-- The Cat That Needs To Be Noticed--
YOWL, MEOW! It’ s Hector, again. The last month he has been a noisy boy, traveling from my side to another room, and then yelling, calling. It’ s insistent and a bit annoying. What to do? If I go to him, it’ s usually a rub around my legs, then purring, or even a request to be picked up. But some days, it’ s not long before he does it again.
He’ s not alone. Many cats do this and do it for many reasons. In Hector’ s case, it is mostly to get attention( as if he doesn’ t get enough of that)! But looking on the internet, he is not alone. Many cats play a“ come get me and be near me” game with people.
But it can also be something wrong in an area of the house that they need you to see with them. It can be a dead mouse, or vocalizations as they play with a beloved toy or catnip mouse. That type of yowling is common with cats that are house cats, but also hunters. They want you to see what they have.
For other cats, they are letting you know they are in pain. Often, this call is accompanied by being sick. Jasper will often yowl when his tummy is upset, after being sick. Luckily for us, this is not a common occurrence, but it happens often enough, especially at night, for me to hear my sweet tuxedo boy let me know he’ s not feeling well. He wants a little comfort, and everything cleaned up pronto. In the wild, cats would bury this, like their scat. My floors make that difficult. Usually a quick rub, and he is ready to curl up and forget all about it. Patricia Dickson from Pango Vet lists other reasons: Your cat may be hungry, or his litter box is dirty and needs cleaning. If you have an unaltered female cat, she could be in heat. Going into another room helps to break your concentration from what you are doing.
Sometimes, the best thing to do is go to the cat and then follow him to the problem. Both Hector and Jasper will alert me to a water fountain that’ s low( even before it stops running) a litter box problem, or even a desire to go outside( here that would be at their favorite patio door, not the shop door that’ s open).
Older cats can yowl in another room for other issues. The one often cited is cat senility, where one of our beloveds gets lost in their own home and is afraid. Usually in this case, they need you for comfort and for re-orienting themselves back. Your sound, smell, and touch will help guide them back. But it’ s not always forgetfulness that can make an older cat behave this way. A cat with vision problems can“ get lost” if things are moved or changed- much like a person who is vision impaired and has memorized an area. And a cat that is about to have a seizure will also often first move away and then call out. They are feeling the oncoming seizure and need to let you know.
Luckily for this household, it is most often a need for just a rub, pp5 and wanting their person to Pay Attention To ME! Though it can be annoying at times, the joy of an extra rub or cuddle time makes up for the disruption. And as Spring warms the porches, I am hearing less calls from another room and more play and sitting in the sun there. Happy Spring!
- by Linda Roller, Bookseller, Writer, & Owner of Liberty Book Shop in beautiful downtown Avis, PA.
LIBERTY BOOK SHOP Linda Roller
Hours: Thursday & Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-3, or by appt.
“ Where yesterday’ s books are today’ s treasures.”
LibertyBookShop @ comcast. net www. thelibertybookshop. com
570-753-5201
Pawsitively Pets-- April 5