Anti-meow spray collars

Hi, I'm not sure if my update actually posted, but anyway, I’ve found a few solutions that have been a total lifesaver for several months now! My cat used to meow alllll day long but also in the middle of the night (at the time we were in a studio flat so it was impossible to keep him in a separate room...). I knew he was a chatty cat and I love him to bits! But it was becoming unbearable... In his case, the meowing was a non-stop demand for food. It turns out my cat has no sense of satiety – he just doesn't know when he's full! I even tried adding cooked courgettes to his meals, but nothing worked; he was still just as greedy and meowed relentlessly... Here’s what’s changed since then: - I used to give him a pouch every morning when I woke up, but now I’ve stopped completely! There's too much sugar and too many chemical ingredients in them – a vet told me to give him "human food" instead. So now he gets a slice of ham (just a supermarket basic range one, obviously, to keep costs down) or half a tin of tuna for his breakfast. - For his dinner, instead of buying one of those "slow feeder" bowls that cost an arm and a leg, I give him his dry food on a flat plate! (Just like us!!) It makes it much harder for him to eat; he does get some on the floor, sure... but it takes him much longer to finish! Because of that, he feels more satisfied and even finishes his plate in several sittings! He hasn’t begged once during the night since :-))) - And finally, for discipline, we gave up on the idea of an anti-meow collar and went for... a spray bottle. One that does a proper jet (like a water pistol). It’s incredible because neither smacking, shouting, nor even cold showers really calmed him down; but since we started using the spray bottle, at the slightest bit of mischief, a few squirts of water and he goes off to his bed on his own. Now, we only have to reach for the bottle and he immediately settles down! The change has lasted, I can promise you that. We have a separate bedroom now, but I still occasionally sleep in the living room with my cat and he doesn't wake us up at all during the night. On the other hand, yes, he still begs for his bowl when we wake up – that’s the only time he meows a bit until we serve his breakfast. He has fairly fixed meal times (a real internal body clock), but it's totally reasonable! We’ve finally got our lives back and are living happily with our little furball ♡ I hope my experience helps :-)) Hang in there, everyone! *** Hi, it’s been a while now as it’s 2025, and I have a cat who’s nearly a year old. He meows day and night; everything is fine with his food, water, and litter. He meows whether he's in the flat or out on the balcony – nothing works. We’ve been trying different things for 6 months now and we’re reaching breaking point, especially my partner... it’s unbearable. The neighbours are starting to complain because summer is coming and they’re all out on their balconies. We’re now forced to stay inside because we can’t lock the balcony door from the outside, so we can’t even enjoy the balcony ourselves. We’ve run out of ideas and I haven’t tried yours yet. Is the change permanent? Has it still worked since you posted?

Hi there, Finally, someone else in the same boat! I have two lovely cats, both 7 years old. Narcos meows a lot to talk to me—he’s definitely a chatty one—but at night it’s like he has night terrors. I’ve spoken to my vet because it’s gone into overdrive since the balcony has been off-limits now that the heating is on! I’ve tried quite a few things. Calming collars are okay for helping him relax, but they don’t work indefinitely and you have to replace them every month. What works reasonably well are CBD drops; my vet was happy for me to use them. Anyway, my vet has now recommended seeing a veterinary behaviourist because I’m also fed up with the lack of sleep! So, there we go.

I’m sharing a solution I’ve just found for my cat’s meowing, just in case it helps anyone, though I don’t know if it’ll work for long. We adopted our cat four months ago and he’s honestly lovely—really playful and needs a massive amount of attention, but we’re getting used to it. The problem is that we let him explore the communal stairwell, and now he wants to go out there ALL THE TIME. There are other cats in the building that go out often, and he wants to go and see them. In itself, letting him out wouldn't be an issue, except now he’s started meowing outside a neighbour’s door to see his mate. And when he meows, it’s obviously not just a little "mew" followed by giving up if the door doesn't open; it’s this relentless, pathetic wailing that goes on forever. Since we can’t put the whole building through that, we have to keep him inside. Because of COVID, I’m working from home full-time, so he’s pestering me to go out all day long. If I play with him, he stops, but I can’t spend my whole day playing with him and he takes ages to tire out. So, out of sheer desperation this morning, I tried something I didn’t think would work at all: I put a video of birds on the telly (just search "videos for cats" on YouTube, there’s one that lasts 8 hours). It’s been running for an hour now and he’s absolutely glued to the screen—it’s brilliant. Anyway, I hope this helps someone, even if it’s not directly related to Robrom’s original problem. As for the people saying it’s "cruel" to stop a cat from meowing and making those rubbish comparisons to children, honestly, try putting yourselves in someone else’s shoes for a second. I don’t think you’d be sitting there all "tee-hee-hee" if your life was suddenly being dictated by "MEOW MEOW MEOWWWWWWW MEOWWWWMEOWMEOWMEOW" at all hours of the day...

Good thing I gave a heads-up... So that’s a no and a no :) and there is an automatic feeder that gives them a bit of food during the night. If he’s meowing, it’s simply because he wants to be with me. Except I want to sleep, I’d like a bit of privacy, and I want to be able to use my bedroom. It’s frustrating when you lay everything out clearly but some people still feel the need to give advice without actually reading the post, or only suggesting what THEY would do... And for anyone who’s going to ask "why do you have cats?", let me stop you right there – they were thrust upon me, and when the person left, they just left them with me. So there we go; I’m just looking for people's experiences, and you can keep your judgements to yourselves :) Hi, I’ve got the same problem as you, best of luck.

Hi and a huge thanks to Robrom for asking THIS question! I’m in exactly the same boat. I thought I was going to lose my mind with those night-time meows just because she wanted to be with me. My cat had access to the living area and the terrace day and night. At night, she’d come and sit right on my windowsill (I sleep with the window open but have a mosquito screen, which stopped her from getting into the bedroom), so I’d basically get a full-blown concert right in my ear. My flat layout is: 1 sliding door separating the living area from the sleeping area, 1 bedroom door (like most people, I suppose), the terrace was always open, and the bedroom window looks out onto the terrace. I should mention that she has an automatic dry food dispenser (which I highly recommend) and a water fountain. She’s got several armchairs, cat loungers, and toys. At night, I used to close the sliding door and my bedroom door. I think I’ve finally found the solution (this was a last-ditch effort before I considered rehoming her). Every night now, I bring the litter tray into the living room, close off the terrace, the sliding door, and my bedroom door, but I leave my window open: I haven't heard a peep from her. I’ve done this for several nights now. Now I can leave both my bedroom door and my window open, which lets the air circulate through the whole sleeping area. Mind you, I admit I still have to keep the living area shut off all night, but it’s better than not being able to sleep. Then in the morning, I move the litter tray back out onto the terrace, where she only has access during the day now. As for "calming products," I can confirm they don’t work, definitely not in cases like ours! I would have loved to find a collar that worked too. There are these ultrasonic "torches" available. They’re supposed to be painless, but the reviews aren't exactly conclusive. There’s also this guy (calls himself a behaviourist) selling a "miracle cure" online for about £25. I didn't trust it and, strangely enough, I didn't see a single review for his miracle recipe!!!! I tend to think it’s a scam, so I didn't buy it. Mind you, I almost did because I was at the end of my tether. As for the people who say "it's normal," I don't think they’re in the same boat, otherwise they wouldn't say that! NO, in my opinion, it’s NOT normal, especially if the cat isn't ill and has plenty of food and water! It’s just the cat being demanding and having a bit of a tantrum!!! Maybe the clothing idea is a good one. I hadn’t thought of that. Worth a try.

Hi Robrom. I expect this thread is quite old now, but it’s 6 am. We’re cat-sitting for the holidays, and he’s just like yours. Massive and he meows non-stop... And I haven't slept a wink... My own cat isn’t like that, so honestly, no one can judge what life is like with a cat that meows all night until they’ve actually been through it. Only 2 more days until this big ****** goes back home. 7 years... I’ve no idea how you’ve managed...

Hi everyone! I’ve got a three-year-old. And he won’t stop screaming and running all over the place, I can’t take it anymore. He’s doing my head in, disturbing my neighbours, waking me up at night... I’ve tried taping his mouth shut, a good hiding, playing the silent game, locking him in the cupboard, Ritalin... but nothing works. Does anyone have a solution to get him to shut his gob? I’m so done with it that I’m seriously considering dumping him somewhere just to get some peace... Um, sorry, I got carried away there. That kind of thing really gets me going... (I’m only joking, obviously, I don’t actually have any kids). I’m like many others on this thread, dealing with a cat that wakes me up at night. I understand the reflex behind your comment, and others like it that I’ve read, but do you actually understand what it’s like to not sleep a wink? Not just for one night? Noooo, for months! Because I actually do have a child. And yes, yes, yes, I’ve got up an unbelievable number of times in the middle of the night. But the thing is, you train your child! I promise you! If they’ve been fed, have a clean nappy, and aren't ill, then they're just throwing a tantrum because they want to be with us. You teach them to stay in their room and sleep and not to make a scene at bedtime. It can take a bit of time; you have to get up, put them back to bed, let them cry it out... it’s not an easy phase to go through, neither for us nor for them. So why should a cat... just be allowed to get away with it? Why should we adapt to everything they want? What a bizarre way of thinking! I’m glad I found this post and feel understood. Also, to respond to another post suggesting earplugs, I’ve tried them, and unfortunately, I can’t stand them. I wake up screaming and gasping for air, feeling completely claustrophobic. I’ve tried several times with the same result. Thanks for the stories, I hope I can find a solution that works from the ones suggested here.

Hi everyone, I’m not sure if I’d already posted my update, but I’ve found some solutions that have been life-changing over the last few months! My cat used to meow aaaall day long, and in the middle of the night too (at the time we were living in a studio flat, so there was no way to shut him in another room...). I knew he was a vocal cat and I love him to bits! But it was becoming unbearable... In my case, his meowing was a non-stop demand for food. It turns out my cat doesn't have a sense of satiety! I even tried cooked courgettes, but nothing worked – he was still just as greedy and kept meowing relentlessly... Here’s what’s changed since then: - I used to give him a pouch every morning when I woke up, but I've stopped that completely now! There's too much sugar and chemical ingredients in them – a vet told me it’s better to give him "human" food instead. So now, he gets a slice of ham (the cheapest budget brand, of course, for the sake of the wallet) or half a tin of tuna for his morning meal. - For his evening meal, instead of buying a "slow feeder" bowl which costs an arm and a leg, I give him a bed of dry food on a flat plate! (Just like us!!). It makes it harder for him to eat – he makes a bit of a mess, admittedly – but it takes him much longer to finish! Because of that, he feels more satisfied and even finishes his plate in several goes! He hasn't begged once during the night since :-))) - And finally, regarding discipline, we gave up on the idea of a "no-meow" collar in favour of... a water spray bottle. One that does a proper jet (like a water pistol). It's incredible because neither a telling off, nor shouting, nor even cold showers really calmed him down; but since we started using the spray, at the slightest bit of mischief, a few squirts and he goes off to hide in his bed on his own. Now, we only have to pick up the spray bottle and he settles down immediately! The change has lasted, I can tell you that. We have a separate bedroom now, but I still occasionally sleep in the living room with my cat and he doesn't wake us up at all during the night. Mind you, when we wake up, he does beg for his bowl – that's the only time he meows a bit until we serve his breakfast – and he has fairly set mealtimes (he’s got a real clock in his tummy), but it's totally reasonable! We've finally got our lives back and are living happily with our little Chachou ♡ Hope my story helps! :-)) Best of luck, everyone!