Dear Most Esteemed and Knowledgeable Kitties:
I have a 6-year-old deaf white cat that meows excessively and loudly throughout the day while I’m at work. While I’m at home she rarely meows, and when she does, it’s early in the morning, not at night. I give her lots of love and attention, plenty of food and water, and I’ve bought her all kinds of toys. I have found that she isn’t interested in the typical cat toys, but she loves shadows, so I have bought toys with lights and movement. I’ve done all kinds of research and tried everything I can think of, but nothing seems to keep her from crying all day. I live in an apartment complex and my neighbours have complained about the noise, so now I have to find something that definitely works or I’ll need to re-home her. This is a path I definitely do not want to choose. Please help.
~ Michelle
White cats, particularly those with blue eyes, are much more likely to be deaf than other kitties. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Siouxsie: Well, Michelle, you are in a bit of a pickle there. What a shame that your neighbors have decided to complain to the landlord about your poor kitty!
Thomas: It sounds like your cat may be suffering from separation anxiety. It’s pretty scary for a deaf cat to be left alone, especially if at some time in her past she was abandoned for a long time by herself.
Dahlia: In addition to excessive vocalizing, cats with separation anxiety exhibit other symptoms, including “velcro kitty syndrome,” where your cat follows you everywhere you go and demands attention constantly. Some cats with separation anxiety vomit while their owners are away and can also pee or poop outside the litterbox. These are signs of stress, not signs of anger or resentment.
Siouxsie: There’s plenty of material about how to treat separation anxiety in cats. But because your cat is deaf, you can’t employ some of the more commonly used tactics to keep her from freaking out: she won’t hear a radio playing soft music, for example.
Thomas: But don’t fear. We have a few ideas that might help your sweet girl feel less frightened while you’re at work.
Dahlia: The first thing you should do, if you haven’t done this already, is to take your cat to the vet for a checkup to make sure she’s physically okay. Some behavior issues are a response to health problems.
Siouxsie: After your kitty gets a clean bill of health, we’d suggest is that you use a pheromone diffuser. Most commonly found under the brand name Feliway Comfort Zone (this link is to a U.S.-based site, but we’re pretty sure you can get it in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, too), the diffuser emits a synthetic form of “happy cat” scent that’s pretty effective in relieving stress. Mama’s used it with us when introducing new cats or when we’ve had to move to a new house. Our former vet used to have Feliway plug-ins in the cat exam rooms at her clinic.
Thomas: Although we say it has a scent, only cats can smell it. Humans don’t notice any aroma at all.
Dahlia: We’d also recommend a consultation with an animal behaviorist. These people are specially trained and have lots of experience treating emotional and behavioral problems. Your vet may be able to help you find one in your area — and if there aren’t any nearby, many behaviorists offer consultations by phone or e-mail. If possible, find a behaviorist that specializes in cats. The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants has a search tool at its website that can help you locate a consultant in your area.
Siouxsie: Sometimes a veterinarian who also practices homeopathy can provide you with a remedy that will help your cat feel less anxious and stressed.
Thomas: Mama gave me a homeopathic remedy when I first came home to live with her, and it really helped me. I went from hiding all the time to exploring all around my room in just a couple of hours.
Dahlia: If your cat cries because she’s lonely, consider getting her a kitty friend. Keep in mind that if you do so, you need to introduce the cats properly — or else you could cause your current resident to become even more stressed.
Siouxsie: But if it’s not the right time to bring another cat into your life — for example, if your lease only allows one cat, or if your budget doesn’t have room for an extra set of vet expenses and food — don’t do it just because it might help your cat stop meowing so much. If both you and your cat are overstressed, it could make a bad situation worse.
Thomas: And if all else fails, your vet can prescribe a short course of medication. The meds could help to break the cycle of ever-increasing stress and anxiety and help your kitty re-program herself to be more comfortable while you’re away.
Dahlia: Regardless of what tactics you try, it will take a while for your cat to learn to turn the volume down. If you can convince your neighbors and your landlord that you really are working to solve the problem, perhaps they’ll be able to be patient with you. Good luck, Michelle.
JaneA Kelley is a punk rock cat mom and award-winning blogger. She is a regular columnist for Catster Magazine, and she and the Paws and Effect Gang share a home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo i do, i do find this white Cat sooooooooo lovely and very, very sweet Cat ;) :) :)
lots of Dutch Kisses… on the very Cute, lovely and very, very sweet Nose of this white Cat from Egbert Beekman
i’m sorry but i fogat to say that i do, i do want a nather Cat but i still miss!! My beloved Minette
she past away tuesday 14 of june this year 2011
in that time i get suport from Donna Kee Katz on facebook because she did sent a lettre…
The Feliway diffuser is a good idea – I have seen them work miracles. I also have a cat who has suffered from fairly bad separation anxiety since the death of her companion cat a couple of years ago. For my kitty, the diffuser didn’t help much, but I found a pheromone-infused collar that worked like a miracle. It was amazing – instead of a kitty crying hysterically at the top of her lungs and freaking out if I so much as walked out to my car to get something, I came home to a calm and mellow kitty who greeted me with a soft meow and a couple of head butts. I know they also make pheromone sprays and whatnot as well. So if the diffuser doesn’t work right away, don’t give up hope.
Egbert, I am sorry to hear of the loss of your precious Minette. I am still sad after the death of my cat Cassius two years ago. I think getting another cat is a good idea – she would never replace Minette, of course, but it would be good company. Also if you rescued a cat, you could save someone’s life and that is always a worthwhile thing to do.
Keep in mind that the phermone plug-ins and sprays also come in a collar. Others (above) recommended them before I could—they work wonders. Try them! My other thought is–how are you going to know whether things are improving if she doesn’t meow when you are home? Is there a “friendly neighbor” who can listen and tell you if the meowing stopped (but not tell the landlord)?
Cats are comforted a lot by scent and a deaf cat I’m sure is comforted even more by sent. It might help to sleep in something that you can leave out for her during the day–so your scent stays with her.
Does she have a favorite soft toy? If she does, perhaps you could lay with that, too, and get your scent on the toy and then leave it with her.
In any case…I would not rehome the cat. I would let them evict me and find another place to live. Seriously. Your commitment is to this wonderful (beautiful!) cat that you love. The apartment complext has already shown their (lack of) commitment to you.
Also—I meant to mention something called Rescue Remedy. It’s a homeopathic remedy that is sold at places like Whole Foods, Amazon, etc. It comes in drops–it is used by rescuers to calm feral cats, etc. Google it for success stories and give it a try. It’s a calming agent.
Another cat for her company would help
I hope you are able to comfort you Kitty. I hope and have faith that this will work out OK, Blessings
what a beautiful kitty,yeh its realy to bad that there are sutch inconcideret people,i have spent all morning signing petitions of one sorte or another,i which that there were more i could dou for the planets so suffering animals at the hands of man.wright now this is all that i can do,with naiubors like you have i guess it would be out of the qwestion to get another kitty for her,poor thing it must be terifing for her.
My dear Lily [Wild Casablanca Lily, Queen of the Polar Bears} was a yeller, too.
She was very deaf, white with one blue and one green eye, and I think some Siamese
heritege, rescused at a few weeks of age from the street, with 3 1/2 legs. I give that
description to show how much she had suffered, and because she survived 13 years with
all these obstacles, and I still miss her incredibly.
But part of the volume was because of being deaf, she couldn’t register her complaint enough.
for her, Chiropractic from an animal chiro vet helped loosen some of the restriction of the
aural nerves in her neck. Still deaf, but able to register vibrations. {Before treatment, she
didn’t even respond to foot=stomping.]
So that is worth trying, as Rescue Remedy in her water…couple drops every day as you change the water.
And I do agree…if you have to move, you do. One of two main reasons I finally gave up and bought a house. was to that she could have peace and quiet to yetl! My deaf downstairs neighbor moved out, and I knew we would have to move on…
My cat has a few attitude problems of her own but mine include when she gets angry she will pee on places where I am. I don’t know if being separated from me is why she does it but it’s always when I have left her for periods of time. We have other cats (4) so I don’t think it’s a companionship issue (she doesn’t like the other cats and chooses not be be around them). I purchased the phermone plug-ins, the collar and a tube of Pet-Ease Paw-Gel. These items have worked wonders! I put the collar on her, have a plug in for the family room and one for our bedroom (those are the only 2 places she likes to be in) and things have changed drastically. She gets a dose of the gel in the morning and at night before I turn in. My husband has also noticed that she’s more mellow and seems more content. I took her to the vet first and did find out she has problems with her urinary tract so between the special diet for that problem and the phermone stuff she’s a very content and happy kitty. Now the only time she meows is when she’s saying hello or just wants to chat, she can be quite the chatter. The only other option is to think about getting your kitty a companion? Sometimes that is the best thing. I’m sure there are many pets in your area shelters who would love to be adopted. Good luck with your kitty. It sounds like your a loving mommy and want to make her happy. Know you’re loved and missed though. Too bad the neighbors are such jerks. I have a Siamese in the household too and seems he sometimes has a lot to say! Much luck to you!
I think it is wonderful that you love your cat, I would never give her up! I would move first !
I knew someone I lived near and she had so many problems, I tried to fix after awhile I
made the mistake of my life, I moved and gave my kitty to someone in my chruch and guess what?
not only was she holding on for dear life, I just wasn’t thinking !
5-6 years later , I got sick and I was on the roll, I miss my kitty so badly, but I cannot ask to get her back now it is years later. Don’t make the mistake I did , I am still paying for it emotionally.
Now looking for another cat, but my kitty still has my heart and I don’t know if I could find another
fenality like hers ! she was beautiful, like yours, but had color. don’t make the mistake I did!
sometimes you can find a duplex and they cannot hear your cat, she sounds lonely and I like the collar
I was reading about, it is a chance, It would be awful for her to have someone else when she loves you
I’m really considering getting Feliway because my two cats fight SOO much. :\ I have a female who is 3 years and a male who is 2, and ever since we brought the male home, our first kitty has always hated him. He likes to rough house, so they always get into fights and sometimes it escalates to taking some fur out. She’s never happy around him either. She gets mad and growls or just walks away. Sometimes she’ll tolerate his presence, but if he gets too close and she’s not in the mood, she’ll whack him with her paw and start a fight. I just want them to be nicer to each other!
I have never, ever heard you guys be a little bit wrong but in this case I have to comment. Even tho all the suggestions may work, I don’t think it’s separation anxiety. I have a deaf white cat ( also 6 years old) who also screams at the top of his lungs but he does it even when I’m right there. He does “lose” me occassionally & goes thru the house calling me until he sees where I went, this could be SA but he also goes out to his outdoor run & if he feels like it, lets out several minutes of horrendously louds screams. He especially likes to do it sitting in front of open windows & I’m scared to death the neighbors will get fed up.
I think part of what it is, they CAN’T HEAR. Their own voice is the only sound they can hear & they probably don’t even really hear that, they probably just “feel” it & have no way of knowing it’s extremely loud. You know how deaf people always talk really loud? What to do about it? Golly, if anybody figures it out, please let me know!
If it were me I would move before I gave up the cat, especially a cat with a disability. I’d be afraid that the new owner would do the same thing, eventually.
Some very good suggestions here, I think. I would definitely ask the vet for some short-term anti-anxiety medication for the cat. Also, think about perhaps leaving a radio on while you’re gone. I know kitty’s deaf, but she can still feel the vibrations. (I used to have a dog that had separation anxiety and this worked quite well. she would tear the place apart when I was gone until I tried this).
Also, kitty’s that are anxious generally like small, confined spaces to curl up in and feel safe. Do you have a kitty condo or some such item where she can cuddle up with a “you-scented” blankie or flannel shirt, etc.? Sometimes that helps.
The last suggestion might sound rather goofy, but I had a friend who tried this and it worked for her. Those little heartbeat things that you put in the bed/bassinet with a baby and have a heartbeat resembling a human heart seem to have a calming effect; maybe if you wrap that up in a shirt or small blankie that has your scent on it and put it in her little kittly condo, she’ll curl up in there and think it’s a substitute you!
Good luck, I know these things can be difficult. Our 17 yr old cat is going deaf and blind and sometimes she meows very loudly when she gets disoriented, especially when using her litterbox late at night. We solved the problem by putting a night-light next to the litterbox so she can see where she’s going, which alleviated the anxiety and the meowing.
Again, good luck but please don’t choose your apt. over your kitty!
Have you tried Spirit Essences for cats? There might be something that could help (in fact I’m almost sure of it!). They offer a product to help with separation anxiety, which could very well be what you cat has: http://www.spiritessences.com/products/Separation-Anxiety-Remedy.html
I use some of the other Spirit Essences for my kitties (primarily Peacemaker, Self Esteem and Bully Remedy) and they seem to be working!
Good luck – and as Kentucky Woman says, plese don’t choose your apt. over your sweet kitty!
Dear Michelle, and your beautiful, beatiful cat. I’ve had a couple of deaf cats (pure white) and I know it is very difficult for them to understand. They do feel the vibrations of your footsteps, etc. but my Siamese blue point who has now passed also went deaf and only then began to speak in Siamese language because she couldn’t hear herself, nor me, nor her ‘brother’ who has also passed. Try contacting [an animal communicator]. Also try leaving her something with your scent on it – pjs or a toy, a t-shirt or sweat shirt to cuddle up to. Good luck!
We edited this post to remove the contact information for one particular communicator because it’s our policy not to favor any one individual practitioner over another. There are many wonderful, talented animal communicators and we know that if you want to try consulting with an animal communicator, it could be very helpful. Mama’s had animal communicators talk to us, too, and it’s pretty cool!
I think it might help to leave a radio or tv playing either classical music or maybe even better a news station with voice sounds…I do that when I have a foster cat that needs to be isolated for a short period…they tend to meow at night but the tv playing a combination of music and talking seems to help.
I suggest that if its loneliness , you can maybe keep the radio on or best is TV , even news broadcast like CNN or BBC, the constant chatter will make it think somones in the house-Another thing is to get a another cat if shes friendly a kitten perhaps?
Even when you are arpund keep the telly on and the radio so shes gets used to the sounds\HO_e this helps
try using some kind of noise muffles around the doors and windows?
I also suggest you keep a piece of your clothing that you have worn ,in her favorite sitting napping place
Sorry I did not hve time to read the other postsd , they seem to have have had the same thoughts! So I feel it should help
Just a quick note. As an apartment manager AND an avid cat fancier, I completely sympathize with your situation. However, the apartment manager is also confined to fair housing laws and has to act accordingly when another tenant complains. Don’t give up your kitty! The suggestions are worth a go! Talk to your neighbors and the landlord and let them know you are actively trying to correct the situation. For Heaven’s sake though, do NOT get evicted! that will devastate your credit and greatly reduce your chances of moving to a nice community! Best of luck to you!
Mowzers! What a predicament! We’s so very glad you love your kitty enough to try to resolve this rather than give up on her!!
Though we understand that some deaf kittehs can vocalize simply because they cannot hear, on the other hand in this situation, we feel Thomas is correct and this is most likely Separation Anxiety – simply because she does not do it when her owner is home.
We knows something about both deaf kittehs and Separation Anxiety – mainly because the day after Momma adopted me, they discovered I (Maxwell) was completely deaf. And the shelter where Momma volunteers has had some serious issues with animals suffering from separation anxiety (did you know doggies can Eat An Entire WALL when suffering from SA?!?).
SA is a serious issue and one of the main indicators is the instant change of behavior when alone vs. when with their human.
All of the recommendations from Dahlia, Siouxie and Thomas are wonderful, as are several of the ones from visiting commenters (such as Rescue Remedy and the fact that you can get pheremone-infused collars and sprays).
We sincerely hope this helps solve your issues and you can keep both your neighbors and your sweet kitty very happy!
Respect-furry Yours,
Maxwell, FaRADaY and Allie