Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This may be a bit long....

I got my cat when he was 7 yrs old from a woman that worked with my mom. The woman's boyfriend had been kicking him, her son had been pulling his fur out, and the woman herself had been seriously over-feeding the poor thing. She would cut the sides open on the bags of food and replace them every two days. Luckily, the lady decided she wanted a dog, and was originally going to have the cat put down. That's when my mom told me about what was going on and I was on a mission to rescue him. I have a habit of rescuing cats... All of my cats are rescues.

Well, when I got him home, he would get so nervous, he would pee on himself. If you walked by him, he would freeze into a ball and hiss. His fur was a mess and he smelled horrible. Plus he looked like a basketball with legs from being so fat. It took 3 years of some love and attention to get him to where he is now. His weight has gone down significantly, but he still could stand to lose a few more pounds. He's very loving, and loves to be around people now. He still gets a little on edge if you walk by him too fast, but he hasn't hissed since I got him. He's very good with my 2 yr old daughter, and likes to sleep near her at night. Probably one of the best cats I've had.

The biggest problem I have with him though, is the constant meowing. If he's not sleeping, he's meowing. Is there anything I can do to lessen it a little. I'm not really expecting a huge change with that because of his age, but even a little less meowing would be great.

You might try some positive re-enforcement - kind of tricky. Catch the cat at a quiet moment even if it is just for a few seconds and say, "Good, quiet" and give him a treat. Do this about three times a day. Then see if you can lengthen the time he's quiet little by little.

Of course with his weight problem this is not the best thing to be adding food, but maybe you could subtract it from his regular meals.

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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

My Crash will be seven next summer. I think she has the same problem. Constantly meowing. She wants attention all the time. From giving her food to turning the water on. To just staring at you meowing. We try to pet her as much as possible!
MA idea sounds like a good one. Let us know if it works.
I might have to try it myself.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

You may also want to try Bach's Remedy. It's a stress reliever/calming oil that can be rubbed behind his ears and/or put in his water. This may lessen the meowing and give both you and him some peace. I can't remeber where I ordered it form online, but type in Bach's Rescue Rememdy in your search engine. Or ask you rlocal pet store if they carry it.