Hi all!
We have two cats, (they're not rescue cats, and have been with us since they were kittens, and have experienced no trauma - they're also indoor cats)
They get a lot of love and attention, have toys, three meals a day plus biscuits and water etc.
However, one of the cats, when it gets to between 10:30pm-01:30am approx, will begin incessantly meowing. It begins when myself, my mum and my gran all go to bed, and either one or a couple of us have turned our lights off, and the landing light off too (basically when it's pretty dark upstairs)
The cat is extremely needy toward my mum - regularly going on her lap, following her around, etc etc. You would expect then that when she goes up to bed, he would just happily follow her and lay down and sleep (note that he DOES eventually do this, after his fit of meowing for an hour or so)
The weird thing about the meowing is that he will often literally do it outside of her room - refusing to go in. You would think he would just save himself the misery and energy and just go in to have a cuddle?
Often he does this meowing on the stairs, or on the landing. It seems like he is asking her to go downstairs with him, or something?
The WEIRDEST part of this behaviour is that I often go to pick him up to take him to her room - saving us all a headache and a bad mood - but when I approach him he quickly runs away downstairs and hides. (The reason my mum doesn't go is cause she has trouble walking, so can't make too many trips up and down stairs)
When I eventually get to grab him I take him to her room and put him on her bed. Often he admits defeat and settles down after this.
Sometimes this doesn't work and he just runs back down stairs again - then when I give up 'the chase' sits back on the stairs or landing and begins meowing again.
1) he's suffering from some sort of anxiety disorder, or depression. About a year ago we got a plug in Feliway. (A UK plug in spray that gives out a calming odour for anxious cats) mum is convinced this worked but tbh I can't remember. Even if it did - it's a pretty expensive item. Do you think it's worth another shot?
2) he's scared of the dark. Not sure what we can really do about this one. We obviously don't want to leave lights on overnight. We always have doors to rooms in the house open too, so don't want him to start panicking by shutting him in a light room
3) I am a trigger for him. The cat loves my mum a lot but is very indifferent toward my gran and not fond of me at all. I think this might be because I don't really have a regular 'routine'. I.e., I leave for work quite early on some days, go to uni others, socialise and come back late on some... Maybe this lack of routine from my presence is making him anxious? Like my moving around at 'weird' early and late times?
4) He is confused, disoriented or has a bad memory, and genuinely doesn't know where my mum has gone when she's in her room. (Her room is right next to the loo, which he also freaks out about when she goes in to it. Does she think she's in there?
Before you say anything, it isn't hunger, the cats have dinner when we do and then between 9-10pm are given biscuits and fresh water. He also has milk in the morning and treats at 3pm! So that's three meals a day, plus milk, treats and snacks.
Would anyone be able to tell me what I'd wrong with him, and also what we can do to help? Have you seen his odd behaviour in cats before? Was their any solution? Thanks so much.
Melanie X
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/bqavm5/my_cat_incessantly_meows_at_night_then_runs_away/
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