Causes of Howling at Night in Cats

If your cat howls during the night, the noise can keep you and others in your home from getting the sleep you need. This behavior, also called hypervocalization, has many causes, including behavioral and medical issues. Cats who suddenly start to vocalize heavily at night need a veterinary exam to determine the cause of this behavior and rule out an underlying illness.

  1. Medical Causes

    • Cats who howl loudly at night can suffer from a medical condition or injury. Hyperactive thyroid syndrome and high blood pressure can lead to this behavior, as can high levels of toxins in the blood, according to Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Renal Failure. Geriatric cats, which are those older than 12, may suffer from cognitive dysfunction, which causes confusion and disorientation, causing the cat to hypervocalize, especially at night. Other medical causes include deafness, brain tumor or feline hyperesthesia, a condition that causes manic, hyperactive behavior. If your cat takes medications, some of them, such as periactin, anabolic steroids and metoclopramide, can also lead to increased vocalization at night.

    Mating Behavior

    • An intact female cat in estrus, the period of breeding, will howl at night to attract the attention of a potential mate. A female cat experiences her first estrus between the ages of 5 months to 1 year old, according to PetPlace.com. Throughout the months of January to August, the cat will be in estrus, also called "heat," every two to three weeks. An intact male cat may also vocalize at night to prompt you to let him out so he can mate. He may also howl if he senses a female cat in heat outside or in your home. Spay or neuter your cat to stop this behavior.

    Separation Anxiety

    • Closing your cat out of your bedroom at night can induce separation anxiety and the need to vocalize. If you hear your cat pawing at the door to the room while vocalizing loudly, this may indicate separation anxiety. It could also mean that the cat has run out of food and wants you to feed it, or that it wants to play with you. To reduce this behavior, provide your cat with plenty of exercise by playing with it in the evening to tire it out and help it sleep throughout the night. Provide toys to occupy it outside of your bedroom and enough food to last it until morning.

    Considerations

    • A cat who howls loudly at night is trying to communicate to you that something is wrong. Check on the cat to ensure it has not become trapped in a closet, has access to its food and litter box, and that everything in your home looks okay. If everything looks in order, check your cat for any injuries. Take your cat to a veterinarian for a checkup and, if he finds no underlying illness, ask him about putting your cat on anti-anxiety medication to help curb its hypervocalization. Consider getting a companion cat for your existing cat if it cries at night because of boredom or loneliness.