Meeping cat - want to do?

on_my_oe

Princess Foxy has started 'meeping' and we are not sure what to do. The first time it was in the middle of the night, and we thought she was unwell or afraid but the vet checked her out and she is in good health. At the beginning it was a novelty as she didn't meow, but she is waking us up a couple of times each night doing it. We have stopped responding in the middle of the night as we don't want to reinforce her behaviour. Sometimes she looks like she wants to play or wants a pat, other times she looks at us and strolls off.
Daytime meeping is ok, but nighttime meeping is killing our sleep. We tried shutting the door, but we can still hear her.
She is a year old. She gets pats in the morning - long 20 minute session in the morning, couple of longer ones at night, playing with feather toy, games of chase, we leave out her balls, lots of food (she is putting on weight).

Any ideas?

Pumpkinseeds

It sounds pretty normal cat stuff. Ours do it when they're bored. As for weight gain, just watch the amount that you're feeding her. Some cats tend to pile on weight easier than others. Our 4 range from 3.5 kilos up to Godzilla kilos.:o Cats tend to be more active at night and at dawn. Maybe try having a play an hour or so before bed and then give her some food then, to get her into a routine of knowing it's hunting, catching, eating then sleeping.:)

miezekatze

Has she been spayed? If not, she might be in heat? Otherwise I'd say it might just be a phase. My cat is usually good during the night and sleeps with me, but some nights she's a little terror and will not let us sleep. Can you lock her out of your bedroom when she's like that?

on_my_oe

Definitely spayed much like a Dad with teenage daughters, we don't want any trouble being brought to our doorstep.

She was on the slim side coming from the rescue, she's such a fussy eater and of course there it's much like your Mammys table, you eat what you're given while we are under the paw and keep buying whatever morsels we think her majesty might like. OH is already given a Dreamies limit daily to lavish on his princess.

This morning she started at 8am, we think she was trying to talk to us, giving out as the curtains were closed obstructing her view overall we think she might be lonely, so we are going to look for a second cat with a similar temperament... One more blessing to add to our happy family.

MrWalsh

Just to warn you, 4 months on and we STILL have the baby gates up separating our two girls. They still react badly when they see each other, so not ready to open the gates yet!!

Maisey sleeps elsewhere but Arya meeps at us regularly, starting at 6 am sometimes. But usually she waits til our alarm goes off. Mostly it's just "I'm here!! Let's play!!".

on_my_oe

Uh-oh... I expect a bit of a 'acclimatisation period' but four months!?? Oh dear!

Foxy meeped last night but I slept through it, OH was watching a DVD. We think (hope) she gets a lot of stimulation as she gets about 90 minutes in the morning before we leave, we both come home for lunch separately, and then we are home at night. She gets feather toy sessions, ball play, enjoys chasing games, lots of patting etc. she can be solitary, but she doesn't avoid us. Her body clock is just a bit out of sync with us.

Pumpkinseeds

MrWalsh wrote: »

Just to warn you, 4 months on and we STILL have the baby gates up separating our two girls. They still react badly when they see each other, so not ready to open the gates yet!!

Maisey sleeps elsewhere but Arya meeps at us regularly, starting at 6 am sometimes. But usually she waits til our alarm goes off. Mostly it's just "I'm here!! Let's play!!".

We had to buy Royal Canin Feline Calm dry food to sort out the fighting between Felix and Toby. Felix just didn't want him and I honestly think he would have killed him if he could have. The tension was unbearable and Felix attacked him almost every time he saw him. We were at our wits end as to what we were going to do and didn't hold out much hope of the food working, but it really did settle things down an awful lot and we still keep them on it.

MrWalsh

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

We had to buy Royal Canin Feline Calm dry food to sort out the fighting between Felix and Toby. Felix just didn't want him and I honestly think he would have killed him if he could have. The tension was unbearable and Felix attacked him almost every time he saw him. We were at our wits end as to what we were going to do and didn't hold out much hope of the food working, but it really did settle things down an awful lot and we still keep them on it.

Aye, they're both on it and it has substantially lessened the full on charges towards the gates with accompanying snarling, hissing and spitting

Now it's more of a hissing followed by death stare until one walks away.

We think they have been meeting outside now though so hoping they will sort their differences that way!

BeatNikDub

Mine is 3 and half and she still does this at night!
Some cats are just more vocal that others, and mine is the most vocal I ever known! We have full conversations!
We have to keep the doors closed most nights (especially if a good nights sleep is a must) and you just must not react to it. I know how hard it is though.
The main thing is to make sure she is fed and tired out with play before you go to bed. Also try and keep a routine going.
My little one is much better now that we do this but the odd time she will cry for attention as really that is what it is about. I try and relax now when I know she has food, water, her litter and toys and she lives a life of being spoiled with love and attention, so then it is just down to a battle of wills that I must win!
As soon as I am up at 7 she comes and sits in the bathroom with me while i get ready for work, and then follows me into the bedroom to sit on all the clothes I have laid out for the morning. Then when I leave she goes into my partner and cuddles up with him for a snooze till he gets up!
Lady muck!

I really believe there is a period of getting to know each other that can definitely take at least few months! I have moved 3 times since I have had my duchess so she has had a lot of change, but with a strong will and a bit of patience it can work out ok for everyone!

BeatNikDub

Even when she has kept me up all night I cannot stay angry for long!

on_my_oe

Awww she is gorgeous BeatNikDub!

Yesterday we tried a new tactic by leaving a radio on in her favourite sleeping spot disturbing the peace and quiet. She got the hump, as her second preferred spot gets disturbed frequently by foot traffic.
Then last night we left the radio on lower in the living room, plus a lamp.

No meeping last night, even if she was very 'off' with the OH this morning. She was very chatty with me though - including some new sounds - so I think she was giving out about him.

Pumpkinseeds

Felix decided to treat me to some meeps and more this morning. If meeps don't work and knocking things off my bedside locker don't get me out of bed he moves on to nibbling my arm.:rolleyes:

MrWalsh

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Felix decided to treat me to some meeps and more this morning. If meeps don't work and knocking things off my bedside locker don't get me out of bed he moves on to nibbling my arm.:rolleyes:

Dont tell Arya about this, she is still at the knocking things off the locker stage!!

Although she tried a new trick this morning, there I was lying in bed in shock at the early hour of it all after the long weekend and suddenly I felt my foot being grabbed and I looked down and there she was sneaking her paw under the duvet to grab my toe to get me moving!

BeatNikDub

Yep, my little one does that too MrWalsh!
It starts with whining, then sitting on me, then knocking things off the bedside locker (we both have to have flasks to prevent fatal spillages!) and then she starts at the end of the bed with paws going for feet!
This is why I keep doors closed during the week!

MrWalsh

BeatNikDub wrote: »

It starts with whining, then sitting on me, then knocking things off the bedside locker (we both have to have flasks to prevent fatal spillages!) and then she starts at the end of the bed with paws going for feet!

We have meeping, then a loud squeak, then she jumps up and walks along me purposefully towards my face (it was a bit scary the first time!), and then onto the locker, starts knocking things off, and now down for a bit of toe grabbing.

She also gives out free belly rubs in the mornings though so its hard to stay upset with her

Pumpkinseeds

BeatNikDub wrote: »

Yep, my little one does that too MrWalsh!
It starts with whining, then sitting on me, then knocking things off the bedside locker (we both have to have flasks to prevent fatal spillages!) and then she starts at the end of the bed with paws going for feet!
This is why I keep doors closed during the week!

I got to a point where subconciously, I pull my foot back in under the duvet if I stick it out of the bed in my sleep, just in case one of them decides I'm a toy.

Nody

You guys have it way to easy...

Daily routine in our household is:

4am - Foster kitten wakes up and decides it's time for someone to play with him. This is done by purring his little heart out while flopping over your throat/face sticking wet nose on throat/chin every 30s to remind you that he is still there. Oh and when you go to bed he decides it's great fun to hunt bed mice (i.e. your body under the duve) and do jumping attacks on these bed mice over and over again with claws out...

If for some reason we managed to exhaust him at 5am to 6am the second foster cat will come. She never makes a sound so she'll go for pawing (and biting if pawing does not work) your arm (if out) or simply your nose directly (it sticks out so handy and all). She's kind enough to every few days shift between myself and the misses though which means one of us usually get to sleep.

At this points all the cats have been thrown out.

6am to 7am drum solo; our third foster cats have learned how to bang the door by constantly pawing it and. will. not. stop. The drum solo (banging on door) will continue until you get up; longest we've managed is 35 min. So feeding time, and happy days right? Nope.

Around 10am one of our cats will do biscuits on the pillow (which wakes you up due to your pillow bouncing) purring to get pettings while our other cat will randomly during the night decide that your face cream and shampoo is really tasty and start to lick either your hair or face to get to it ><.

So yes; a normal life as a pet slave :P

BeatNikDub

Oh god the pawing at the door!
We find after weeks and weeks of resilience, Caoimhe now does give up much quicker but by god, some nights/mornings it is relentless. So you get up all worried and anxious about what awful thing must be happening and there they are not a bother on them just wanting to get you up and give them attention. The absolute cheek of us trying to get some sleep!

Alun

Nody wrote: »

Oh and when you go to bed he decides it's great fun to hunt bed mice (i.e. your body under the duve) and do jumping attacks on these bed mice over and over again with claws out...

Buffy does that too, but we call it the 'quilt monster' :P

I'm a light sleeper anyway, so we've developed a ritual of me getting up when they've decided it's time to be active and start pottering around, which can be anywhere between 2am and 6am depending on the time of year and the weather and putting them outside until it's time to get up proper and feed them.

Pumpkinseeds

Nody wrote: »

You guys have it way to easy...

Daily routine in our household is:

4am - Foster kitten wakes up and decides it's time for someone to play with him. This is done by purring his little heart out while flopping over your throat/face sticking wet nose on throat/chin every 30s to remind you that he is still there. Oh and when you go to bed he decides it's great fun to hunt bed mice (i.e. your body under the duve) and do jumping attacks on these bed mice over and over again with claws out...

If for some reason we managed to exhaust him at 5am to 6am the second foster cat will come. She never makes a sound so she'll go for pawing (and biting if pawing does not work) your arm (if out) or simply your nose directly (it sticks out so handy and all). She's kind enough to every few days shift between myself and the misses though which means one of us usually get to sleep.

At this points all the cats have been thrown out.

6am to 7am drum solo; our third foster cats have learned how to bang the door by constantly pawing it and. will. not. stop. The drum solo (banging on door) will continue until you get up; longest we've managed is 35 min. So feeding time, and happy days right? Nope.

Around 10am one of our cats will do biscuits on the pillow (which wakes you up due to your pillow bouncing) purring to get pettings while our other cat will randomly during the night decide that your face cream and shampoo is really tasty and start to lick either your hair or face to get to it ><.

So yes; a normal life as a pet slave :P

You actually get to sleep in until 4am:eek: Lucky you.:D

Dandelion6

My little boy sleeps in the bed with me til around 4am, then gets up and goes out to another room, comes back around 5.15 to try to get me up. He does this by walking on top of me, poking me with one of his front legs, tugging the duvet etc. I ignore him and eventually he gives up... for a while

I really don't mind though. I'm an insomniac so I'd be waking up several times in the middle of the night anyway. It's not so bad with a cat.

kylith

So glad I don't have cats! I wouldn't last a week.

Pumpkinseeds

kylith wrote: »

So glad I don't have cats! I wouldn't last a week.

They aren't all so demanding.:) Felix is a pain in the butt for waking me up, but it's mostly phases of it rather than all the time. Toby is so quiet you wouldn't even know he was asleep on the bed, same with Jazzy, mostly and Poppy is growing out of her anxiety thing where she has to know where I am all the time. Then again she was abandoned when whoever had her just left her on the street and moved away. I really don't understand how people can do that.

Sometimes when I pass through the area where she ran up to me for the first time and I remember how vulnerable she was, I'd just like 5 minutes in a windowless room to have at whoever abandoned her, with a baseball bat.:mad:

Nody

kylith wrote: »

So glad I don't have cats! I wouldn't last a week.

You'd be surprised how quickly you can turn into a cat slave :P

kylith

Nody wrote: »

You'd be surprised how quickly you can turn into a cat slave :P

Oh, I'm sure! I'm quite fond of cats in general but any waking me up at unholy o'clock would have my urge to kill rising. I'd be on here looking for tips to not strangle the cat, lol. It's bad enough having a pair of dogs jumping all over me when they decide it's dinner/walk time and they don't even go for my eyeballs

Dandelion6

kylith wrote: »

Oh, I'm sure! I'm quite fond of cats in general but any waking me up at unholy o'clock would have my urge to kill rising. I'd be on here looking for tips to not strangle the cat, lol. It's bad enough having a pair of dogs jumping all over me when they decide it's dinner/walk time and they don't even go for my eyeballs

I know it sounds crazy but I think I'd miss it if he didn't do it!

Greenmachine

Am I only one here who does know what a meep is. I have had cats that miaowed or purred, but I confused what a meep is. Only thing I can think of is the "RoadRunner" cartoon.

MrWalsh

Greenmachine wrote: »

Am I only one here who does know what a meep is. I have had cats that miaowed or purred, but I confused what a meep is. Only thing I can think of is the "RoadRunner" cartoon.

We call it beeping or squeaking in our house, only one of them does it.

Its like a cross between a squeak and a beep, its a different sound to a miaow or a purr.

Our second girl meeps at us in the morning to say hello, give some love and most of all, when breakfast is coming! We joke that we only do it for the squeaks cos theyre so lovely.

Although between the two of them there is a range of sounds, from Aryas OOOWWWWing during the night to Maiseys RAAR which means Go Away, and then the usual Miaow, Purr Purr and various squeaks, beeps and meeps

Going Strong

Greenmachine wrote: »

Am I only one here who does know what a meep is. I have had cats that miaowed or purred, but I confused what a meep is. Only thing I can think of is the "RoadRunner" cartoon.

It's more drawn out than Road Runner. More a "Meeeeeep!"

Mine does it as a "Hello!" or "Coo-eee!" when she is in close proximity to me sort of an "Only me! Don't be afraid!" kind of thing. Her other 'Meep' is louder and means "Pay attention to me!" which escalates into all-out meowing (aka Shouting) when I don't respond quickly enough for her liking.

This morning, I got the soft 'Meep' at 4,30am as she came into the bedroom, walked up along my legs and head-butted me several times before snuggling in between me and the edge of the bed so I couldn't turn over. Thanks.

Pumpkinseeds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgHke0Qlczg

Meeping cat.

MrWalsh

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgHke0Qlczg

Meeping cat.

Thats it exactly - squeaky and beepy!