Kittens make a wide range of vocal noises when they’re communicating—meowing, purring hissing, yowling and more. You may be doing your best to decode your feline friend’s yowling. Why are they yowling at night? Why are they yowling in the litter box? Why are they yowling while staring into your soul?
Well, the answer may not be so cut-and-dried. There are multiple reasons your kitten could be yowling. We’ll cover a few here and recommend what you should do.
- They’re looking for love. Your intact female kitten may yowl at all hours when she’s in heat. The best way to resolve this is to get her spayed. Speak with your VCA care team about the best time to spay.
- They’re stressed, anxious or frightened. Stressed kittens may yowl to communicate their displeasure. Look for other body language clues that your kitten might be stressed, including dilated pupils, flat or airplane ears and a flattened posture. Common situations that could elicit stressed yowling include a trip in a carrier your kitten hasn’t been desensitized to, getting shut in a closet, excessive physical restraint, or forced interaction with unfamiliar animals or people. If you can’t find the source of their stress, give your kitten some peace and quiet so they don’t escalate to an aggressive state.
- They’re frustrated. Your kitten could be frustrated due to boredom (lack of enrichment) or loneliness. They might be excessively grooming, pacing or biting at objects. Make sure you’re giving your kitten plenty of environmental enrichment to avoid frustration-related vocalizing.
- They’re in pain. Kittens in pain sometimes vocalize. A common situation in which yowling occurs due to discomfort is a urinary issue. Kittens having difficulty urinating frequently stand in their litter box and yowl. If you are noticing this, you should seek veterinary attention immediately as it is an emergency.
- They want to play. Some kittens yowl while carrying toys around. While we may not fully understand this behavior, a lot of times a kitten yowling with a toy in their mouth will try to present the toy to their owner. We assume they want your attention!
- They have a medical issue. Although your 7-month-old kitten is unlikely to yowl due to some of these issues, other medical conditions like hyperthyroidism or cognitive dysfunction (dementia) can result in excessive yowling.
For yowling without an obvious cause, or if you‘re concerned that your kitten’s yowling has a medical cause, we recommend reaching out to your VCA care team.
