12 Reasons Why Siamese Cats Cry at Night

meowing crying siamese cat

Siamese cats are a popular breed of cats that many people choose to have as pets. Perhaps you have heard you or your neighbor’s Siamese cats constantly crying at night.

If you’ve ever wondered why Siamese cats cry at night, here are 12 reasons why::

  1. Loneliness
  2. Boredom
  3. Anxiety
  4. Alerting attention
  5. Breed characteristics 
  6. Hunger
  7. Other cats
  8. Mating
  9. Aging
  10. Want to go outside
  11. Discomfort or pain
  12. Nocturnal tendencies

If your Siamese cat’s nocturnal crying disturbs you, stick around. We’ll take a deeper look at why Siamese cats may cry at night. 

1. Loneliness

Your Siamese may cry at night because they are lonely. If you and your family or kids are active around the house all day, your Siamese may be used to the daily action.

When everyone goes to sleep, your Siamese may feel lonely at night. 

With no one else to play with and everyone asleep, they may feel like there is no one in the house, which can cause your Siamese to feel lonely. A Siamese will howl or cry loudly if they feel lonely. 

If your cat does not sleep in the same room as you, it is extra likely that they will be lonely. A Siamese is one of the most social breeds of cats, which is why they are likelier to cry at night from loneliness. 

The best way to solve this issue is to let them sleep in your bedroom. You might provide a special bed near your bed for them, or you might let them sleep in your bed. If your buddy stops yowling at night after this, your Siamese is probably lonely.

Talking and playing Siamese cats

2. Boredom

Siamese cats are relatively active overall, and they need moderate exercise and playtime each day to be physically stimulated.

If your cat is used to playing during the day, they might get bored at night when no one is around to play with. 

In that case, nightly crying is a sign of boredom and a call for attention.

A solution to this is to leave your Siamese cat with some toys to play with during the night. It’s a good idea to choose ‘quiet’ toys so they will not wake up the whole house while engaging in their nightly play activities.

3. Anxiety

Just like humans, animals can experience anxiety. Cats may experience stress for a number of reasons, such as pain, illness, aging, or fear. If your Siamese constantly cries, especially when alone at night, it could be a sign of general anxiety. 

Cats can feel that something is wrong with their body, which will cause their system to trigger an anxiety response. This often takes the form of crying. 

Any anxiety your Siamese experiences that result in crying may increase their loneliness or boredom during the night. This combination of anxiety and boredom or loneliness can be why they are particularly vocal at night. 

Try soothing them before you go to bed, or let them come to bed with you. If it still happens, you might want to schedule an appointment with your vet.

Siamese cat resting in blanket
Siamese cats could be meowing at night to get your attention or because they’re bored.

4. Alerting Attention

Another reason your Siamese cries at night can be to alert your attention. Siamese are known for meowing loudly and frequently; if your Siamese wants to get your attention, it will surely meow loudly. 

Your Siamese may want to get your attention in the middle of the night for various reasons.

It could be that they need something, like food, water, or attention. Or, they see something that grabs their attention, like birds outside or bugs and flies, and may move around your home at night.

In this case, their meowing changes in so-called chirping, which is a noise similar to a bird call, as a way to get the bird’s attention. Also, Siamese may chirp to trick birds into thinking they are amongst other birds. Chirping is a type of instinctual hunting habit that many cats still have. 

5. Breed Characteristics 

Siamese cats are one of the most vocal breeds, meaning they meow loudly and consistently.

It is essential to recognize this as a primary characteristic of Siamese cats. When you get a Siamese, you should expect to hear a lot of noise from them. 

Siamese are known for how loud they can be as well. 

When distressed or needing something, they can be highly vocal, producing loud, deep sounds to draw your attention.

Sometimes their nightly crying is not caused by anything, but it’s just Siamese cats being Siamese cats. In other words, it’s just something that they do.

6. Hunger

One issue you surely want to avoid is your Siamese crying during the night because they are hungry.

If you notice that your Siamese is not only crying during the night but also standing around their empty food bowl, this may be the sign of a hungry cat. 

Cats need to eat at least twice daily, while kittens can eat up to four times per day.

If you notice that your Siamese is consistently finishing their food and doing so rather quickly, it may be a sign you need to feed them more or more often.

To avoid your Siamese crying at night because they’re hungry. Organize their feeding time so that they finish their last meal in the evening or have a snack close to your bedtime.

7. Other Cats

Your Siamese may feel territorial in their space. If they see a neighboring cat trespassing into their territory, you may hear them crying loudly during the night as a way of fending off the intruder.

If your Siamese sees another cat outside their house, they may meow loudly to scare the other cat away and let them know this is their territory. Especially if your Siamese is not used to other cats, seeing one in their environment may alarm them. 

siamese cat playing
Because cats are nocturnal creates, they like to play and hunt at night

8. Mating

Your Siamese cat may howl or cry at night as a type of mating call. If your Siamese is female, she will likely produce a loud yowling mating call when she is in heat.

The term “in heat” refers to a female cat at the most fertile point of her reproductive cycle. 

When female cats are in heat, they are looking to mate so they can reproduce. Only female cats who have not been spayed will go into heat. 

If your female Siamese has not been spayed, and you notice she yowls more loudly during specific periods at night, she is likely in heat and looking to mate.

Female cats typically go into heat twice a year, but this can vary depending on the breed and if they have already mated. 

If you have a male Siamese cat that exhibits this behavior, they may be responding to the cries of a female nearby. Males will only do so when not neutered.

The obvious solution to avoid this during the night and daytime is to get your Siamese cat spayed or neutered.

9. Aging

As cats grow older, they sometimes become confused, as can also happen with humans.

Your cat may start crying at night because it is a sign of aging. Specifically, your Siamese may be suffering from cat dementia

Cat dementia can have several adverse health effects on your cat, including many possible symptoms: 

  • Decreased appetite
  • Disorientation
  • Sleep-wake cycle changes
  • Decreased activity level
  • Anxiety
  • Increased vocality

If your cat suffers from dementia, you will likely suddenly notice they are crying more at night. 

Their crying can be caused by any of the abovementioned reasons but is often driven by them being disoriented or anxious at night.

Crying, for this reason, can happen when your beloved Siamese cat gets older, and there’s not something you can do about it. Sometimes it helps to talk to your cat, soothe them and ensure they’re comfortable. It’s a good idea to let them sleep near you or in the same room to avoid the feelings of disorientation or anxiety.

10. Want To Go Outside

Your Siamese may whine more frequently at night if they are used to being outdoors. 

Perhaps you allow your cat to stay outside during the day and just bring them in at night. If this is the case, your cat may be crying at night because they want to go out again.

Cats who spend time outside during the day are typically more stimulated than cats who are indoor cats and spend the day sitting inside.

If your cat stays outdoors during the day, it may have trouble adjusting to being an indoor cat at night, especially because cats are originally nocturnal creatures. This means that they are most active at night.

Your Siamese crying at night may signify that they want to go outside, or it might signal a feeling of boredom or restlessness due to being forced to stay indoors. 

Applehead Siamese cat lying down
Cats generally are not used to sleeping all night; at sundown, playing or hunting time starts.

11. Discomfort or Pain

Another general reason why your Siamese may be crying at night is because of discomfort or pain. Discomfort or pain could come from an injury or illness.

There are countless injuries and diseases that your Siamese could experience in their lifetime, including possible physical injuries.

Perhaps your Siamese got hurt either fighting with another cat or playing and if they did, they will tell you about their wounds with their vocal cries. 

Your Siamese may also suffer from a chronic illness that causes them to experience overall discomfort. If this is the case, your Siamese may experience more pain at certain times throughout the day or night. 

Perhaps their discomfort or pain is not constant, which only causes them to be more vocal when they are experiencing a flare-up. 

Some common chronic illnesses that your Siamese may experience are chronic bronchial disease, hip dysplasia, and progressive retinal atrophy.

And if your Siamese does experience any one of these temporary or recurring illnesses, it’s likely this is the source of discomfort that causes them to be especially vocal.   

12. Nocturnal Tendencies

Finally, you may notice that your Siamese is vocal at night because they are more active at night.

Since cats have been domesticated, it is easy to forget that they are naturally nocturnal animals, meaning they are most active at night.

Therefore, they cry at night may very well be because, for your cat, nighttime is playtime or hunting time.

Our final thoughts

There you have it, the most common reason your Siamese cat may cry at night. Some of those can be avoided by taking away the cause of their crying.

Sometimes, though, it’s just cats being cats and because of their nocturnal tendencies, sleeping at night is generally not on top of their list of things to do after sundown.

If you’re worried that something’s wrong with your Siamese, it’s better to be safe than sorry and check with your vet if your Siamese’s behavior is expected.

Love reading about Siamese cats?

Then take a look at our other articles about this fantastic breed.

Or have a look at these popular reads from our website…

Back to top