Cats, like other animals, communicate among themselves by hissing, yowling, growling – when it comes to people, however, they use meowing as a means of communication. When the meowing becomes too aggressive or is prolonged, it can signal a problem with the cat’s health; so if you are a cat owner, you need to pay attention to what the cat is trying to tell you.
Meowing can mean various things. It can be a form of greeting in the morning, or whenever you come home from work – your cat is happy to see you so it meows at you.
It can also mean that your cat is ready to breed – when in heat, cats tend to become very vocal, especially males which meow exaggeratedly if they feel that a female in heat is around. This is why it is better to spare your cats the trouble and spay or neuter them so they will not need to go through the ordeal every year.
Meowing is also a sign that your cat is hungry or that it needs to go outside to relieve itself. This type of meowing is quite natural and even welcomed – you would not want your cat to soil your newly bought carpet, would you? However, do not try to feed her whenever she is crying for food, or else you will end up with an obese cat – and she definitely would not like being put to a diet, I assure you – the meowing will become unbearable.
Similar to children who cry whenever they desire something, meowing can also be a form of manipulation used by the cat in order to get attention and affection from the owner or their family. You can answer your cat whenever she is meowing but beware: you could open up a true Pandora’s Box by trying to quiet down and comfort your cat – your cat will become aware of the special treatment she gets whenever she meows, so she will meow harder and more insistently when she fails to receive it.
If meowing is a sign of boredom or attention-seeking, measures need to be taken – try to make the cat obey the command “quiet”, not by shouting at her or getting mad, but by clapping her hands and whispering quietly. Your cat will soon understand what you mean and shut up. If she keeps up the silence, reward her with a treat, so she associates being quiet with being rewarded. However, do not spoil her too much or she may want to thank you again and you may end up with the meowing either way.
If your cat suddenly starts meowing after she has been a taciturn her whole life, this is an alarm sign – she may be suffering from an illness which can only be discovered by the veterinarian, such as kidney disease or an overactive thyroid.
She could also be confused due to old age or stressed from changes in the living environment, especially if there are more animals added to the family, so make sure she gets used to everyone and everything new, so you could have a meow-free night.
