, Kidney disease can’t be cured especially in cats. However, you can overcome the symptoms by taking proper care of it.

4. Bored

Just like humans, even cats get bored. This may be due to restricting their natural instincts like climbing, stalking, hunting, etc. When they are constrained from doing all these things, they get bored and start meowing excessively at night. 

When your cat is feeling bored, you can realize that by checking for symptoms such as anxiety, doing mischievous things, eating disorders, and no interest in anything. When you realize that your cat is feeling bored then, you can try out some techniques to keep it active. 

You can engage your cat in playtime. Give your cat some of the playful toys, scratching posts, etc., so that your cat will play with them until its energy gets dropped. By doing so, your cat will feel sleepy and won’t meow at night. Make sure you indulge your cat in playtime before going to bed.

5. Generally Active At Night

Cat Won’t Stop Meowing At Night? If your cat is lazy and sleeping throughout the day then, it could be a night species. Such cats will be more active during the night. When they’re active, they meow so much. They may start meowing to seek attention from their pet parents. Otherwise, it is asking you to play with it for some time.

Mostly, cats are nocturnal i.e., more active at night. However, this may not be true in the case of all the cats. Some cats may be crepuscular as well i.e., active mostly at dusk and dawn. 

Despite being nocturnal or crepuscular, your cat tries to adapt to the lifestyle of pet parents. As the age increases, cats will adapt to the conditions and slowly reduce meowing at night.

6. Feels Trapped

Even if you have adopted a cat, you give it enough freedom to roam around outdoors during night and lock them indoors at night then, your cat will feel as if it is trapped. When cats feel they’re in being trapped then, you can overcome this situation by setting up a cat flap.

By doing so, your cat will think it’s coming out of the house freely without any restrictions. As a result, you can slightly limit its meowing at night as it spends most of its energy playing.

7. Could Be the Sound Of Mating

Why Is My Cat Meowing At Night? Well, your cat is meowing continuously might be because of a distinctive mating call. Have you neutered or spayed your cat? If not, you need to face situations like this. 

When your cat is in heat, it makes unusual vocalizations like meowing, yowling, rolling on the ground, and more. When male cats listen to the loud sounds of the female cats, they start responding by making similar sounds.

To avoid this situation, you need to spay or neuter your cat. By doing so, your cat will remain healthy and lead a long life. Spaying also reduces the risk of reproductive cancers in cats.

8. Outdoor Distractions

If your cat is meowing so much at night then, it could be an indication that there is some outdoor distraction. This may cause excessive meowing in your cat. As most cats are light sleepers, they will get up easily whenever they listen to some sound or any other disturbing element. 

How To Get My Cat Stop Meowing At Night?

You can prevent your cat from meowing excessively at night by following a few simple tricks. After finding the reason behind your cat’s meowing, you can take necessary action to prevent it. 

If your cat is physically ill then, you can contact the vet and get possible advice regarding this problem. If there’s nothing to worry about the cat in terms of health, you can prefer doing any of the remedies mentioned below to stop your cat from meowing.

Wondering what you can do to make your cat sleep through the night and remain active in the morning? Be it a younger cat or an older cat, we have the best techniques to prevent them from meowing at night. Here are a few easy tips and tricks that help you stop your feline friend from meowing at night.

1. Keep The Cat Busy In the Morning Hours

If your cat is meowing a lot at night, you can try out this idea. Keep your cat active and busy in the morning hours. Engage your cat in a variety of playful activities like giving it puzzles, toys, scratching posts, etc. 

By keeping your cat busy all day and making it awake, it will automatically sleep more time in the night. As a result, you can have a peaceful sleep without any disturbances.

2. Keep The Cat Living Area Clean At Night

If the cat’s surroundings aren’t clean, your cat can’t sleep at night. If you haven’t cleaned your cat’s litterbox then, it smells odd and becomes dirty. As a result, your cat starts meowing signalling you to empty the litterbox. Ensure that you clean the litterbox frequently especially before your cat goes to bed.

3. Reset The Body Clock Of Your Cat

If your cat is meowing so much at night then, it could be because of your cat’s timetable. Reset your cat’s body clock by playing with your cat before bedtime. Though it may take much time for this trick to work, it will show a significant impact on the body clock of your cat.

4. Feed Them Plenty With Food And Water

Your cat may be meowing so much at night out of hunger and thirst. Make sure you provide some dry cat food and water in the cat’s bowl before going to bed. Whenever your cat wakes up in the middle of the night due to hunger, it can eat and drink as it pleases.

Otherwise, you can even give a food puzzle to your cat so that it will spend the whole night solving it. If your cat’s meowing is disturbing you so much then, you can provide a timed feeder to your cat. Your cat will take it as a midnight snack when it feels hungry.

5. Play Some Music

You can play some soothing music to prevent your cat from meowing. Mostly, music helps to relax the mind of both you and your cat. Your cat may sometimes feel threatened by the noise they’re hearing and immediately stop meowing. This way, you can get some adequate sleep.

Sometimes, turning on the Television or music system can aid you as well as your cat. Listening to the sound, your cat feels secure thinking that its owner is with it during the night. As a result, you can prevent your cat from meowing at night.

6. Use Nightlights For Older Cats

In general, older cats may suffer from certain health issues like dementia. Cats suffering from dementia may partially lose their vision. When they want to eat, they may not be able to find their food bowl. The same thing happens about its litterbox. 

As a result, they may meow so much at night. Nightlights can eventually help cats with dementia to redirect their environment, especially during the night. They require more light as they’re unable to find their bed or the litterbox at night.

7. Check For Any Distractions And Address The Problem

Cats may meow so much at night due to distractions. If there are loud noises from outside during nighttime, your cat may get distracted leading to continuous meowing. Make sure you switch off all the lights before going to bed. Thoroughly check whether there are any sort of distractions that could disturb your cat’s sleep.

8. Show Them Affection And Give Them Play Time Before Bed

Cats often seek affection from their pet parents. When your cat is expecting some attention from you, just be with them whenever required. Cuddle them before going to bed and show affection to your cute little kitten. By doing so, your cat will be able to sleep happily without meowing.

Another way to stop your cat from meowing is to play with your cat before bed. When your cat is highly active and energetic, it doesn’t wish to sleep. In that case, you can engage your cat to play with toys. You can enrich your cat by indulging your cat in physical and mental games.

9. Change Their Bed

Your cat may be feeling inconvenient in its bed while sleeping at night. The cat may not be comfortable sleeping on it. In such a case, you can change the bed of your cat to give a peaceful sleep to your cat.

Due to loud noises outside, your cat may meow a lot. If you place your cat outside, try to bring them into the room. This may help your cat feel secure with its pet parents during the night. 

10. Use Catnip

Catnip is one of the most effective remedies to stop cat meowing. It’s a kind of herb that has mint properties to calm down felines. After calming down, your cat will become sleepy and stop meowing. You can stuff the catnip in the cat toys, toilet paper toll, and other cat-related things.

11. Ignore Them If Necessary

Responding to a cat meowing all the time isn’t necessary. Sometimes, you may ignore the cat’s meowing and its behavior. If you react to the meowing once, your cat tends to meow all the time when not needed. 

If you are sure about the reason then, you can simply ignore its meowing. Instead of making it worse, try to make it better. But, when your cat is suffering from any health condition, it shouldn’t be ignored. 

12. Visit Vet If Required

If you are unsure about the actual cause of your cat meowing, you need to visit the veterinarian. If you find any abnormal behavior in your cat, make sure you contact the vet and make an appointment. Due to some medical condition, your cat may meow a lot.

Discuss the problem of your cat with your vet so that he/she can give a possible solution to your problem. In case, your vet has diagnosed any serious health condition of your cat then, he/she will provide you with a treatment plan for your cat.

Apart from all these techniques, you can try out another solution. If you bring a companion to your cat, it can sleep peacefully throughout the night without meowing.

Conclusion

That’s all! This is everything you need to know about the reasons ‘Why Does My Cat Meow At Night’. Check the reasons mentioned in this post to discover why your cat is meowing at night. We have even compiled the possible solutions to stop your cat from meowing. Implement any of the tips to prevent your cat from meowing so you can get some peaceful sleep.

Hopefully, this article has given you adequate information about the common reasons behind ‘My Cat Won’t Stop Meowing At Night’. If you still have any queries about this article, feel free to ask us in the comments section. 

Stay tuned to our website TheCrazyCats.Net to learn more about the cat behaviour, companionship between pets, food habits, and other health issues of a cat.