As cat parents, we’re all accustomed to our cats meowing.
Yowling is a different matter.
It can be quite irritating, especially when they do it after eating.
But why does cat yowl after eating?
Let’s explore at the possible reasons.
When people think of animal sounds, the ‘meow’ cats make is one of the first things that come into mind.
But cat parents like you are likely to be familiar with the cat yowl.
What Is A Yowl?
A yowl is a longer, drawn-out moan.
Unlike the meow which cats make when they are happy, a yowl denotes discomfort and distress.
Anyway, if you haven’t heard a yowl, here’s a YouTube video of a cat yowling.
Why Do Cats Yowl?
There are plenty of reasons why they make this sound.
Usually, they yowl to communicate with other cats.
For one, cats who are in heat would yowl to suggest that they want to mate.
Female cats would yowl at night in a bid to alert males about their desire to mate.
Male cats, too, yowl when they smell a female cat in heat.
Cats can also yowl when they don’t want other cats to be around them.
Yowling can thus be a sign of a feline being territorial.
Male cats may also yowl when they fight over female cats.
It’s also possible that cats yowl just to get its owner’s attention.
If your cat yowls, then it is likely that she wants some little snuggles.
You may want to play hide and seek with her.
There are also instances when cats yowl for no apparent reason. They might just be bored when they yowl.
( Here, you can read about. can cats eat potatoes )
But what if your cat yowls after eating? What does this indicate?
Possible Reason 1: Satisfaction after a meal
One possible reason why your cat yowls after eating is simply to express her satisfaction.
Your cat may have liked the food you gave her that she let out a yowl to tell you about her pleasure.
If this is the case, then you should not be worried at all.
In fact, you would likely love it that your cat enjoyed the food that you gave her, right?
Possible Reason 2: She wants your attention
Cats are very communicative animals.
Thus it is possible that your yowling cat wants your attention.
Look at this YouTube video of a cat that meows after eating.
The uploader says his cat would meow as a way of keeping up with her human master.
The feline may be saying to her master, “Where are you?”
If she yowls most of the time, and not only after eating, then it may really indicate that she just wants to get your attention.
She may be howling to say, “Let’s play hide and seek!”
Possible Reason 3: She has uremic gastritis.
Finally, it is also possible that your cat has uremic gastritis, a condition characterized by stomach inflammation.
It can cause unbearable pain to your pet, which could explain why she makes that sound of distress.
Uremic gastritis is due to chronic kidney failure.
Remember that the kidney’s main role is to filter wastes and toxins through urination.
But when the kidney function is compromised, those wastes remain in the body and cause a toxic effect.
The excess stomach acid can cause cat to reflux into their esophagus.
Think of it as heartburn in humans, which is very irritating.
This could be the reason why your cat howls and appears to be in distress after she ate.
Uremic gastritis also has other symptoms such as lethargy, vomiting, and lack of interest in food.
Cats who have high fever and suffer from diarrhea may also have this condition.
Of course, we can’t confirm if your cat has uremic gastritis just because she yowls after eating.
Your vet would be the person who can verify if your cat has uremic gastritis.
The specialist would rely on the findings of a blood test with a chemistry profile to determine if your cat has the said condition.
How to manage her yowling
Yowling can be unbearable to most people.
If you don’t like that sound your cat makes, here are some tips to manage it:
- Don’t reinforce his bad behavior. As mentioned earlier, cats yowl to seek their master’s attention. You don’t want to reinforce his behavior. Thus, you should reward his yowl- don’t play or even talk to your cat when she makes that awful sound.
- Redirect her to a fun game. Before she starts to yowl after eating, try to intercept her attention by starting a fun game.
- Explore medical options. Bring her to a vet if she continues to yowl after eating, and appears to be distressed and anxious most of the time.
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Wrapping Up
Yowling in the night is common for cats, especially when in heat.
But it’s different when they yowl after eating.
Hopefully, your cat only likes to appreciate the food that you gave her.
Or that she just wants to play with you after her dinner.
Still, it would be best to go to your vet especially if you think that her yowls after eating are a result of something more serious.
