The cat won't stop yeowling at night - HELP!

[morethanalltheteainchina]

I am really hoping that someone can give some advice as I am at the end of my tether...

We have cat who was originally a rescue. He is about a year old and has been neutered. He is, for various reasons, a house cat, but we try desperately hard to keep him stimulated and have spoilt him with all kinds of toys, scratching posts, rattles, bouncey balls, laser pens etc.

He has never been the best sleeper - he sleeps in with us (or we have to put up with him scratching at the door all day) - and we regularly have to put up with him nibbling our toes, sitting on our heads etc. All very endearing.

However, for the last few weeks he has been yeowling REALLY loudly - normally at around 4am and then again at about 6.30. He has free run of the place, always has access to drinking water and dry food and his litter tray etc so there isn't anything that he can need. We try to wear him out by playing with him for ages straight before bed each night but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

It is driving us mad, any advice? If it's just a cuddle he wants then he is always able to come and snuggle up to us in bed. I'm concerned that it is because he wants to play but as much as I love him, I'm not getting up in the night to throw his ball around....

[cozietoesie]

Do you know anything about his previous history? (eg whether he had a difficult life as a younger kitten - and whether he's been outside in his past?)

[morethanalltheteainchina]

Thank you for your reply! He was a street cat (we live in the Middle East) and he was rescued by a charity and then we adopted him. However, I think he was only on the streets for a few weeks. Unfortunately beyond that, we don't know much about him at all apart from the fact that the charity had him neutered. As I say, he is often playful at night (well dusk really) but the yeowling is recent. We've tried ignoring him, stroking him, cuddling him, offering him wet food, playing with him and it just makes no difference! He just stands on the landing yeowling at nothing

[cozietoesie]

Is your household in any sort of position to let him out of a night (cat flap etc) ? (i know you said house cat etc but.....) If he was a street cat (and I've had one, recently) then he may want to strut his stuff. Once they know ....

It may not last. I know that The Lodger came here and went out to strut - and all the cats round here (city) carry AK47s and have tattoos. The Lodger went out and did his thing for a night or two and then came in and slept in the house of a night.