Hi Hillary,
Thanks for your question.
I can see how this can be quite frustrating. The first thing we need to do is determine whether this problem is medical or behavioral. Medical issues are always ruled out first.
There are conditions that can cause excessive vocalization in cats. Hyperthyroidism in cats can cause them to be overactive and vocal. This is easily tested by performing blood work. Other causes may include pain of some kind like a urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or dental issues. I would recommend having a physical exam performed and a few diagnostics like blood work and a urinalysis and maybe some radiographs depending on the result of the physical exam. If everything comes back normal, we can safely assume that this is a behavioral problem.
There are a few things that can cause a cat to act like this. There could be intact female cats in the area that he is detecting and vocalizing about. So shutting windows and reducing exposure could help. He may have previously been an outdoor cat and now that he is inside, he is experiencing stress. Feline stress of some kind would be my first consideration. You could look for the source but it may be hard to find. Even simple boredom and lack of stimulation can be stressful, but as you say, you are trying your best to address that.
I would recommend you start addressing stress more proactively. You could speak to your veterinarian about anti-anxiety supplements. There are pheromones that work really well. These are synthetic airborne hormones that you can spray around the house or even put in a diffuser and plug into an outlet. This has a significant calming effect on cats and may very well be the only thing you’ll need to do to solve the problem. You could increase stimulation with toys, using a laser, or buying electronic cat toys that frequently turn on and off at different times. You can buy cat treats that you hide around the house and have him hunt for them. This can take the place of some of those outside activities of foraging that he used to do if he was an outdoor cat. If none of this is working, you can speak to your veterinarian about anti-anxiety medications. You may not need to use these forever, but possibly only a few months until your cat learns to settle down.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
Dr. Clayton Greenway
