There's A Reason Why A Brit Moogie Is On Auto Meow - Carole Wilbourn
Carole Wilbourn, The Cat Therapist, has been the leading voice in feline therapy for over 5 decades. She has helped thousands of cat moms and dads explore, face, and resolve cat behavioral and health issues. Carole is truly the most trusted Cat Therapist in the United States.
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26 Apr There’s A Reason Why A Brit Moogie Is On Auto Meow

Posted at 04:46h in Blog by

Meg, A Brit Moogie, Meows And Meows 

Meg’s Skype session

There’s usually a reason for “auto-meow”. I’m reminded of when I Skyped with Lynn and her cat Meg in Dublin.

“Meg won’t stop meowing,” said Lynn. “She sometimes stops, maybe to catch her breath, but otherwise, she is relentless.”

Meg’s Cat Companion Is Re-homed — New Dog Competition
Lynn explained how it all started in January when they had to find a home for Lily, Meg’s sister. She and her husband had adopted Sunshine, a large, very affectionate dog a year ago. Lily hated the dog and kept to herself. Lynn tried to console her but to no avail. She sadly found another home for Lily with an older lady where Lily would be her only animal companion. Fortunately, it was an ideal match, and the two of them are very happy. But Lynn suspects that although Meg and Lily were not very close, Lily’s departure was the cause and start of Meg’s little-stop meowing. Meg is now seven, and the two were litter mates. Her relationship with Sunshine, the dog, is very loving. They often sleep curled up together.

Baby On The Way
Lynn and her husband are particularly concerned about Meg’s incessant meowing because they are expecting a baby in October.
“No way, do I want to part with Meg. After all we’re a family, but I don’t know how we can go on this way,” said Lynn.
As I continued to take Meg’s case history, I had Lynn play a recording of Clair de Lune to relax Meg. Lynn mentioned she could play this on the piano which was perfect. Meg would associate it with her session and feel very special and secure. The music would become Meg’s security object. Undoubtedly, Meg was acknowledged now. There wasn’t one meow. We appreciated her time off.

Separation Angst And Rivalry
I agreed with Lynn that Meg’s meowing was a reaction to Lily’s departure, clearly separation anxiety, but I felt there were other ingredients that triggered Meg’s deviant behavior. Although she was close to Sunshine, there had to be rivalry. Whereas Sunshine was very affectionate and social, Meg was not. So Sunshine probably scored highly in attention getting and being front and center. Lynn nodded her head and agreed that Meg probably did get the short end of their attention. Sunshine was always ready and willing. Meg seemed indifferent.

Meg likes Sunshine but …..

Lynn’s Pregnancy And Other Transitions
As Lynn shifted in her chair, I asked her when she became pregnant.
“It was January.”
“And that’s when Meg started her meowing,” I said.
Lynn sighed and remarked how that had never occurred to them.
“Yes indeed.” I explained that January was clearly a month of many transitions. Not only was Meg separated from Lily, she could sense that Lynn was different, and she wasn’t as familiar — another feeling of separation anxiety. It was only natural that Lynn felt different to Meg. She was different, and Meg noticed and was affected by even the subtleties of Lynn’s body and other behavior. Her reaction or defense was a protest, a continuous meow. She felt abandoned.
“Wow, our poor, dear Meg. So how do we fix our Meg?”

Oh those eyes ……

This is the treatment plan I gave to Lynn:  
Meg’s Treatment Plan
**Acknowledge Meg verbally whenever they interact with Sunshine — even if Meg can’t hear or see them. She could instinctively sense their interactions and her tension and insecurity would continue to grow, along with her meows.  All they had to say was “Right Meg, or we’re taking care of Sunshine so you don’t have to be bothered.” Meg would pick up the feeling that their attention to Sunshine was on Meg’s behalf and not a threat to their love for her. If they continued to keep her in the Sunshine loop, she would calm down and her need to meow would slowly vanish.
** Play the piano or recording of Clair de Lune to reinforce the time Meg heard it during her Skype session. This will have a positive effect on her. The better she feels, the better she will behave.
**Since Meg enjoys your fresh grown catnip, offer her some a few times a week. A daily dose may become too humdrum.
**Daily sessions with the laser light will also help to work out her energy.
**Tell her often how pretty and special she is. She may not understand your words, but she’ll easily grasp your feeling and intent. After all, she’s a cat!

New Baby Intro

I told Lynn that they should also include Meg verbally when they speak of the baby and after he arrives. They could tell her how they would take care of the baby for her — not to worry. On arrival day, they might want to have someone there to dote on Meg, and I gave Lynn the link to my online CNN “Baby Intro”  
Lynn thanked me for Meg’s session, and we bid each other good bye.

…