A howling cat can be most annoying. Cats are wonderful pets, they give us companionship, amusement and affection. Usually cats are so quiet you may forget that you have one around. Sometimes though they can yowl enough to drive us around the bend.

All cats are different of course, some are more vocal than others. The breed of the cat may also play apart in how noisy they are. Why do cat's howl? Let's take a look at a few of the reasons.

Could she be attention seeking? Cats can become bored, especially indoor cats. Your cat's wailing may just be a cry for attention. The problem here is that if you respond to that wailing and give your cat the attention, then the next time she feels the need to have a fuss made of her, she will become a howling cat again. After all, it worked didn't it?

The trick is to give her some attention before she starts the noisemaking. Play with her, stroke her or even just talk to her. These things need not take much time from your busy day and your cat will enjoy the interaction with you. What you must not do is respond to attention seeking howling, you have to ignore it, not easy but it must be done.

If you cat suddenly takes to wailing and howling when she doesn't normally do so, it could be due to a medical reason. A visit to your vet will put your mind at rest that your cat is not making a racket because she is unwell or injured.

Time marches on. Your cat may not be the sprightly young feline she or he once was and, just like with people, old age does bring difficulties. Your cat may howl because she is experiencing pain form any number of age related problems. Once again, a visit to your veterinarian will confirm if there is anything wrong, or not, and if any help is possible.

Remember also that an older cat's hearing may have deteriorated and she may not be able to know how loudly she is yowling. She may not hear herself at all, so she howls all the more.

Has your pretty kitty girl been spayed? Has your tough Tom been neutered? If not then that could easily be the reason that you have a howling cat. A female cat that has not been spayed could be caterwauling because she is in heat, an intact male could be howling in his desire to mate. The answer here is of course to get your cat to the veterinarian to be fixed. A quieter life is only one of the many good reasons to have your cat fixed.

Is your howling cat keeping you awake at night?

Look what your cat does during the day, she sleeps a heck of a lot. Most cats spend a great portion of their daylight hours lightly snoozing. This is how cats are made. They are crepuscular (at their most active at dusk and dawn.) All that daytime slumbering means that kitty is wide awake at night. You, on the other hand, are in the sack and kitty hasn't anyone to give her some attention. So she howls.

It does the trick. You get up from your bed and give her attention. The attention may only be telling her to shut up or shouting at her, but she's got some attention!

If your cat does sleep a lot in the daytime, try awakening her and have a playtime with her. Don't stop all of her catnaps but do keep her a little more active. A play session shortly before you retire for the night is a good idea. The object is not to exhaust kitty but just to try and get her to sleep when you do.

It is hard to resist but it really is best not to give your cat any attention when she is howling. Cats are smart, give them attention when they do something and they learn to do that something each time they crave attention. This also holds true when you give a response that you would think your cat would not want, such as a telling off. It is still attention!

If you can do it, ignore your howling cat. Walk out and lock yourself in another room. Give attention to your cat when she is not seeking attention by yowling, not when she is. With patience you can reduce or end your cat's noisy habit, then you can fully enjoy the company of your pet.

Thankfully cats do not only make annoying sounds. There are many cat sounds that are very pleasant.

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Larry Chamberlain is a life long cat lover and writes about all things cat related for the Best Cat Art website. See what he has to say about Cat's Claws