Excessive Vocalization (Feline)

Cats communicate through a variety of vocalizations, such as meowing, purring, trilling or chirruping, hissing, growling and shrieking. These vocalizations can be divided into four primary types of interactions: agonistic, sexual, mother-young, and cat-human. All vocalization is normal, and what is considered excessive is influenced by a variety of disparate factors ranging from time of day to how the owner perceives and interprets the vocalization. The most common cause of excessive vocalization is attention-seeking, which is a learned behavior. Treatment involves teaching the owners to consistently ignore their cat's vocalization and respond to the cat only when it is quiet. Excessive vocalization can also indicate the presence of a medical problem or other, more serious behavior problems, and treatment depends on the underlying cause. Cats can excessively vocalize because of pain, neurological problems, sensory deficits such as vision or hearing loss, anxiety disorders, cognitive dysfunction or aggression. A consultation with a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist is recommended to determine if the cause is medical or behavioral.

Common name: Excessive vocalization, or inappropriate or inopportune vocalization
Scientific name: Excessive vocalization

Diagnosis

Signalment
Excessive vocalization is more common in oriental breeds but can occur in all cats. It may also be more common in geriatric cats since they are more likely to experience pain, cognitive or sensory decline, or other medical disorders. However, it can occur at any age for a variety of reasons, both physical and emotional.

Incidence/prevalence
Little data exist on the prevalence of excessive vocalization, but one survey showed that 16% of cats from a sample of 120 were thought to vocalize at undesirable times by their owners.

Geographic distribution
There is no geographic distribution for excessive feline vocalization.

Clinical signs (primary, most to least frequent, scientific term, synonyms)
Nocturnal or early morning meowing, including territorial arousal, attention seeking, hunger, pain or disorientation (for example, in geriatric cats with cognitive dysfunction).

Clinical signs (secondary, most to least frequent, scientific term, synonyms)
No other clinical signs are reported.

Cause (scientific, common term)
Normal behavioral expression, learned attention seeking, genetic predisposition, pain, cognitive (mental) decline, anxiety, aggression.

Organ system affected
Central nervous system.

Diagnostic tests
An in-home evaluation by a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or Veterinary Behaviorist can increase the likelihood of an accurate diagnosis. In addition a physical examination with appropriate laboratory work by a clinical veterinarian can rule out medical conditions.

Differential Diagnosis
Medical (disease) condition.

Overview

Cats communicate through a variety of vocalizations, such as meowing, purring, trilling or chirruping, hissing, growling and shrieking. These vocalizations can be divided into four primary types of interactions: agonistic, sexual, mother-young, and cat-human. All vocalization is normal, and what is considered excessive is influenced by factors ranging from time of day to how the owner perceives and interprets the vocalization. The most common cause of excessive vocalization is attention-seeking, which is a learned behavior. Treatment involves teaching the owners to consistently ignore their cat's vocalization and respond to the cat only when it is quiet. Excessive vocalization can also indicate the presence of a medical problem or other behavior problems, and treatment depends on the underlying cause. Cats can excessively vocalize because of pain, neurological problems, sensory deficits such as vision or hearing loss, anxiety disorders, cognitive dysfunction or aggression. A consultation with a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist is recommended to determine if the cause is medical or behavioral.

Treatment

Home Care
To aid the professional in determining the cause of the excessive vocalization, owners should keep a diary or log that includes the time of night or day, week or month that vocalizations occur, when and where they occur, and what else is going on in the household or outdoor environment when the excessive vocalization occurs. If the excessive vocalization is due to learned attention-seeking, owners must consistently ignore the cat's vocalizations and attend to the cat only when it is quiet.

Professional Care
A consultation with a veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist is recommended to determine if the cause is medical or behavioral.

Action
Action will depend on whether the excessive vocalization is caused by genetic, medical or behavioral factors.

Outcome
Successful diagnosis and treatment depends on the cause of the excessive vocalization. Except in oriental breeds, in which the behavior may be unrelated to specific stimuli, the prognosis is moderately good if the owner is able to identify and remove those factors that initiate or reinforce the vocalizations.

Recommended Treatment
Consultation with your veterinarian or a veterinary behaviorist is recommended to determine if the cause of feline vocalization is medical or behavioral and to develop an appropriate treatment plan.

References/Additional Readings
Landsberg, G., Hunthausen, W., and Ackerman, L. Handbook of behavior problems of the dog and cat. New York: Elsevier Science Limited, 2003; 325‚ 326.

Overall, K. L. Clinical behavioral medicine for small animals. St. Louis, MO: Mosby, Inc., 1997; 6.

Turner, D.C., & Bateson, P. The domestic cat: The biology of its behavior. UK: Cambridge University Press, 2000; 207-226.

Author
Carmen Buitrago, MS
Certified Pet Dog Trainer

Consulting Author
Jennifer Sobie, PhD

Editor
Steven Hansen, DVM, MS, MBA, DABVT, DABT