[WCM]

<p>We have a new cat (our other cat died last year). I have had cats all my life, feel very familiar with them. I have never had a cat like this new fella', and I need help figuring him out.</p>
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<p>He's Bruce. He's a rescue cat, they have no idea where he came from. He's a huge black cat, looks exactly like a Bombay but I continue to tell my kids I doubt a purebred would end up at the pound, he just looks similar.</p>
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<p>Behaviour:</p>
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<p>Okay. He is very chatty, wandering around the house (esp. in rooms where no one IS) and meows this low meow, like a cat challenging another cat. There's no one in the room.</p>
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<p>At night, once we're all in bed (not just once the kids are, or once dh is, but when we all are) he roams the house meowing exactly like a cat in heat (he is a neutered male). He moans and groans his plaintiff meows roaming through the empty main floor of the house. He has free access to our bedrooms, he can (and will eventually) seep on my child's bed every night. But he roams and moans.</p>
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<p>Food:</p>
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<p>If anyone goes into the kitchen, he wails at them. Rushing them towards his food dish, he increases his wailing (and it really is a wail, think Siamese meowing on energy drinks). His food dish has food in it. He will only stop if I put more (dry) food in it. If I fake it, miming the food with an empty scooper, he **** won't eat what's in his dish. He will only eat the 'new' kibble. If I dump it all back into the food jar, then give him a small scoop of new stuff, he'll eat some of it. But then it is deemed 'old' and he won't touch it.</p>
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<p>As soon as anyone moves in the morning, he's AT them meowing for fod. Again, dish is full of dry food. He wakes everyone else up.</p>
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<p>I've been feeding him Orijin (canadian) high-protein no-grain cat food, human-grade well researched. No wet food. He got canned junk cat food at the shelter. One friend says he's missing that, but he's been with us over a month. I just bought him some raw cat food, reading that he needs moisture in his food. I give him a small amount (so it is not wasted as it's garbage after 30 minutes at room temp) with some fish oil, he eats most of it. But will meow at the next person in the room. I've read he only needs wet food twce a day, with dry to snack. He'd like it 4-5 times I'm sure, but he'd only eat 1 tbsp at a time I'm sure. He's a long, lean, BIG cat.</p>
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<p>Is he just a noisy breed (like Siams?). is it because of his past, maybe he was starving or mistreated and this is just who he is now?</p>
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<p>He's a lovely fellow, we adore him. But the noise is driving us nuts. We pick him up and pet him, greet him, try not to leave him for long. As I type this he is wailing around the kitchen, no one is in there, I just emptied and then re-filled his dish. What gives??</p>
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<p>Many thanks, from us and Bruce.</p>
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[stardogs]

<p>DH and I have a cat that drives us nuts with the meowing too.  Best we can figure, he meows because it gets him things he wants: attention (even passive attention), food, play, etc.  We've been able to minimize accidentally giving him food or toys while he's meowing, but DH does not have the patience to not go into his office (where our cat lives fulltime) when Pi is being loud and unfortunately Pi finds even the presence of a human who isn't talking rewarding so the yowling continues in specific situations.</p>

 

[lonegirl]

<p>Sounds like my cats.  I shush them when they meow for food and will often kick them out of the room and while they are out I will put a bit of food in the dishes.  Then let them run in.  As for the night time meowing....I know with one of them he is "hunting" his toy.  So I try to hide them at night.  it helps.....Some are just talkers.</p>

 

[firefrenzy]

<p>Could you relocate his feeding dishes?  My cat went through a phase where she refused to eat the food in her dish.  I'd add a little in and she would eat a bit but wouldn't go and eat out of it like she used to do.  I relocated her food and water dishes to another room and she is much happier and eating better.  Maybe your cat needs to eat where there is less traffic? <img alt="shrug.gif" src="http://files.mothering.com/images/smilies/shrug.gif">   </p>
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<p>As far as the vocal cat-  he is probably just a talker.  Does he sleep in someone's room?  maybe put him with someone at night so he doesn't feel lonely at night .</p>

 

[WCM]

<p>He sleeps in our family bedroom with everyone. He has free access to his dry food (origin) all night, and our beds, and yet still he wakes me to feed him. When there's food already in his dish! If we lock him out of our room he wails to get in, so either way no one sleeps. It's becoming a real problem. He pays no attention to us unless we're in the kitchen, and then if we are, he wails at us for food. I can feed him (raw lamb formula in morning and night) and after he's eaten, he'll wail again. it's getting worse, not better.</p>
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<p>I'd think he has worms, because he's not gaining any weight, and he's hungry all the time, but he has no other symptoms (vomiting diarrhea). I scoop his poop, he has no worms there. He does look sick, in my opinion. He looks like an old cat with that clumpy fur, not a sleek soft coat. We were told he was a young cat.</p>
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<p>yes, I have a vet appointment for this week.</p>

 

[stardogs]

<p>Worms are still a possibility, even if you don't see them.  Hope the vet appointment gets you some answers!</p>

 

[Caitlin0919]

<p>Sounds like you just have a very vocal kitty. My cat is the exact same way. I can tell you that he was a LOT more vocal when he was younger. He's 5 now and he doesn't make nearly as much noise and it's not as loud when he does. I don't know what to tell you about the food. Maybe try moving it like pp suggested.</p>

 

[lucyem]

<p>I have a part siamese cat now.  He does the exact same thing about food.  To the point I got a sign that says "Beware Hungry Cat" for the kitchen wall.  Basically he spends his free time telling anyone in the room that he is going to die of starvation.  And he gets right in your face.  After fighting with him for years about food I finally gave in and started giving him wet food.  It helped but now he expects it and on the odd day we run out we certainly hear about it.  I also have free choice dry food he will only eat if he is desperate but the other cat (domestic) is perfectly happy to eat, she will not eat the wet food.  I used to have another part siamese and she used to do the howling thing a lot.  In her case it was something she just did in empty bathrooms at night.  We used to joke she liked her echo.  Her cries and actions were different when she had a UTI.  </p>