Annoying Meowing Cats

[GoddessOfGuinness]

I received this "daily pet tip" in my email. It makes me wonder why the author ever bothered getting a cat:


A cat meowing outside your bedroom door at dawn is one of the most annoying sounds in the world. Of course, they are doing this because they are crazy about you and want to spend more time with you, but this is no consolation when you are trying to sleep. Of course, some cats are doing it simply because they want you to give them more food.

In our house, we have dealt with this problem by cutting a cat door into the door between our kitchen and basement. During the day, the door is open so our cat can go down there for food, water, his bed, his scratching post and his litter. In the evening, when the last person retires to bed, the cat is corralled into the basement and the door is shut so in the morning, we don't have a vocal, early morning visitor disturbing our slumber.

There are lots of other creative ideas passed down by cat people through the years on how to deal with this:
• Set up a fan outside your bedroom door pointed at the lower part of the door. Cats hate having air blown on their face so they might give up coming in.
• Keep a spray bottle of water handy and when he begins meowing, either spray your cat's paws under the door (if the crack is wide enough) or open the door quickly and spray his body with a little water. If he doesn't sneak past you inside the bedroom, you've at least gotten a small victory.
• If your cat scratches your door instead of meowing at it, try putting up bubble paper, or some double-sided tape on the lower part of the door where his claws are scratching. Cats usually don't like the feel of either.

Don't feel guilty. Chances are, if you let your cat in to cuddle with you, he'll be standing at the closed door of your bedroom meowing to get out before very long.

:wtf:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. That borders on sadistic --

:grr:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. That's what I think, too!

If you don't like:

* cats that meow
* cats that scratch
* cats whose poo smells icky

Get a stuffed animal.

[stuntcat]

2. poor cat

Surely this person is just making this up.. surely. Someone who'd lock a cat in the basement every night and think up ways to torment them through the closed door should NOT be allowed to keep pets :cry:

"Don't feel guilty" my ass

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. This was sent via the Washington Post...

I signed up for a weekly "pet tips" email.

I'm picturing the person that wrote this to look like the Griswold's next door neighbors in "Christmas Vacation". Ick.

[crimsonblue]

47. Why is the floor all wet, Todd?

I don't know, Margo!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

51. Cheers!

[crimsonblue]

54. don't forget your

[racaulk]

3. What an ass.

If you don't want a cat climbing in bed with you, then don't have one!

Geez...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. I can't imagine life without

a kitty sleeping on my chest.

[madinmaryland]

4. They don't want the cats sleeping with them?

:wtf:

We have a parade of cats in our room throught the night!

[racaulk]

5. That reminds me of my favorite comic strip EVAH!!!

:rofl:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. LOL

:rofl:

[TZ]

21. Wow. How did they see into my bedroom at night

Thats SOO my cats--particularly the cover thing!:rofl:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

11. Sounds like someone who wanted a cat for show...

It's obvious that the person who wrote this is not a cat person at all. Kitties need worship and devotion.

[huskerlaw]

6. They lock the cat in the BASEMENT?!

Poor baby! Then again, I'm picturing a dark, dirty basement with no windows.

If it's a finished walk-out basement with cat-accessible windows and a couch or two, it's not so mean.

Right now I have to shut 2 of my cats up in the kitchen at night (I have one with dietary restrictions and this seems to be the easiest way to make sure they're all eating enough). But the kitchen is large, has a big window that they like sitting in even during the day, and I always toss in numerous cat beds and blankets. After a week or so of protest, they actually go into the kitchen quite willingly at bed time.

However, I don't lock them up because I don't want them in my bedroom. That is a bit ridiculous.

[stuntcat]

7. hope..

Our basement here has windows and a couch and the guest bedroom so maybe their's is okay too.
HOPEFULLY the writer just sounds way more assholey than he really is.. cats just deserve a lot more respect than that.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. Imagine if cats had guide books for dealing with us...

Does your human talk when you're trying to take a nap?
Lock him in the basement!

[zanne]

14. Mine don't need a guide book...

I know my place.

[Jamastiene]

57. Pfft!

:spray: Good one!

I know my place too. :rofl:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

12. I did shut mine in the bathroon for a few nights...

Just to get him using his litterbox again.

It worked, and I still felt guilty.

[CreekDog]

31. you know, the wild is dark and dirty at night too

:think: :evilgrin:

[huskerlaw]

34. hahaha, yes

but the cat isn't locked in there. ;)

[yellowdogintexas]

33. my four lived in the attic for 18 months. Now bear in mind, it is a

finished out attic, with carpet, lots of light, two lovely windows, tons of cozy little cavey like places to hide in, cat beds, food, litter boxes.

They were upstairs during the daytime and had run of the house all night. Of course they slept with me. I would be insulted if they didn't.

Now they were in the attic because my daughter's dog wanted to eat them and they did not want him to. The solution was to let them be upstairs where it was warm, bright and they felt very safe behind a very CLOSED door. Then when he went to bed with my daughter at night, behind HIS closed door, they came down stairs. They received visits every morning for their soft food treat, and of course for kitty litter cleaning and other care, and when my husband isn't on the road, he spends a lot of time up there in an office he set up in one of the rooms. So they had companionship, and lovely cozy kitty cushions to lounge on

Doggie and daughter have just relocated to Phoenix and kitties now have their house back. They are pleased. We are pleased. All is well.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

52. We have a cat door that leads to the basement...

So if Tails needs a place to escape to, he can run downstairs. I've got a nice kitty blanket on the washing machine, and we keep a litter box down there.

[KSinTX]

16. My four cats would form a gang

Take out the fan, replace the water with bleach and subdue us, then wrap us in the bubble wrap and tape for security, throw us out the window and take over the bed. What's this person talking about?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

23. I think I'm going to send a sampling of these comments...

to the Washington Post...Jura Koncius wrote the email. She should know what others think of her advice.

[KSinTX]

30. If you need reinforcements, can I send along the Gang of Four???

Pleeeease? I'm scared now that I've actually said it out loud! The orange techno-kitty might read this (although I faithfully dump the cache, he's very good with a computer)

[Phoonzang]

17. Locking the cat in the basement is mean BUT...

They're right...a cat meowing at your door at 4 in the morning is fucking annoying. I let my cat sleep on my bed with me as long as she stays ASLEEP. At around 4 every morning she wakes up and starts meowing in my face and walking all over me. If she's not on my bed, she's on the floor making noise. So...I have no choice but to lock her out. For the longest time she's sit there making this god awful meowing (I can't even call it that) keeping me awake and I'm sure the other people in the apartment could hear it.

So, I implemented the solution number 2 (spray bottle). After a few nights she stopped. I still have to kick her out every night, but now she sits at the door and waits for me to open it when I wake up.

[stuntcat]

18. lol she's trained

she sounds like a good girl. I bet someday when she's old and slows down she'll be a good bedfellow again.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

24. I'll bet you're right...

She'll figure it out.

[Phoonzang]

28. I'm hoping age slows her down.

She's not even a year old yet so she's still bouncing off the walls.

[KitchenWitch]

19. Makes me want to steal their kitties away from them

I loves me the kitties.

That makes me sad.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

25. If my cat wasn't having so much fun being the only one...

I'd get another kitty. I may change my mind, and bring home another. :hi:

[leeroysphitz]

20. Why not train the animal so that it understands that this behavior is unacceptable in your house?

Like one might train, say, a dog.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

26. A dog? A DOG?

We shall pretend we didn't hear such a comparison uttered.

[Jamastiene]

58. Oh, wow.

Now, yer asking for it.

:popcorn:

:hi:

[GCP]

22. I have a stone deaf cat

And I swear the neighbors must be able to hear her when she starts up - and our houses are pretty far apart!
It's just something we have to live with.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. When my cat catches a mouse,

he wants everybody to know about it. I don't blame him. :D

[Burma Jones]

29. Our Vet gave us this advice on weaning kittens.....

We have to separate the kittens from their Mom. You should hear the meowing, yea even caterwauling, that goes on, for about five minutes, then Mom goes downstairs and the kittens play amongst themselves. After an hour or two, we let Momcat back into the bedroom......But, we keep the kittens shut up in our bathroom at night, I don't want to step on one - it's a big bathroom with litter box, food and water and it's where they were born. During the day, they have the run of the master bedroom and there's plenty of stuff for their entertainment and education.

By the way, our kittens are 6 weeks old today, and here are the obligatory kitten pics:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

35. Awwwww...

They are just sooo sweet!

Have you found homes for them yet?

[Burma Jones]

49. Four of them are headed out to some of my wife's Yoga Students

We're keeping two, as well as MomCat.....

Then, it's Spaying all around........

[GoddessOfGuinness]

50. Three is a nice size fora cat family...

:thumbsup::hi:

[elshiva]

38. Thanks for that.

[CreekDog]

32. well if i can't sleep and lose my job that cat won't have a home

so you do what you have to do to get a proper night's rest.

personally, i just feed mine right before bedtime. sleeps all night since i've been doing that.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

36. I feed mine before bed and in the late morning...

He seems content with that.

[Robeson]

37. I'm feeling guilty even contemplating those things....

...and I echo your...:wtf:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

42. Tired of your annoying children wakiing you up on Saturday mornings?

Stick 'em in the basement!

[SoxFan]

39. This gives me an excuse to post this!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=20653894

[GoddessOfGuinness]

40. I love the alarm cat!

Are those your pretty babies?

[SoxFan]

43. The girls

Brianna is the calico. She's a big sweetie and a daddy's girl. She is the cat in that video, right down to the poking routine. She has the classsic goofy Maine Coon temperament and the chirpy, chatty voice.

Pippy is the tabby, the Sneaky Striped Cat. She's a mischievous little character, and I think she's made out of the same stuff as hockey pucks. She fell off a third floor ledge, and lived to tell the tale (after sleeping for about 12 hours straight).

[GoddessOfGuinness]

44. They're beautiful!

:hi:

[SoxFan]

46. They thank you for the compliment!

They're hanging out with me tonight. Brianna is dozing "dead bug" style in the comfy chair next to my desk, and Pip is keeping watch in the window.

[Danger Mouse]

41. I don't think the methods of deterrent are bad.

They're ways of teaching a cat that you don't like what it is doing. OTOH, what's wrong with a cuddly kitty?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

45. That's what I mean...

If they want something quiet they could get a snake or fish or something.

[Danger Mouse]

48. Well, it's about the timing.

Our dog barks like an idiot all day, but at least it sleeps at night and rarely barks...and if it does bark, it's because she's a good watch dog.

[harmonicon]

53. what a lame-o

I miss having a cat. Sure, mine would meow and scratch at my bedroom door, but he was also my best friend in the world, so how mad could I get? He got to hang out with me whenever he wanted - I just had to make sure that I didn't wall asleep with him in there, or he'd walk on my face to wake me up when he wanted to go out. And he would have been scared-shitless if I'd sprayed his paws with water underneath the door. The door was the best play-aid ever. You could slip things in and out of there and he'd try to catch them, and stick his paws under the door to go after them. So cute. *sigh*

[GoddessOfGuinness]

61. Exactly...

My kid wakes me up all the time. No need to lock him in the basement.

[harmonicon]

66. Oh, kids are different - you can lock them where ever

If I had children I think I'd also keep a spray bottle full of hot oil nearby at all times, just to give them something a little more firm than a simple "no!".

[littlebit]

55. In the seven years that I have had my cat

she has never woke me up. My dogs on the other hand wake me up all the time.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

62. It's tougher when the dog wakes me up...

because it means he needs me to get up and let him outside. Then I have to wait until he's finished with his business before I can go back to sleep.

[littlebit]

67. I know what you mean.

It seems like it always takes mine forever to go in the morning. By the time we get back in the house I am fully awake. They usually play for a few minutes and then go right back to sleep.

[Jamastiene]

56. Damn! It looks like the poor cat in that household gets NO affection.

The least they could do is let the cat sleep with them. I don't get it. :shrug:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

63. I don't either...

This is the kind of person I can imagine "getting tired" of a pet, and dumping them at a shelter. :(

[Political Heretic]

59. Funny thing about my cat. If I speak in a loud voice (not yelling) and tell her to shutup, she does

Don't get me wrong my cat rules me. She's my master. I'd say I do everything that cat wants, when it wants about 90% of the time. In the 10% of the time when I just can't, or need space or peace, she seems to accept a stern demand to stop whining about it. :)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

64. LOL

Shut up, please... :rofl:

[oedura]

60. In my family...

...we've always slept with our bedroom doors open, so it's not even an issue.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

65. When I was a kid, our little dog would make the rounds

from one person's bed to the next. She was very careful not to pick favorites. :)

[meow2u3]

68. My cat won't let me fall asleep at night

She meows incessantly, even caterwauls, and repeatedly walks on me, either because she's back in heat or to get attention. I swear that she's actually speaking to me...er...yelling at me.


Ruby is relaxed in that pic. She just won't let me relax.

Thank God she's going to be spayed Monday. That ought to put an end to the caterwauling once and for all.