The cat’s meow is their primary way of communicating with people.
A cat meows for many reasons – to tell you something’s wrong, to ask for something, or say hello, among other reasons.
If you’ve had your cat for a while, you’ve probably mastered what every meow means. And if you’re like most cat owners, you find the constant meowing at the door to go outside a bit annoying, especially because it’s hard to understand why your cat needs to go outside all the time.
Cats are natural hunters who stalk their prey, kill it, and eat it. They’re also semi-nocturnal creatures with a strong drive to reproduce. Therefore, even if your cat has everything they need indoors, they’ll still have the urge to go outdoors to hunt and mate if they can.
It’s a natural instinct for your cat to want to explore the outdoors. You can’t change this instinct.
Our cats sit by the back door to let us know that they want to go out but will start meowing if we don’t notice.
There are certain things you can do to reduce your cat’s urge to go outside. In this article, we explore the reasons why cats meow to go outside and what you can do to modify this behavior. Let’s jump right in.
Reasons Why Your Cat Won’t Stop Meowing To Go Outside
You’ve provided your cat with a perfect indoor environment – they have plenty of food, toys, and a cozy place to sleep. Why on earth would your furry friend have a constant need to go outside? There are many reasons why felines have the urge to be in the outdoors.
For starters, cats are natural hunters. They love the thrill of stalking their prey, killing it, eating it, then returning to their pride. And because they are semi-nocturnal creatures, they have a strong urge to reproduce.
Your cat doesn’t get these opportunities indoors. Therefore, even if you got the cat while he was still a kitten, at some point, he’ll want to go outside.
Cats are also extremely curious creatures.
They’ll explore their indoor environment, hang out at the windows looking at what’s going on outside, and they’ll eventually want to go there. Therefore, you shouldn’t be alarmed by constant meowing to go outside – it’s natural.
However, if the meowing is excessive and sudden, it’s advisable to see a vet to rule out any medical conditions.
How Do I Get My Cat To Stop Meowing To Go Outside?
Before you try to put a stop to your cat’s excessive meowing, it’s advisable to identify the cause.
Is your cat bored? Is he seeking attention, or does he have a real need to go outside? It’s hard to tell by just listening to his constant vocalizing. The trick is to observe the circumstances around the cat’s meowing and take note of what makes him stop.
Once you’ve identified the problem, consider the following tops to curb your cat’s excessive meowing to go outside:
Schedule Regular Walks
Similar to humans, cats enjoy routine.
Therefore, you should try to establish a routine that eliminates the need for guesswork for your cat.
One of the best ways to curb excessive meowing to go outside is to establish a walking schedule. Do it the same day and around the same time so that your cat always knows when to expect a walk outside.
You’ll notice a reduction in meowing when you do this because your cat is anticipating the walk. However, for this trick to work, you need to create a schedule you can stick to. Don’t commit to everyday walks if you can’t manage. A few walks a week will suffice.
Add Cues
It’s also important to make your walks predictable. This way, your cat always knows it’s time for a walk. You can use a verbal cue like “walkies” or a visual cue like taking out their leash and signaling the cat to come to you.
The goal is to make your cues specific to the walks. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Something as simple as leaving out the cat’s leash where they wouldn’t normally bump into it will send a message that it’s walk day. If the cat is anticipating a walk, they’ll probably not meow to go outside because they know they will.
Reward Desired Behaviors
Felines understand cause and effect all too well. If you’ve pet, rewarded, or taken your cat outside after meowing in the past, they’ve learned that doing so yields results.
Therefore, every time they want to go outside, they’ll meow because they know you’ll give in.
If you want to stop the habit, you need to start rewarding the behaviors you want.
Reward quiet behavior and ignore demanding meows to go outside. Also, make it a habit to cue for walks when the cat is away from the door.
Don’t take him outside or reward him just because he won’t stop meowing at the door because it only makes matters worse.
Make Your Cat’s Indoor Environment Exciting
It’s unfair to expect your cat to be content with a boring indoor environment. Cats are playful and curious, and they get bored easily.
Therefore, it’s crucial to ensure your cat’s indoor environment is exciting if you want to curb their need to go outside. Consider the following tips:
- Invest in puzzle toys to keep your cat busy.
- Break your cat’s daily food rations into small pieces and hide them in different parts of the house for him to hunt.
- Add several scratching posts, trees, and angles in the house. Ensure some scratching points have high points that allow your cat to see what’s happening above or below. Cats love doing this.
- Play with your cat using an interactive toy like a wand. This toy not only makes your cat practice his predator moves but also keeps him sharp and happy. Besides, you can supervise your cat and bond.
- Rotate the cat’s toys so that he doesn’t get bored too fast.
Cat Training
Training your cat not only reinforces good behavior but also creates bonding time for you and your fur baby.
The training should focus on making your cat happier to stay indoors. For instance, clicker training helps you teach your cat simple commands like fetch, sit, lie down, and many others.
While these tricks won’t directly stop your cat from meowing to go outside, they keep him busy and make the inside more enjoyable. As a result, your cat is less likely to meow to go outside because he is having fun inside.
However, don’t do the same training every time. Cats get bored really fast. Switch things up from time to time to keep the fun going.
Don’t Ignore Your Cat
Giving in to your cat’s meows to go outside will only reinforce bad behavior. However, this doesn’t mean you should ignore him. If your cat can’t seem to stop meowing to go outside, find out the reason. Does he have access to his litter box? Is his bowl empty? Is the water bowl full?
Your cat may be meowing to go outside to find food or relieve himself.
Therefore, ensure all his needs are met before assuming they’re meowing to get attention. If any of the aforementioned issues are not taken care of, try to fix it and see if the meowing stops. If your cat continues meowing even when you’ve provided everything he needs, chances are he just wants attention. At this point, you can ignore him.
Wrapping Up
There are numerous reasons why cats meow to go outside. It could be because they are giving into their natural hunting and mating urges. Your cat may also be bored inside the house. It’s therefore important to observe the circumstances surrounding the meowing to know what to do to stop the behavior. Use the tips in this article, and the constant meowing should be a thing of the past.