Why Do Cats Cry At Night? [And How to Stop Them]

You may have taken a pose and thought to yourself, “why do cats cry at night?”. And you might have wondered whether it’s a natural occurrence or cats are just being noisy and annoying.

Cats are nocturnal creatures, which means they are most active in the evening. They have a natural tendency to be more active at night than during the day.

Cats cry at night because they are injured or in pain. They also cry when they are mating.  Cats can also cry when they are hungry and cannot find food or shelter. Crying at night for cats can also be a way of communicating with other cats for example, female cats in heat can yowl for male cats so that they can mate with them.

For home cats (pet cats), they can cry out when hear sounds that humans cannot, like insects buzzing around them or mice scurrying through the grass. When a cat hears a sound that it likes or feels is threatening or dangerous, it will cry out loud to warn its family or friends of the danger.

Also read: Do Cats Need Access to Litter Box at Night?

The following are reasons why cats cry at night

1) When Female Cat Wants to Mate

Cats that are in heat have a tendency to cry out. When a female cat wants to mate with a male cat, she will cry at night until he comes over to her (or goes away). The yowling that you hear, is when the female cat is actually calling out for male cat to come and mate with her. Other times, she will even cry during the process of giving birth!

2) In Winter, Cats Cry at Night Because They Are Cold,

Cats tend to be cold during winter, so if you notice that your cat cries all night long, then you should make sure that he or she is warm enough by giving him or her extra warmth from a heating pad or blanket over his or her cage or wherever it is located in your house. You could also try adding more blankets over him or her cage and see if this.

Same applies for feral cats in your backyard or neighborhood. Will cry when they are cold and cant find shelter.

3) Cats Cry When They Are Injuring or Are in Pain.

Cats also cry when they have been injured or are in pain. They can get injured while playing with each other or getting caught on a tree branch. They can also cry when they can something else that is too high for them to reach with their claws.

If there is an injury, it may be bleeding or open wounds which makes them uncomfortable and causes them to cry loudly and continuously until it heals enough for them to come off their injuries naturally without any medical intervention (that is for feral cats.)

4)     When They Are Hungry and Can’t Find Food

When cats can’t find anything to hunt and eat when they go hunting at night, they can get frustrated and cry out. That is especially if they are hungry and need something to eat.  That’s for feral cats that depend on hunting to survive.

5)     When There is A Territorial Dispute

When two male cats are fighting for territory, they will yowl or cry at each other. They will battle without rest until one runs off. Cats are territorial and if one cat feels an intruder has invaded his territory, it will fight off to and chase the intruder away.

Read also: How To Keep Your Cat from Going Upstairs

Why Does My Male Cat Cry at Night?

Male cats cry for many reasons, including.

 Stress

Your cat might be stressed by something that’s bothering him. It may be other animals in the house, or humans as well.

Your cat might also be stressed if it has been confined in one space and has no access to the other side. It can be that your cat wants to get out of the house because it has been in there for too long.

Anger

Your cat might be crying at night because it is mad at something or someone. Your cat can put up this emotion if it is not getting enough attention. Cats also tend to get angry because they are jealous, your cat might be jealous of other cats maybe because they are outside, and it is stuck in the house at night.

Fear

Your cat might be frightened by something, it could be a dog or any other animal that cats can get scared of. And if you have a kitten, it could be crying at night because it feels vulnerable on its own

Nervousness

this is one of the most common reasons for male cats crying at night. Cats are often nervous and emotional animals that can experience panic attacks from time to time.

These episodes can be triggered by changes in their environment or in the people around them.

Cats who are nervous will often wake up from a deep sleep and start crying loudly in an effort to get your attention or comfort.

If you don’t respond quickly enough, they may try to escape, which could lead to a fight with you!

This is why it’s important to always keep your cat’s safety in mind when dealing with any behavior that seems unusual or out of character for him or her.

Read also: Do Mother and Daughter Cats Get Along? All You Need To Know!

Cat Crying at Night After Moving

When you move your cat, it may be crying a few reasons.

It could be that the cat is scared of his new home and is trying to adjust to his new surroundings. This can happen with any type of stress or change in environment and can take up to two weeks for the cat to adjust.

Another reason your cat might be crying at night after moving is because he’s lonely and missed you while you were away. One other reason is that the cat may be scared by something new in his new surroundings, like a new person or dog walking by.

A Few Things to Consider If Cat Keeps Crying After Moving

To start with, is there something wrong with the new location? If so, you may need to find out what it is and come to the aid of your cat as soon as possible.

If the cat doesn’t seem to be adapting to the new environment. Try giving it enough time to adapt, transitioning from an old house to a new house can be tricky for cats because they are territorial.

Second, does the new location have an uncomfortable amount of noise? Is there too much light or air circulation? These things can be overwhelming for cats and lead them to cry out of fear.

Third, does the cat seem stressed out in general? This could be caused by an illness or injury that requires immediate medical attention. If your cat seems stressed out during this transition period, take it to the vet immediately!

How To Stop a Kitten from Crying at Night?

1. Give it food

A hungry kitten will cry more than a full stomach.  You might want to try offering her some food. A full stomach will help her fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

She’ll also be less likely to wake up during the night because she’ll have had a good meal before going to bed.

2. Keep it warm

If you’re trying to get your kitten to sleep in its own box, it’s important that the box is warm enough for her. Ans if you put her box next to an open window or door where the temperature drops at night, she could end up too cold for comfort and wake up again even though she’s been sleeping well for hours.

If this happens, try putting blankets over her litter box so that she’s warm enough for comfort in both locations.

3. Give them toys!

 Especially during the night when they are most active, so that they can be worn out by playing. Like that, the kitty won’t have much energy to cry during the night.

Toys are also great for keeping your kitty entertained and happy while they’re playing with them! You can also give them toys that help them get rid of their excess energy like laser pointers or laser pens

They can play fetch or hide-and-seek with their toys or even just toss them around like balls during playtime.

Why Do Cats Cry at Night Islam?

In Islam, when a cat cries at night, it should be taken as a sign that there is an evil presence in your home, and you should seek to exorcise it.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Cats are the best of animals and the most beloved of me.” The Prophet also said: “When a cat meows at night, it is as if it is saying, ‘Oh Lord! I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment of Hellfire.'”

Cats are a sign of good luck in Islam.

According to the Islamic faith, cats are considered lucky creatures. They are thought to bring good fortune and happiness into the house they live in.

As such, people who own a cat may be encouraged to make sure their cat is plentiful, happy and well-fed. And that it is not suffering from any disease or injury.

Should I Ignore My Cat Meowing at Night

This depends on either you get disturbed or not when your cat is meowing. If you don’t get disturbed by your cat meowing at night, then you should probably ignore your cat.

But if you do get disturbed by all the meows from your cat at night. Then they are a number of things you can do in order to stop the meowing.

If possible, interact with your cat just before going to bed in order to get it out of their system. This is because cats’ meow at night when they need attention from their owners.

Also ensure that all the necessary requirements for your cat are easily accessible at night. This can include, their water bowl, their favorite toy and also remember that cats need access to the litter box at night. So, make sure it can easily be accessed.

Most importantly, neuter your cat. Cat has a tendency to mew loudly at night when they are in heat or when they want to mate. Neutering your cat should remove mating desire from your cat and they should be quieter at night.

If there is a shortage of one of those things, it could be the reason your cat keeps meowing all night. They may be trying to tell you that they need water to drink or that the need to go use the litter box.

Why Is My Cat Waking Me Up At 3am?

If your cat is waking you up at 3am, there are a few reasons why. Here are some common ones:

• They’re hungry! Cats are nocturnal animals, so they’re sleeping during the day to conserve energy. When they wake up at night, they need food, and fast!
• They want to play! Cats love to play with toys, whether they’re real or not. If your cat has got some time on their paws at that time of the morning. Or if she finds something fun to play with in your house (or even outside), they’ll usually take advantage of the opportunity to try and wake you up at 3am.
• They want attention from their humans! Cats are social animals that like to be close by when their humans are available for interaction. If your cat awakens at 3am and notices that everyone else is asleep already but him? Well, he’s probably going to wake up his humans too.

Why Do Cat’s Meow At 5am?

This behavior is called “alarm call” and it’s used by cats to tell their owners that they want to go outside. This happens because the cat doesn’t want to stay inside all day long alone, so it makes a loud noise so that its owner will come back home quickly!

Cats are intelligent animals that pay attention to every detail of their environment including their owner’s schedules.

Your cat may be meowing at 5am simply because it has observed the time in which their owner gets up from bed. This can be an almost day to day routine like preparing for school or work. Nonetheless, your cat does not want you to miss that schedule. And so, she tries to remind you by meowing at 5am

Conclusion

If you have cats of your own, it’s well worth investigating this potential reason for nighttime crying. It doesn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with these causes.

 If you haven’t noticed nighttime crying in your cats before, there’s no cause for concern, it doesn’t mean that your cat is sick. However, it might just be a behavior act in your cat that is making it cry all night.