A crying and constantly meowing cat will drive anyone nuts if they aren’t TRYING to hold a conversation with said cat. And many cats cry for breakfast and dinner mainly so a feeding schedule works well that is designed around when the cat would normally cry so it has nothing to beg for. However, other cat crying may not be so obvious.

Just some of the reasons I’ve found that my cat is crying to get my attention is:

• She brought something lovely in the house for me to see and be proud of.
• She is dragging socks from the laundry that is done ALL over the house.
• She’s hungry or out of water.
• She hasn’t had enough quality time in the past few days.
• She thinks her litter box should be cleaned immediately.
• She’s thinking it might be fun to go elsewhere to play, like outside or in the garage.
• She’d like you to give her a second and pet her for coming into the room.

Obviously, she gets rewarded for these which is why she cries in the first place. If your cat cries for a need not being met, then you meet the need, you’ve told the cat that is the way to get what it wants.

Make sense?

If your cat is in the habit of crying for attention… here’s what to do.

Put it on cue. Seriously, encourage your cat to cry and click with a training clicker and reward. Put it on cue and then never cue it except for every once in a while so the cat knows it’s still a cued behavior. It will be a bummer during the “begging phase” of training where the animal does the behavior it is learning over and over again to get the treat, but after that phase and after it’s REALLY on cue, you will be good to go with your quiet cat!