Is a cat meowing a sign of distress?

[Tiddlypom]

My feral black cat in the hay barn was getting me worried yesterday. Instead of hissing at and cursing me, he kept meowing loudly and curling back up to go to sleep when I disturbed him.

I convinced myself that he must be ill or injured, and was wondering how on earth I could catch him up to find out. Then thinking of how to transport a feral cat to the vet.

Today thankfully he’s back to his normal grumpy self. Though he does tolerate me getting a little bit closer than before. I last saw him outside about a week ago, and he looks a healthy weight and his coat is good.

Am I worrying unnecessarily?

This him today. He was having a wash, so that’s got to be good, hasn’t it. I will be adding cat food to my next supermarket order, in case he‘s not finding much to eat.

 

[PapaverFollis]

My haybarn feral/possibly a neighbour's cat that's chosen us instead usually hisses at me too. But he does randomly meow instead sometimes. And last week spent so long (48 hours?) sleeping on the same hay bale without coming out to supervise and hiss at me I thought he might be ill. He perked up again though. I think he might just have eaten a dodgy mouse or something.

He also meows when the horses are in his way.

I have no useful advice though!

 

[Shady]

Mmm could just be having a tired, off day and just wants to sleep and not summon the energy to be properly narky but can summon enough to let you know he sees you and please respect his space.
Washing is always good so keep an eye on him and yes add a little food now winters here x

 

[Littlewills]

You need to feed feral cats every day regardless of anything else going on. It doesn't stop them hunting.

Cats only meow at humans, so he was trying to communicate with you. Its just working out why.

 

[Tiddlypom]

He’s not our own feral cat as such, though he does seem to have adopted us when it suits him.

What food can I offer him til I get cat food next week? Would Chappie be ok?

ETA It is possible that he is owned, as I have also seen him near a cottage half a mile away. Those people are ill, though, and have carers coming in.

 

[Umbongo]

Cats will meow for a variety of reasons, it's just trying to figure out why. They only really meow to humans, but will make some other noises at other cats (mostly growling/yowling/hissing) Meowing can be anything from saying hello/go away to being scared or in pain. It's more about reading the body language along with the sound. If he looks in good condition, moving about ok and is eating, then I would not be too worried.

If he is a stray then no harm in supplementing his hunting with some food, especially in winter. Do not feed dog food though. The odd mouthful would be ok, but anything more and could cause severe health problems. Cats are obligate carnivores and need taurine in their diets.

 

[Ownedby4horses]

I would say he is definitely trying to communicate with you, sounds like he has picked you for his new home. You need to get him cat food, I did a quick google and this came Up:

Just as it's dangerous to feed only cat food to dogs, cats cannot survive on dog food alone. Dog food lacks sufficient vitamin A and taurine, two nutrients cats need to live healthy lives. Dog food is also deficient in arachidonic acid and lacks the adequate meat-protein levels that cats need.

Hope that is of some help x

 

[honetpot]

I have several cats, and they meow for attention, the feral kitten would meow when he couldn't find the other one, then stop when he had found him.
For us humans it's working out what sort of attention they want. Our very old cat I sometimes think has dementia, as he will wander around the house with a plaintiff strangled meow, which used to mean, I've caught a mouse, now he seems just to needs picking up and reassuring.
Siamese seem to be the most vocal. Can I go in, can I go out, will you open the door, will you get up, and I am just here can you not see I need a stroke, now.
Your feral is trying to tell you something, you just need extra training, and you will work it out.

 

[cobgoblin]

Feral cats definitely meow when they are wandering around looking for their friends but as he was still, he was just greeting you and letting you know he was there.
I'm sure he'd like some food! Don't be alarmed by how long they can sleep, especially in bad weather.. Ours used to curl up for days.

 

[splashgirl45]

i always fed my ferals twice a day, cat biscuits am and meat pm . they always kept the rats and mice under control

 

[Tiddlypom]

Your feral is trying to tell you something, you just need extra training, and you will work it out.

Yes, he did seem to be telling me something! He didn’t seem too impressed at my current training level .

Chopped chicken will be available for him from tomorrow, so if he’s hungry that should help.

He’s a great rabbiter, and we have a lot of rabbits in the summer, but not so many now, so he might well need a bit of extra grub.

 

[Littlewills]

Chappie wont hurt in the slightest for a couple of days emergency top up food, its just no good long term.

 

[Tiddlypom]

6 slices of human grade chicken and half a tin of Chappie later...

Hay barn cat had finally made his demands clear even for the numpty human . He even came over after the first bit of chicken to head butt my hand to demand more, so he must have been handled at some point. I had to refill his bowl three times!





We have enough regular meat to keep him going til my next supermarket shop, when I’ll buy cat food.

 

[cobgoblin]

Result.

 

[DirectorFury]

Congratulations on your new cat

 

[Littlewills]

Brilliant! Sounds like he isnt a true feral and has now adopted you regardless. Congratulations on your new cat!

 

[Rumtytum]

Well done Tiddlypom! Now he has his own food bowl he really needs a name (unless it’s going to be HBC ?)

 

[Tiddlypom]

Haha, I’m completely hopeless at names.

Thanks all for your help with hay barn cat. I’m now not even totally sure if he is even a he - I got a brief glimpse of his rear end today and didn’t spot any balls?

I’ve always presumed that he was a he because of the pronounced jowls, which I think you can see in the second pic above. I’ll keep a watch out. Maybe he’s a late neutered tom?