What Causes a Cat to Stop Meowing?

When your first bring a cat into your home, you may enjoy hearing the sound of his meows and give him attention when he does it. However, over time, this meowing can become an irritant, especially when it is done excessively. Cats meow to express their needs, but you can help to trim down the excessive meowing to a more acceptable level.

  1. Get It Fixed

    • Particularly in female cats, meowing is a way to attract a mate when the cat is in heat. In fact, a cat in heat will meow so much, it quickly becomes an irritant. If you have your cat fixed, however, this type of meowing will completely disappear. In addition to the benefit of less meowing, you also no longer need to worry about letting your cat outside and ending up with a litter of kittens in the future.

    Take It to the Vet

    • If you cannot figure out why your cat is meowing or it seems that she is in distress, take her to the veterinarian. The vet will check your cat for any signs of injury or illness that may be causing your cat to meow more frequently. Each of a cat's meows means something different, and if you cannot figure it out, it is best to seek the help of a professional to help determine the cause. If no medical cause is found, you must try other methods to reduce the meows.

    Training

    • Some cats become trained to meow, especially if you praised him for meowing when he was young. Some people enjoy the sound in the beginning and give the cat more attention. Therefore, the cat learns to meow for attention. To break your cat from a meowing habit, you must ignore him when he meows and obviously does not need anything, such as food or a clean litter box. Then when he becomes quiet, praise him with treats, his favorite toys and attention. Eventually, he will learn that quiet behavior gets him the things he wants.

    Feed It

    • Cats often meow when they are hungry. If you give her less food than she needs, she will meow even after she has eaten. The biggest cue as to whether your cat is meowing because she is hungry is to note where she is when she is meowing. Many cats will meow by their food dish or where you typically keep their food. However, if she doesn't reach your attention that way, she may come to you and keep meowing. If you feed her the right amount and anticipate when she is hungry, you can reduce or even eliminate the hunger meows.

    Find Causes

    • Cats can meow for a wide variety of reasons. It is your job as the cat owner to find out what is causing him to meow. He may meow when he sees birds flying by outside or when you are taking a nap and not paying attention to him. You may not be able to eliminate all of the meowing, but you can reduce it and limit it to appropriate times by taking steps to avoid the causes of the meowing, such as keeping the blinds closed when you need quiet in the house or napping in a closed bedroom with the cat somewhere else in the house.