Sheng Chi's Blog
Sheng Chi's way of explaining some of her own & her fellow cats' behaviours
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The cats in charge of this site are:
Choo Choo (male, almost 10 years old...he likes to snooze, eat and snooze again...in this order)
Ripley (female, almost 12, the oldest and very fussy...she likes eating, eating, snoozing, snoozing and strings...in the same order)
...and Sheng Chi, in charge of everybody and everything
(she is almost 8 and very very curious about everything and extremely bossy...)
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Welcome to Daily Meowing, a site who aims to help human carers whose companion animals are having behavioural issues
by providing telephone, email and home visit consultations for such problems (see our behavioural problems page for more details)
Cats are the best companions anybody could have. Not only they are affectionate and very intelligent it has also been proven that they can relate to their human companions and that they also in some cases are known to be able to help humans to recover from many physical and psychological conditions.
But for each cat the development of behaviour clearly depends both on inherited factors (primarily genes) and non-inherited factors (primarily environmental influences) in order to develop and they emerge as a result of a regulated interplay between the developing cat and the conditions in which she lives. Also, different genes may be expressed in the same way in different environmental conditions.
For that reason the cat's behaviour cannot be divided into just two types (those caused by internal factors and those caused by external factors) and even behaviours, which are considered as "unlearned" are often modified by learning and by other forms of experience later in development.
Other environmental factors, such as the quantity and quality of nutrition, can also have great effects on behavioural development.
The developmental processes generate behaviour in the individual cat which sometimes remains unchanged once formed and sometimes changes a great deal. Cats are also very adaptable and they seem to thrive in different environments which seems to explain the similarities as well as the differences that are found in cats living in different conditions.
But cat behaviour sometimes is also seen as strange and unexplainable to us (although it probably makes perfect sense to them as they perceive the world differenty than we do).
As therefore they can't express their thoughts and feelings through language that we understand then, they will still try to communicate with us sometimes in ways which are not always acceptable to many of us such as through spraying or inappropriate urination, scratching, loud vocalization, etc.
In such cases cat carers will need to make the effort to try and see the world through their cats' eyes if they are to understand and appreciate the nature of these some times 'strange' and perhaps unacceptable behaviours.
So if you think you have problems with your cat's behaviour we can help! (see CAT BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS page).
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Loud and persistent meowing
(at night time...)
Cats loud meowing especially during the night or in the early morning hours is a very common behavioural issue for many cat carers. Cats will generally use different meows to communicate with their humans and often the loud and persisting meowing in the middle of the night is the cat's attempt to get attention from his human at a time when the human is not available and the cat feels bored, frustrated and in need for attention. Of course often cats will meow for other reasons too and any change in a cat's normal behaviour needs to be checked by a vet first to make sure that's not the result of a physical condition.
More frequently though loud meowing in the middle of the night is a more common behaviour in older cats, who due to age and lack of agility tend to feel less secure and to be more attached and dependent on their humans and to want reassurance by having their humans checking on them. But in some cases younger cats will also use loud meowing especially when they are perhaps suffering from some form of disability (e.g being deaf or blind) or because of stress ( for example when they have being changes in their environment), even when the cat is grieving because of the loss of a another pet or human companion, or when they are suffering from separation anxiety, etc.
Cat's usually don't communicate with each other with a lot of vocal sounds(some growling and hisses perhaps), as they will normally use body language, but they'll use many different meows to communicate with their humans (being intelligent themselves and having figured out that this is the right way to get what they want when they wanted it...as humans tend to be very talkative themselves!). So they will normally use different meows for their different needs (to get some attention and or in other cases, food or to be let outside,etc).
Cats that meow for attention at night time usually they tend to also meow during the day as well and always get the attention they want but it is the night time yell that sounds louder and more demanding. So in such situations the best thing that a human carer can do is to learn to ignore the cat and to be as persistent as the cat perhaps. Inconsistent behaviour from the carer's part will only make things worse and the cat more than likely would carry on meowing because he/she knows that when he meows his human will give him the attention he wanted in the first place (as the carer often without realising is reinforcing this kind of behaviour... )
Of course trying to ignore a cat when he meows or yells at night time or early in the morning is not that easy so it is important that cat is not being encouraged by acknowledging him when he does meow but also for the carer to make sure that the cat has things to do when he is up and about, if he is busy, has enough food and to make sure that he has used some of his energy earlier through play and exercise...
Cats need to have routines and schedules which can help prevent any future stress, and at the same time can help the cat feel relaxed and secure and in charge of their environment. That routine should not only include feeding but also attention and play times.
Playing will help the cat to get often some needed exercise and to alleviate stress and at the same time make the cats feel that they are getting enough attention and they are not being neglected. This play time should be on regular basis and the play sessions should try and mimic cat's natural hunting behaviour as much as possible. For example by using such toys that can imitate prey by making such noises as those of a flapping bird or by trying to simulate mouse movements. Carers should also always try to end the play session by allowing the cat to capture the toy and they should be long enough for the cat to get tired – probably 15 - 20 minute..
After the end of the session the carer should feed the cat as this mimics what would happen at the end of a real hunt – the cat would eat his catch. Most cats they will take a long nap after a play session. These sessions should take place normally at times when the cat is quite active and the carer feels that she/he can give the cat sufficient time and attention and always at the same time every day. Also the cat at home should always has plenty of safe toys available (which the carer should try and rotate them to make them more interesting) as well as also hiding some treats around the house for the cat to find or even part of his food.
In most cases also the use of some of the Bach Flower Remedies can help a cat to feel relaxed and not in need of reassurance from his care all the time...(the most common and often used one is the Rescue Remedy, ideal for first aid emotional 'crises', such as sudden trauma, visits to the vet, very fearful reactions, panic attacks, etc).
For more information and advice on the remedies and their uses contact me at kzurbanu@yahoo.co.uk
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